November 3, 2023
Cities: Possibilities 2023
Launch of The Liveability Challenge 2024
Hybrid | Singapore | 3rd November 2023
About this Event
The year 2023 marks the key halfway point for our climate goals since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. The upcoming COP28 hosted in Dubai will deliver the first global stocktake of our progress and provide an opportunity for countries to take stock, course correct and chart an accelerated path forward.
Cities are at the heart of climate action, generating more than 60 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. By deploying low-carbon measures, cities could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from urban buildings, materials, transport and waste by nearly 90 per cent by 2050. These measures would have a net present value of US$23.9 trillion – greater than United States economy, according to the Coalition for Urban Transitions.
As the world meets for climate talks, bold action must be taken across society to rapidly decarbonise cities if we are to reach the global target of reducing global emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 as an interim step to net zero by 2050.
How can stakeholders come together to promote technology and innovation, inclusion, uplifting communities and scale financing across urban ecosystems? Cities: Possibilities 2023, themed ‘Taking stock. Raising Ambition.’ will convene stakeholders across all segments of society to spotlight solutions for low-carbon and resilient cities, with a focus on infrastructure, circularity, food, energy, water, and mobility.
The 2024 edition of The Liveability Challenge, Asia’s largest sustainability solutions platform presented by Temasek Foundation, will also be launched at this event. We will unveil the new themes for the sustainability innovations we are looking for in the year ahead, and selected finalists will pitch at Temasek’s Ecosperity 2024 to win funding from a wide range of grant funders and investors.
Presented by
Strategic Partner
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Knowledge Partner
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Agenda
9:00 am
Registrations opens
9:30 am
Welcome Remarks
Jessica Cheam
Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business
9:45 am
Welcome Remarks by Catapult
Victoria Great
Vice President, Catapult Executive Leadership & Innovation Institute
10:00 am
Opening keynote: Taking stock. Raising ambition.
Vinamra Srivastava
Chief Sustainability & Sustainable Investments Officer, CapitaLand Investment
10:20 am
Special fireside chat with The Earthshot Prize
Hannah Jones
CEO, The Earthshot Prize
Jessica Cheam
Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business
11:00 am
Opening plenary: Solutions for net zero, inclusive cities
Despite covering merely 2 per cent of the planet's surface, cities consume nearly 80 per cent of the world’s energy and emit over 60 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions — significantly contributing to global temperatures rising 1.1 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era. Cities must urgently decarbonise to limit this rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius as set out in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Reducing emissions within cities, however, is challenging. Urbanisation and population growth is driving up energy demand, while cities rely heavily on hard-to-abate sectors such as urban transportation, industries and commercial activities.
Meeting the needs of a growing urban population while keeping emissions low will require significant planning and investment. What key policy shifts are needed to phase out Asian cities’ dependence on fossil fuels? How do we enable climate positive development that leaves no one behind?
Ahead of a pivotal COP28 that aims to fast-track the energy transition, this panel will discuss how cities can build on progress made so far and play a leading role in catalysing further climate ambition.
Joe Hooper
Director, UNDP, Global Centre for Technology
Perrine Hamel
Assistant Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Lee Poh Seng
Associate Professor, NUS & Executive Director, Energy Studies Institute
Meaghan See
Director of Partnerships, Eco-Business
12:00 pm
Roundtable discussions: infrastructure, circularity, food, energy, water, and mobility.
As hyper-dense congregations of human activity, environmental considerations must be built into every aspect of city operations to lighten their climate footprint.
There is a growing body of research that points to how urban Asia can decarbonise, by employing the latest technologies and channelling money to the most impactful ventures. But these efforts must be tailored to each city’s unique circumstances. Local communities must also be protected from both growing climate risks and the adverse impacts of big changes.
Six aspects of cities could be key to their climate efforts: infrastructure, the circular economy, food, energy, water and mobility. Join us in our roundtable discussions, led by a multidisciplinary team of urban experts, to explore the most promising solutions in each of the sectors. Participants will also have the opportunity to network with like-minded peers and explore collaboration on new sustainability initiatives.
Discussions in each topic will be framed by the enabling pillars of technological innovation, finance, climate adaptation and inclusivity.
Farizan d’Avezac de Moran
Board Member, Singapore Green Building Council
Saurabh Gaidhani
APAC Regional Lead, Resilient Cities Network
Zarith Sofia Magad
Technical Director, Transport Planning, Mott MacDonald
Alexandru Popa
Business Incubation Leader, APAC, Schneider Electric
1:00 pm
Networking Lunch
2:00 pm
Roundtable sharing and highlights
3:15 pm
Networking break
3:30 pm
The Liveability Challenge 2024 official launch
3:40 pm
Official launch of The Liveability Challenge 2024 presented by Temasek Foundation
Lim Hock Chuan
Head of Programmes, Temasek Foundation
4:00 pm
The Liveability Challenge plenary: Scaling finance for climate innovation in urban ecosystems
Unlocking affordable, available and accessible climate finance is one of the key pillars of the upcoming COP28 climate summit.
Experts now believe trillions are needed annually to support the climate needs of developing nations. This provides a tremendous opportunity for funders to rebuild trust and create a more equitable future for all.
The challenge is only more salient in Asian urban centres, which need green finance for upgrading electricity grids and adapting to extreme weather events. Emergency and social safety nets need financing support to support climate-stressed urban inhabitants. With the right policies, cities in the region also can serve as green finance hubs to crowd in much-needed investments.
Such efforts require private financiers, multilateral development banks and governments to collaborate and channel more capital towards climate action in developing regions. They must also overcome long timeframes and high costs associated with climate investments, limited access to sustainable finance markets, and the lack of supportive policies.
How can we enhance coordination between stakeholders to unlock climate finance for Asia’s growing cities? What regulatory systems must be urgently reformed? How can developing countries ensure that climate funds go towards the most viable climate causes?
Heeding COP28’s clarion call, this panel will shed light on fixing climate finance for developing nations and cities.
Alina Truhina
Chief Executive Officer, Managing Partner, Radical Fund
XiuLing Guo
Chief Executive Officer, Nurasa
Jessica Cheam
Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business
Devin Chan
Deputy Executive Director, Infrastructure Asia
5:00 pm
Closing summary and remarks
H.E. Kara Owen
British High Commissioner to Singapore
5:15 pm
Networking drinks and exclusive premiere of the 360 documentary ‘Wasted’
Agenda
9:00 am
Registrations opens
9:30 am
Welcome Remarks
9:45 am
Welcome Remarks by Catapult
10:00 am
Opening keynote: Taking stock. Raising ambition.
10:20 am
Special fireside chat with The Earthshot Prize
11:00 am
Opening plenary: Solutions for net zero, inclusive cities
Despite covering merely 2 per cent of the planet's surface, cities consume nearly 80 per cent of the world’s energy and emit over 60 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions — significantly contributing to global temperatures rising 1.1 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era. Cities must urgently decarbonise to limit this rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius as set out in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Reducing emissions within cities, however, is challenging. Urbanisation and population growth is driving up energy demand, while cities rely heavily on hard-to-abate sectors such as urban transportation, industries and commercial activities.
Meeting the needs of a growing urban population while keeping emissions low will require significant planning and investment. What key policy shifts are needed to phase out Asian cities’ dependence on fossil fuels? How do we enable climate positive development that leaves no one behind?
Ahead of a pivotal COP28 that aims to fast-track the energy transition, this panel will discuss how cities can build on progress made so far and play a leading role in catalysing further climate ambition.
12:00 pm
Roundtable discussions: infrastructure, circularity, food, energy, water, and mobility.
As hyper-dense congregations of human activity, environmental considerations must be built into every aspect of city operations to lighten their climate footprint.
There is a growing body of research that points to how urban Asia can decarbonise, by employing the latest technologies and channelling money to the most impactful ventures. But these efforts must be tailored to each city’s unique circumstances. Local communities must also be protected from both growing climate risks and the adverse impacts of big changes.
Six aspects of cities could be key to their climate efforts: infrastructure, the circular economy, food, energy, water and mobility. Join us in our roundtable discussions, led by a multidisciplinary team of urban experts, to explore the most promising solutions in each of the sectors. Participants will also have the opportunity to network with like-minded peers and explore collaboration on new sustainability initiatives.
Discussions in each topic will be framed by the enabling pillars of technological innovation, finance, climate adaptation and inclusivity.
1:00 pm
Networking Lunch
2:00 pm
Roundtable sharing and highlights
3:15 pm
Networking break
3:30 pm
The Liveability Challenge 2024 official launch
3:40 pm
Official launch of The Liveability Challenge 2024 presented by Temasek Foundation
4:00 pm
The Liveability Challenge plenary: Scaling finance for climate innovation in urban ecosystems
Unlocking affordable, available and accessible climate finance is one of the key pillars of the upcoming COP28 climate summit.
Experts now believe trillions are needed annually to support the climate needs of developing nations. This provides a tremendous opportunity for funders to rebuild trust and create a more equitable future for all.
The challenge is only more salient in Asian urban centres, which need green finance for upgrading electricity grids and adapting to extreme weather events. Emergency and social safety nets need financing support to support climate-stressed urban inhabitants. With the right policies, cities in the region also can serve as green finance hubs to crowd in much-needed investments.
Such efforts require private financiers, multilateral development banks and governments to collaborate and channel more capital towards climate action in developing regions. They must also overcome long timeframes and high costs associated with climate investments, limited access to sustainable finance markets, and the lack of supportive policies.
How can we enhance coordination between stakeholders to unlock climate finance for Asia’s growing cities? What regulatory systems must be urgently reformed? How can developing countries ensure that climate funds go towards the most viable climate causes?
Heeding COP28’s clarion call, this panel will shed light on fixing climate finance for developing nations and cities.
5:00 pm
Closing summary and remarks
5:15 pm
Networking drinks and exclusive premiere of the 360 documentary ‘Wasted’
Presented by
Temasek Foundation
Temasek Foundation supports a diverse range of programmes that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and beyond. Temasek Foundation’s programmes are made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Temasek, as well as gifts and other contributions from other donors. These programmes strive towards achieving positive outcomes for individuals and communities now, and for generations to come. Collectively, Temasek Foundation’s programmes strengthen social resilience, foster international exchange and regional capabilities, advance science, and protect the planet.
For more information, visit www.temasekfoundation.org.sg.
Strategic Partner
CapitaLand Group (CapitaLand) is one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups. Headquartered in Singapore, CapitaLand’s portfolio focuses on real estate investment management and real estate development, and spans across more than 260 cities in over 40 countries.
Within its ecosystem, CapitaLand has developed an integrated suite of investment management and operating capabilities that supports its real estate businesses and platforms in building core competencies across the real estate value chain. With this full stack of capabilities, CapitaLand can optimise the strategies of its listed real estate investment management business CapitaLand Investment (CLI), and its privately held property development arm CapitaLand Development (CLD), to drive competitive advantage for its businesses.
CapitaLand places sustainability at the core of what it does. As a responsible real estate company, CapitaLand contributes to the environmental and social well-being of the communities where it operates, as it delivers long-term economic value to its stakeholders.
CapitaLand
Catapult is Southeast Asia's first Shared Executive Learning Centre in Singapore's Rochester Park area. Designed as a Learner's Playground, it aims to groom future leaders through immersive and experiential learning journeys.
Catapult bases its experiential learning approach around The Neuroscience of Learning and Motivation, focusing on emotion, experimentation, and social interaction to enhance the learning experience. Its curriculum revolves around 3 pillars: Leadership, Innovation, and Energy for Peak Performance.
Catapult is a 2-storey learning centre within a campus-style integrated development that includes a Citadines Connect business hotel, corporate offices, restaurants and heritage bungalows. Catapult is developed and managed by CapitaLand Development.
www.catapult.com.sg
Catapult
Knowledge Partner
'UNDP is the United Nations' lead agency on international development. We work in over 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, implement the Paris Agreement on climate change and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We connect countries to the knowledge, resources and networks they need to achieve development breakthroughs.'
UNDP
The Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) enables sustainability across the building and construction value chain, championing capability development and innovative solutions that support industry transformation through our Membership, Certification and outreach programmes. The repository of proven green building solutions helps to enable green procurement in the industry, profiling leading and innovative solutions that go towards building a greener, healthier built environment. Together with a growing pool of industry-recognised Green Mark Accredited Professionals, SGBC addresses every touchpoint of the green building ecosystem.
For more information, visit www.sgbc.sg
Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC)
The Resilient Cities Network is the world’s leading urban resilience network. We bring together global knowledge, practice, partnerships, and funding to empower 100 member cities in 47 countries worldwide. Arm in arm with those member cities, we help them build a safer, more equitable, and sustainable future for all their residents. Our mission is to build safe and equitable cities for everyone, and to make this happen, over the past decade, we have supported our cities on the ground with solutions to build climate-resilient, circular and inclusive cities.
Find out more at www.resilientcitiesnetwork.org
Resilient Cities Network
Circular Cities Asia (CCAsia) is a social enterprise with a mission to build a community that accelerates circular economy innovation across Asia.
We teach young people the intersection between lean innovation and circular economy principles to help solve environmental waste challenges. We provide young people hands-on, experiential opportunities to design and build circular solutions and businesses.
We believe that innovation is key to help transition us to a sustainable and circular future.
Circular Cities Asia
Celebrating 50 years of operation in Singapore and 100 years of heritage, Mott MacDonald has been at the forefront of engineering and development consultancy. Our journey, which began with a feasibility study for electric lighting in 1902, has led us to design the first major electric power station in Singapore and contribute to the country’s first metro project.
In the past year, we’ve made significant strides in innovation on the North-South Corridor tunnelling project. Our unique approach to overcome space constraints along Thomson Road involved developing the world’s first underground bridge, designed by our transport experts in Singapore, UK and Australia.
We’re excited to announce that Sofia from our transport team will be facilitating a roundtable discussion on mobility. As a transport planner and chartered engineer, Sofia’s experience spans across Singapore and the South East Asia region. She has worked on various stages of project development – from devising strategic roadmaps for transportation infrastructure to designing detailed road systems and traffic schemes.
Sofia’s interest in futures has led her to focus on the different futures of transportation and mobility, particularly in achieving a decarbonised, and more equitable and inclusive transport ecosystem.
Mott MacDonald
