Nordic Climate Solutions 2009 – Conference and Trade Show. By Meik Wiking, Project Manager, Monday Morning

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Monday Morning’s Involvement in the Development of a Sustainable Society
Monday Morning’s main international focus is climate change and development of new sustainable economies. Monday Morning has founded Copenhagen Climate Council – a global network of leading business people and scientists with one shared goal: how can the accelerating threats of climate change be transformed into new opportunities – and create sustainable global growth?

Monday Morning and Copenhagen Climate Council recently hosted the World Business Summit on climate change. Among the speakers at the summit were Al Gore, José Manual Barosso and Ban Ki-Moon.

Monday Morning’s next event concerning climate is Nordic Climate Solutions (NCS). NCS is Scandinavia's most important marketplace for stakeholders within climate change, energy, and clean-tech industries. It is jointly organised by NIDAB Networking, The Nordic Council of Ministers and more than 70 other organisations and companies from the Nordic region, including DONG Energy, Vattenfall and E.ON.
 
What is Nordic Climate Solutions?
Prior to and after the Copenhagen UN Summit in December, NCS gathers a significant number of business and industry leaders to showcase ready–to–implement solutions. In 2008, NCS brought together more than 1200 decision makers from more than 40 countries.  2009 will be the third time we host the event, and this year we will pay particular attention to energy efficiency, transport, renewable and intelligent energy and present the following sessions, among others:

• The Potential of the Smart Grid
• The Car of the Future – Batteries Included
• Optimizing Framework Conditions for Renewable Energy
• EU Energy Efficiency Labeling and Standards – A+ and Beyond
• Delivering Goods – Climate Neutral Goods Transport on Their Way
• Just Around the Bend - Trends and Emerging Technologies within Transport
• A Tale of Two Green Cities – Integrating Renewable Energy in Sustainable Cities
• Energy Efficiency Elsewhere – International Implementation of EE Improvement Measures

At NCS more than 50 exhibitors present the latest developments in clean tech and one of our goals is to enable Nordic businesses to explore and develop their business, export and partnership possibilities, and thus profit from the event in actual terms. This year we expect delegations from such markets as Korea, Russia and, of course, China. Heeding the initiative of Danish-Chinese Business Forum, a delegation of high-ranking Chinese officials from the relevant governmental authorities and the energy sector will be invited.

Why China Is important for the Nordic Climate Solutions Conference
Things are happening in China. On April 19, the Guardian, citing Su Wei, a member of their climate change negotiating team, reported that China is considering a national carbon intensity target, limiting emissions per unit of GDP from 2011. Another advisor, Hu Angang, added that China could start cutting overall emissions starting 2020. And on May 5, Wang Zhongying of the National Development and Reform Commission, suggested China would surpass its 2020 solar power target by a factor of five or possibly ten, from 1,800 megawatts (MW) to as much as 20,000 MW. In the same revised renewable energy plan, China announced it would more than triple its 2020 wind energy target to 150,000 MW.

On May 6, upon an official visit to Beijing, British Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband told the Guardian: “I think they're up for a deal. I get the strong impression that they want an agreement. They see the impact of climate change on China and they know the world is moving towards a low-carbon economy and see the business opportunities that will come with that.” At Nordic Climate Solutions, we want to facilitate those business opportunities for the Chinese – and the Nordic – companies. Once the Chinese leadership has decided on a course, change usually comes with blinding speed, so we need to prepare now.   

The Financial Crisis and Its Effect on the Event
The conference does not seem to have been affected by the crisis. On the contrary, this year we have experienced an increased interest from companies wanting to join Nordic Climate Solutions. There seems to be a rising awareness of the fact that going green is a competitive necessity. Green companies deliver better results than their competitors in times of economic crises. The main reason for going green, however, is to prepare for future regulations and avoid losing ground in a new low-carbon economy.

Hence, Nordic Climate Solutions is not only a meeting place but also a market place. Last year, million dollar deals were made on NCS, and we see this as one of our core purposes – to facilitate trade of green products and services.

For more information about Nordic Climate Solutions, please contact Meik Wiking at: e-mail: mwi@mm.dk or Tel: 3393 9323

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