The challenge of greening the humanitarian response

[Online session]

The nonprofit sector faces a paradox: cash-strapped NGOs aim to promote health and sustainability, but in many cases, they run on fossil fuels that are expensive, worsen the climate crisis and generate air pollution, which harms human health. Few NGOs have the capacity or time for a potentially complex assessment of energy needs, particularly in rapidly changing emergency and post-emergency settings such as disasters and refugee camps. This event will explore these challenges and the ways emerging technologies and new programs can help green the world’s humanitarian response and development operations.

Designed for forward-thinking leaders from nonprofit organizations, government, funders, corporate operations and philanthropy, and anyone with an interest in this issue, this dynamic session will feature innovators from Madrid’s Polytechnic University, Global Platform for Action – Sustainable Energy for Displaced People, Action Against Hunger and acciona.org Foundation, among others. Attendees will come away with actionable new insights and tools to mitigate impacts on climate and health while advancing development and mobilizing more effective disaster response.

Although energy is present in every phase of response, it is a sector of humanitarian aid that has often been relegated to the background. However, the impact it has on the environment and communities is of paramount importance.

The aim of this session is to bring together different actors of the humanitarian and the renewable energies sectors to discuss about the challenge of greening humanitarian responses therefore taking a more active role on contributing to climate change mitigation while deploying humanitarian aid. 

Taking advantage of the NYC Climate Week momentum, we aim at bringing this relevant topic to the humanitarian agenda to ensure more action is taken to speed up the contribution of this relevant sector to climate change mitigation.

 Also, the session will serve as a loudspeaker to showcase to the world the Beta version of REact, an innovative free to use assessment tool that allows estimating energy needs in humanitarian contexts and guides the decision-making process to meet those needs through solar energy. 

Register now!