Cottoning on to climate change

Date: Wednesday, 14th July 2021

Times:

12:30-2:00pm BST | 7:30-9:00am EST | 5:00-6:30pm IST | 7:30-9:00pm SGT

Duration: 1.5h

Global warming could reach 1.5ºC as early as 2030. And yet, despite the Paris Agreement and the ambitious decarbonisation pledges and targets being set by countries and corporates around the world, we are faced with decades of unavoidable climate change. This will have profound effects on agricultural systems, farming communities and supply chains. Preparing today for the changes that will occur tomorrow is essential if we are to limit the impacts of climate change on society.

Climate change is set to pose significant risks to cotton - the most widely produced natural fibre. But what exactly are the potential environmental and social-economic impacts of climate change on key cotton growing regions and the wider industry? What are the implications for producers, brands & retailers, cotton standards and the investor community? And how can the sector come together to use this information to develop responses that not only deliver rapid decarbonisation, but which also build resilience and address climate justice issues?

Drawing on the first ever global analysis of physical climate risks across global cotton growing regions for the 2040s conducted for the Cotton 2040 initiative, we will share the key findings and data from the research to help participants understand how climate change is likely to impact key cotton growing regions and the supply chains. We will explore with producers and industry actors what these findings mean for their organisations, and what’s needed to respond to the challenge.

This webinar will be followed by a series of geography-specific industry workshops in autumn, when Cotton 2040 will bring the sector together to dive deeper into the data, understand implications and identify potential industry responses.

Join this webinar to understand and discuss:

• Why staying below 1.5C warming is so critical and what urgent adaptation planning needs to happen alongside climate change mitigation, in order to build resilience;
• What will be the environmental and social impacts of climate change on global cotton production?
• How might climate change affect cotton producers, apparel brands, retailers and cotton standards?
• What is the role of industry stakeholders in driving rapid decarbonisation, building resilience, and ensuring a just transition?
• How can you get involved in creating a future-fit and just cotton sector?

Speakers:

• Host: Dr Sally Uren, Chief Executive Officer, Forum for the Future
• Iain Watt, Climate Strategist
• Erin Owain, Lead Associate - Climate and Resilience Hub, and Alastair Baglee, Director, Corporates - Climate & Resilience Hub, Willis Tower Watson
• Charlene Collison, Associate Director, Sustainable Value Chains & Livelihoods, Forum for the Future

Panellists:

• Amal-Lee Amin, Director of Climate Change, Value Creation Strategies at CDC Group and Senior Advisor COP26 Unit, Cabinet Office
• Phil Townsend, Senior Technical Manager - Environmental Sustainability, Primark
• Allan Williams, General Manager for R&D Investment at the Australian Cotton Research & Development Corporation
• Dr Philippe Saner, Head of Business Development and ICT, Reinhart

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About Cotton 2040

Cotton 2040 is a platform which aims to accelerate progress and maximise the impact of existing sustainable cotton initiatives, bringing together leading international brands and retailers, sustainable cotton standards, traders, processors, farmers and other stakeholders across the value chain.

Facilitated by Forum for the Future, with support from Laudes Foundation and co-delivery partners Acclimatise (Willis Tower Watson), Anthesis and the World Resources Institute (WRI), Cotton 2040 envisages a sustainable global cotton industry, which is resilient in a changing climate; which uses business models that support sustainable production and livelihoods; and where sustainably produced cotton is the norm.

Find out more: https://www.forumforthefuture.org/cotton-2040

Explore the findings of the first ever global analysis of physical climate risks across global cotton growing regions for the 2040s alongside an interactive Climate Risk Explorer tool at https://www.acclimatise.uk.com/collaborations/cotton-2040/.