Businesses, public sector organisations, schools, colleges and communities from across the Humber have come together to lead the fight against climate change ahead of the COP26 climate change conference.
Last week’s five-day Waterline Summit involved 100 speakers at 26 separate events, engaging tens of thousands of people. Covering a wide range of topics, it aimed to connect the whole region and show how every sector has a part to play in the drive to a net zero carbon economy.
The summit, organised by Marketing Humber as part of its campaign The Waterline, was streamed to all seven continents, with participants coming from as far afield as Vietnam, Thailand and Greenland.
Key contributions, including the new film “Eyes on the Humber”, which documents the vital role the region has in the climate change challenge, will now be taken to world leaders at the COP26 conference.
The summit, a hybrid of in-person and online events, featured prominent speakers including green energy entrepreneur Dale Vince OBE, astronaut Dr Chris Boshuizen and electric vehicle adventurer Chris Ramsey.
Panellists debate “The Future of Energy” at one of the key events held during The Waterline Summit.
Mr Ramsey, who will attempt to travel from the South Pole to the North Pole in an electric vehicle in December next year, told the summit: “There’s a great will in the Humber to make real sustainable change.
“There’s a buzz here among people wanting to make a difference in this region, but also to develop technology that can be utilised across the world. It’s been a fascinating experience for me to witness this at first hand.”
Several contributors to The Waterline Summit will now be attending COP26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place from October 31 to November 12, to deliver key messages from the Humber.
Marketing Humber will link the region to COP26 through an online platform, providing resources, podcasts, interviews and streamed events.
The winners of The Waterline Student Challenge, which encouraged children aged 11-18 to plan and deliver their own eco project, will also attend the conference. Catherine Crees and Jaden Taylor, both 17, students from Ron Dearing University Technical College, researched and calculated how learners and staff could reduce their carbon footprints by cycling to school.
Dr Diana Taylor, managing director of Marketing Humber, said: “We said the world would be watching us and The Waterline Summit has proved it is. Now we go to COP26 with renewed vigour and optimism that this is a fight we can win, starting here in the Humber.”
For blogs, podcasts and videos from summit, visit The Waterline Summit 2021
