Veolia, a leader in environmental solutions and the benchmark company for ecological transformation, recently hosted the final episode of its ‘Let’s Turn the Tide’ podcast in an engaging live session in Dubai participated by dozens of youth, to advance the conversation on how to achieve ecological transformation as the UAE prepares to host the crucial COP28 climate summit.
Held as part of a broader summit and workshop under the theme of Creating Tomorrow’s World: Youth and Climate Action, the grand finale of the first season of Veolia’s popular podcast featured Abdelqader Al Saqqaf, Former UAE Youth Delegate to the United Nations, Salma Moustaid, Technical Executive Officer at Zayed Int’l Foundation for the Environment, and Habiba Abdulrahman, Sustainable Fashion Advocate & Activist. Hosted by Nadine Zidani, Sustainability & Climate Advocate, the event was live streamed on Veolia Near and Middle East’s Instagram handle.
The lively discussion focused on the critical findings from Veolia’s first Ecological Transformation Barometer, which found that 67% of the world’s population is convinced that the costs of the consequences of climate change and pollution will be greater than the investments needed for ecological transformation. The discussion also shed light on the collective action and technologies needed to compensate and reduce the consequences of pollution and climate change.
The final episode of ‘Let’s Turn the Tide’ also introduced a new Veolia podcast series dedicated to COP28 – Voices of COP – inviting exclusive guests to share their thoughts and hopes for the world’s biggest climate gathering that takes place in Dubai from November 30 until December 12 and features the first-ever global stock-take assessment since the Paris Agreement of 2015.
Commenting on the occasion, Pascal Grante, CEO of Veolia Near & Middle East, said: “As the UAE hosts the crucial COP28 summit starting in late November this year, Veolia Near and Middle East is committed to supporting the nation’s efforts to enhance youth involvement in climate action. The final episode of our ‘Let’s Turn the Tide’ podcast and the launch of ‘Voices of COP’, a brand-new Veolia podcast series dedicated to COP28, are testaments to that strategic commitment – with both programs being for and by the youth.
“As revealed by the first edition of Veolia’s landmark Ecological Transformation Barometer, along with our groundbreaking work in countries on the front line of the effects of climate change as well as the pioneers of ecological policies, we urgently need to scale up the level of ecological solutions and find ways to mitigate the brakes on the pathway to implement these solutions. I was delighted to hear the robust panel discussion and suggestions from young participants to mobilise climate action and develop practical innovation and solutions for the sustainable management of our precious natural resources.”
The event, hosted at Warehouse Four in Al Quoz, Dubai, on October 12, also included a detailed briefing on the key insights from the Ecological Transformation Barometer and provided an excellent opportunity for university students, young activists, and professionals in the environmental sector to discuss the actions they plan to undertake to shape a greener future, and what they envision for the UAE. The audience was delighted to engage with Veolia’s environment experts on a variety of subjects after the panel discussion.
The full recording of the final episode of Let’s Turn the Tide’ podcast is now available on YouTube at Veolia Near & Middle East channel, On Spotify