Porto to host global climate change conference

This March the city of Porto will host a major global debate on the challenges faced by the wine industry due to climate change, organised in partnership with Taylor’s Port, with former US vice-president Al Gore set to be a keynote speaker.

Former vice-president Al Gore will be a keynote speaker at the event in March

Climate Change Leadership Porto – Solutions for the Wine Industry, will provide a forum where the industry can discuss and share personal experiences and practical short and long-term solutions to mitigate the impacts of a changing climate.

As grape farmers, the wine industry is particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, which brings with it increasingly erratic and unpredictable weather patterns.

This can include violent rainstorms that cause erosion and flooding, prolonged periods of drought, excessive rainfall and more frequent hail storms, all of which has a direct impact on the wine industry’s ability to cultivate grapes.

The aim of the conference is to help the wine industry understand its role in climate change and enable all sectors to work together to reduce their collective impact and help ensure a safe and sustainable future.

Internationally renowned experts will share their research and practical experience and discuss the strategies being implemented to reduce the effects of climate change, as well as providing solutions and real examples of what is working.

Confirmed wine industry speakers include: Miguel Torres; Cristina Mariani-May; Gérard Bertrand; Margareth Henriquez; Professor Roger Boulton of UC-Davis; António Amorim; climatologist Dr. Greg Jones; Dr. José Vouillamoz; Cindy de Vries from Fetzer Vineyards; Gerard Casaubon from Concha y Toro; Jaume Gramona; Joël Rochard; Gilles Descôtes; Jamie Goode; Paul Willgoss and Linda Johnson-Bell, among many others.

On the final day, following the wine industry debate, the conference will culminate with the second edition of the Climate Change Leadership Porto summit attended by world-class climate change experts and activists. Nobel Laureate and former US vice-president Al Gore will be the keynote speaker.

Other speakers will include: UN Champion of the Earth for the world’s largest beach clean-up project, Afroz Shah; director-general of WWF International Marco Lambertini; Kaj Török; chief sustainability officer at MAX Burgers, the world’s first climate-positive burger, and other names to be announced shortly.

The event follows the first Climate Change Leadership Summit 2018 held in Porto last July at which the keynote address was given by President Barack Obama.

The key outcome of this summit was the launch of the Porto Procotol – a voluntary pledge which commits its participants to adopt and promote concrete actions, however small, to help reduce the impact of a changing climate. It will also provide a database of case studies of what can be done and who can help, creating a platform through which to share information and advice.

The Climate Change Leadership Porto – Solutions for the Wine Industry, will take place in Porto, in Portugal, from March 5-7, 2019, and will run alongside an extensive trade show area at the Alfandega Conference Centre where sponsors and exhibitors can display their products, services, and initiatives mitigating and adapting to climate change to the approximately 700 delegates coming to Oporto from over 40 countries.

For further information and to register attendance, visit www.climatechange-porto.com or contact us at info@climatechange.pt.

Find more information about the Porto Protocol and membership at www.portoprotocol.com