The International Climate Action Congress (CIACC) 2024, organised by the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (UNEATLANTICO), the Fundación Privada Empresa & Clima (FEC) and the Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER), opens at the Gran Casino Sardinero.
For the third consecutive year, the congress will be held until Friday at the facilities of the Universidad Europea del Atlántico. The event will be attended by 160 companies and representatives of 30 nationalities. In addition, the novelty of this edition is that it has been announced that the city of Santander will be the permanent venue for this important forum on climate action.
The Mayoress, Gema Igual, attended the presentation at the Gran Casino Sardinero, where the official reception was held for the speakers and participants. Also taking part in the event were Elvira Carles, Director of the Private Enterprise and Climate Foundation; Rubén Calderón, Rector of the European University of the Atlantic; and representatives of the sponsoring companies such as AON, Banco Santander, Central Lechera Asturiana, Eurecat, Farside Ventures and Nortegas.
Igual expressed his thanks to Elvira Carles, the organisers, including UNEATLANTICO and FUNIBER, and sponsors, underlining the importance of the city hosting this strategic event in the environmental field, consolidating it as a highlight of the Santander summer. “Santander will be at the centre of the debate on crucial issues such as climate change and environmental policies, and the analysis of the conclusions and progress of the COP conferences”, said Igual.
For her part, Elvira Carles highlighted the joint organisational effort with the City Council and assured that the congress is already part of the agendas of Spanish business leaders, as a forum for analysis between the different UN COP conferences on climate change.
Carles highlighted the high level of the speakers and the objective of transmitting the best practices and knowledge developed by administrations, organisations and companies on environmental issues. There will be six sessions on topics of immediate application and will discuss issues related to the Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the development of value chains and reliable offset projects, the measurement of climate impacts and risks, technological solutions for industrial challenges, geopolitics of energy and critical minerals, and sustainability reports aligned with the taxonomy. In addition, more than 20 business experiences from different sectors will be presented.
During the afternoon, the guests attended the inauguration. The event included a concert by the Santander Municipal Music Band, a welcome by Jon Hernández, an expert in Artificial Intelligence, who opened the congress, and a dinner.