Program
The program started at 8:30 am Eastern Daylight Time (US) or:
5:30 am Pacific Time (US)
1.30 pm British Summer Time (UK)
2.30 pm Central European Time (Paris, Rome, Madrid)
3.30 pm East Africa Time (Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es Salaam)
8.30 pm Singapore/Philippines Standard Time
11.30 pm Australian Daylight Time (Canberra)
Each day’s program was at least 3 hours.
DAY 1: October 15, 2025 (8.30 am EDT US / 8.30 pm Singapore)
8:30 - Welcome from the event host
Ms. Aria McKenna, Co-Chair, Media & Communications Team, HPAC
Introduction
8:33 - Conference overview and outcomes expected
Dr. Dennis Garrity, Chair, HPAC
Session 1: The Accelerated Global Heating Emergency
8:42 - How much is global heating accelerating?
Dr. Leon Simons, Climate and Energy Researcher and Communicator
8:55 - Why is global heating accelerating?
Dr. James Hansen, Climatologist and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University's Earth Institute
9:10 - We passed the 1.5°C climate threshold: We must now explore extreme options
Sir David King, Founder and Chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group
9:25 - The climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win
Mr. Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General (invited)
9:35 - Moderated Panel Discussion
Dr. Phoebe Barnard
Dr. Doris Capistrano
Mr. Matt Reddy
Mr. Ricken Patel
Q&A
Session 2: What Happens If We Fail to Avert 2°C?
10:10 - The risks of triggering multiple feedbacks and tipping points
Dr. Tim Lenton, Professor of Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter
10:20 - What are the global impacts and levels of suffering expected at 2°C?
David Spratt, Research Director for the Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration
10:35 - Moderated panel discussion
Dr. Portia Adade Williams
Dr. Delia Catacutan
Dr. Devashree Nayak
Mr. James Donovan
Q&A
11:15 - End of Day 1
DAY 2: October 16, 2025 (8.30 am EDT US / 8.30 pm Singapore)
Session 3: How Do We Avert 2°C by 2040? What’s The Plan?
8:30 - Quick recap of previous day
8:35 - How much emissions reduction and greenhouse gas removals can be expected by 2040?
What effect would this have on averting 2°C?
Mr. Bruce Parker
8:50 - How much albedo enhancement can be expected by 2040? What effect would that have on averting 2°C?
Deploying Stratospheric Aerosol Injection
Dr. Doug MacMartin, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University
9:10 - A plausible pathway to deployment
Mr. Wake Smith, Climate Researcher, Author, and Adjunct Professor at Yale and Harvard
9:25 - Deploying Marine Cloud Brightening
Prof. Hugh Hunt, Professor of Engineering, University of Cambridge
9:40 - Deploying other near-term cooling methods
Dr. Ron Baiman, HPAC
9:55 - Moderated panel discussion
Trisha Patel
Jyoti Singh
Andy Parker
Brian von Herzen
Q&A
Session 4: Developing and Deploying a New Climate Plan to Avert 2°C by 2040
10:35 - Building a coalition of climate-vulnerable countries
Mr. Pascal Lamy, Chair, Overshoot Commission
10:45 - Why we need a new climate plan
Dr. Mike MacCracken, Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs at the Climate Institute
11:00 - How should society plan for the growing threat of catastrophic climate tipping points and system risks? Building a coalition for a nonlinear climate
Joshua Elliott, Climate Emergencies Forum
11:10 - Moderated panel discussion
Paul Gambill
Sasha Post
11:30 - Next Steps
11:40 - Summary and Closing Remarks