Climate Change Leadership Porto - Solutions for the Wine Industry 2019

Porto Sunset — Credit: Kit Bridge

(Image credit: Kit Bridge)

published 14 January 2019

On March 5-7, 2019, the city of Porto will host a major global debate on the challenges faced by the wine world due to climate change.

In partnership with the Porto Climate Change Leadership conference.

An international conference, 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.

The conference will help us understand our role in climate change and enable all sectors of the wine industry to work in concert to reduce their collective impact and help ensure a safe and sustainable future.

Internationally renowned authorities will share their research and practical experience and discuss the strategies being implemented to reduce the effects of climate change.

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 – Fetzer Vineyards
Gerard Casaubon – Concha y Toro
Jaume Gramona
Joël Rochard
Gilles Descôtes
Jamie Goode
Paul Willgoss
Linda Johnson-Bell

The conference will help to identify where and how we can start to push back. It will provide solutions and real examples of what is working and aims to involve all players up to CEO and owner level.

On the last 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 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 Burgers, and other names to be announced shortly.

The event follows the 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, which commits its participants to adopt and promote concrete actions, however small, to help reduce the impact of a changing climate. While this important global initiative recognises that the wine industry is uniquely well placed to take a leadership role in climate change mitigation, the Protocol welcomes the participation of institutions, companies and individuals from all areas of activity.

Climate Change Leadership – Solutions for the Wine Industry Porto 2019 will also feature an extensive Trade Show Area at the Alfândega Conference Centre where sponsors and exhibitors can showcase their products and services, as well as their initiatives to mitigate and adapt to climate change, to the approximately 700 delegates coming to Porto from over 40 countries.