COP31 Estonian Pavilion

Intro session of Estonian pavilion: Unlocking the Resources Already Around Us

The world is facing interconnected challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, increasing pressure on ecosystems, growing demand for food, and rising competition for the resources needed to support industrial development and the clean transition. These challenges are often addressed in isolation, yet they are closely linked through the way societies produce, consume and manage resources. The transition to a circular economy has the potential to mitigate many of these challenges.

Pär Larshans · Laura Remmelgas(TBC) · Johan Falk · Representative of UNFCCC(TBC) · Representative of EY(TBC)

From Wastewater challenges to Climate Solutions - Eliminating Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Water Systems

This session will explore how wastewater treatment and aquaculture systems can become important contributors to both climate mitigation and sustainable resource management. Through concrete examples and policy perspectives, participants will discuss how resource recovery approaches can reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions while improving food security, energy resilience and circularity.

Pär Larshans · Representative of UNEP(TBC) · Jonas Hagman · Representative of Havbruk(TBC) · Representative of Stockholm Environment Institute(TBC)

No FOMO! by Climate Youth Delegates

A 5 p.m. "Tea-brief" of what has been going on in other pavilions and sessions that you might have missed. Every afternoon aka at tea time, the Estonian and Latvian youth delegates Marie and Rūdolfs, together with guests, debrief and offer their perspective on what has been spotted by them at COP31.

Marie Johanna Univer · Rūdolfs Podzis · Additional Youth Climate Delegates from other countries(TBC)

The Missing Trillion: Financing Energy Efficiency at Scale from Europe to Emerging Markets

Energy efficiency remains the world's largest untapped clean energy resource, yet investment levels remain far below what is needed to achieve climate and energy security objectives. The European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition was created precisely to mobilize private capital, improve access to finance, de-risk projects, develop blended finance solutions, and build investment pipelines. COP Turkey provides an opportunity to move the discussion beyond policy commitments and toward a practical question: How do we mobilize trillions of dollars for efficiency investments that are already technically viable but remain financially underserved?

Katre Suvi(TBC) · Dr. Basma Majerbi · Stéphanie Nour · Sulev Alajõe

Powering the Digital Future: Building Climate-Smart Data Centers

Our digital future needs clean power - and climate-smart infrastructure. Estonia's message is that digital development and climate action do not have to be competing objectives. With the right conditions, data centres can become part of a smarter energy system - where growing electricity demand goes hand in hand with renewable energy, flexibility, innovation and resource efficiency.

How Tallinn Reinvented District Heating: From Fossil Dependency to a Resilient Renewable Energy System

Less than two decades ago, Tallinn’s district heating system was almost entirely dependent on imported natural gas. Today, 90% of the city's district heating is already produced from renewable and recovered energy sources. By replacing imported fossil fuels with local energy sources, Tallinn has made decarbonisation and energy security part of the same strategy. This case study explores how Tallinn has transformed its existing district heating infrastructure into a modern and flexible urban energy system, integrating innovative solutions such as large-scale heat pumps, thermal storage and sector coupling. The result is a cleaner and more resilient system, less exposed to imported fuel dependency and price volatility, while ensuring reliable and affordable heat for the city. Tallinn’s experience demonstrates how cities can move towards fully fossil-free heating while strengthening their energy independence.

Robert Kitt · Priit Koit · Additional speakers(TBC)

No FOMO! by Climate Youth Delegates

A 5 p.m. "Tea-brief" of what has been going on in other pavilions and sessions that you might have missed. Every afternoon aka at tea time, the Estonian and Latvian youth delegates Marie and Rūdolfs, together with guests, debrief and offer their perspective on what has been spotted by them at COP31.

Marie Johanna Univer · Rūdolfs Podzis · Additional Youth Climate Delegates from other countries(TBC)

Closing the Loop: A Real-Life Case of Wind Turbine Decommissioning

The clean energy transition is about more than building new renewable capacity - it is also about taking responsibility for what happens at the end of an asset’s life. As the global wind fleet grows and matures, responsible decommissioning, material recovery and land restoration are becoming an increasingly important part of the sustainability conversation. Using the decommissioning of a turbine at Latvia’s Grobiņa Wind Park as a real-life case, this session will follow what happens to a wind turbine after its operational life ends - from dismantling and recycling to finding new uses for blade materials and restoring the land. The case demonstrates how circularity can be built into the full lifecycle of renewable energy infrastructure and, just as importantly, how making this process visible can strengthen public confidence in the energy transition.

Rene Tammist

From Waste Treatment to Resource Plants: Unlocking Secondary Resources for Resilient and Competitive Economies

Resource security is not only about finding new places to extract virgin materials. It is also about recognising and recovering the resources already flowing through and stored in our societies. By transforming waste treatment infrastructure into Resource Plants, cities and industries can become producers of critical raw materials, nutrients, clean water and energy, while safely removing substances that should not remain in circulation.

Pär Larshans · Karin Forsberg(TBC) · Representative of EY(TBC) · Representative of UNEP(TBC) · Representative from Canada(TBC) · Representative of Stockholm Environment Institute(TBC)

Smart circular solutions driving the transition towards climate neutrality

The event will discuss the role of different circular solutions to make the necessary change of reducing the impact to the climate, environment and human health. The market for secondary raw materials is still not functioning well and necessary policy initiatives are needed. If successful, theses solutions can have a significant impact on reducing GHG emissions.

No FOMO! by Climate Youth Delegates

A 5 p.m. "Tea-brief" of what has been going on in other pavilions and sessions that you might have missed. Every afternoon aka at tea time, the Estonian and Latvian youth delegates Marie and Rūdolfs, together with guests, debrief and offer their perspective on what has been spotted by them at COP31.

Marie Johanna Univer · Rūdolfs Podzis · Additional Youth Climate Delegates from other countries(TBC)

From Shower Water to Food: Estonia´s Circular Aquaponics Testbed

How can water used in our homes become a resource for growing fish and plants? Mait Kriipsalu and Merrit Shanskiy present lessons from two indoor aquaponics systems developed at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, both using reclaimed water. Combining fish farming with soil-free plant cultivation, these systems explore how nutrients from fish can support plant growth while water circulates through the system. The session considers their potential for local food production and more efficient resource use in a changing climate. It also looks beyond food: could homes, offices and community spaces host living labs that reconnect people with nature? Drawing on collaboration across the university’s disciplines, the speakers explore the knowledge and practical skills needed to balance fish, plants, water and energy - and make circular systems part of everyday life.

Prof. Mait Kriipsalu · Prof. Merrit Shanskiy

Solutions to cover the critical materials in the EU

Critical raw materials are essential for the industries and technologies needed in the global transition, including automotive manufacturing, defence, renewable energy, electronics, infrastructure and clean technologies. At the same time, nutrients such as phosphorus are indispensable for agricultural production and global food security. Many countries and industrial value chains remain dependent on imported virgin resources from a limited number of suppliers, creating vulnerabilities linked to geopolitics, price volatility, supply disruptions and increasing global competition for finite resources. This session will focus on enabling the transition to a circular economy.

Kai Realo · Representative of the European Lime Association (ELA) - Pre-recorded video message · Alar Saluste · Tobias Eriksson · Representative of the European People's Party(TBC)

Beyond ROI: Financing the Full Value of Sustainable Infrastructure

What if the greatest returns on infrastructure investment never appear on the project's balance sheet? Sustainable transport infrastructure, such as modern railways, generates value far beyond ticket revenues and freight charges. Fewer accidents, lower emissions, safer journeys, more resilient supply chains and greater business competitiveness deliver substantial economic and societal benefits. Yet these returns are often dispersed across sectors, difficult to monetize and rarely captured by infrastructure investors themselves. High level expert panel explores how financial institutions can look beyond traditional ROI models to recognize the broader economic value, reduced risks and long-term resilience enabled by sustainable infrastructure. The central question: How can we translate wider societal and economic benefits into stronger investment cases for sustainable infrastructure?

André Küüsvek · Lucie Anderton

What Lies Beneath? How AI and 3D Technology Are Transforming Urban Greenery

How can cities turn complex sustainability challenges into smarter, greener urban environments? The FinEst Smart City Challenge connects real urban challenges with research-driven solutions, from energy efficiency and bathing water quality to building reuse, nature-based solutions and citizen well-being. This session highlights how digital innovation is transforming urban greenery planning. Discover Herbarium.ai, a digital platform that uses vegetation data and 3D models to help cities plan and manage green spaces, and TreeCity, which models underground tree roots to prevent construction damage and support healthier urban trees. Explore how smart technologies can help cities become greener, more resilient and more liveable.

Külle Tärnov · Kristiina Kupper

What Can Historic Buildings Teach Us About a Climate-Resilient Future?

Historic buildings have survived centuries of changing climates, evolving societies and shifting needs. What can we learn from their design, materials, craftsmanship and adaptability as we face the challenges of climate change today? Preserving and adapting our historic buildings is not a question of whether, but how. Beyond their cultural and historical value, these buildings hold valuable lessons in resource efficiency, durability, passive climate adaptation and long-term resilience. This panel explores how traditional knowledge and modern innovation can work together to make historic buildings more energy-efficient and climate-resilient while preserving their unique character. Drawing on European and international research, policies and practical experience, the discussion will examine how heritage can contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation - and what it takes to turn these insights into practical solutions.

Ave Paulus · Riin Alatalu · Lori Ferriss · Philipp Hesse · Gráinne Shaffrey · Filippo Calcerano

No FOMO! by Climate Youth Delegates

A 5 p.m. "Tea-brief" of what has been going on in other pavilions and sessions that you might have missed. Every afternoon aka at tea time, the Estonian and Latvian youth delegates Marie and Rūdolfs, together with guests, debrief and offer their perspective on what has been spotted by them at COP31.

Marie Johanna Univer · Rūdolfs Podzis · Additional Youth Climate Delegates from other countries(TBC)

No FOMO! by Climate Youth Delegates

A 5 p.m. "Tea-brief" of what has been going on in other pavilions and sessions that you might have missed. Every afternoon aka at tea time, the Estonian and Latvian youth delegates Marie and Rūdolfs, together with guests, debrief and offer their perspective on what has been spotted by them at COP31.

Marie Johanna Univer · Rūdolfs Podzis · Additional Youth Climate Delegates from other countries(TBC)

Living Soils, Resilient Food: Algae Biotechnology from Estonia to Climate-Vulnerable Farms

Healthy soil is the foundation of food security and one of the largest land-based carbon stores, yet it is degrading worldwide. In the EU alone, 60 - 70% of soils are in an unhealthy state, and the EU's first law on soil monitoring and resilience entered into force in December 2025. Climate-vulnerable regions face the same problem with fewer resources: salinity, erosion, flood damage and rising fertiliser costs. This panel asks how affordable biological inputs can restore soil at scale. Soyl Food, an Estonia-registered start-up developing algae-based biostimulants, will join soil scientists, farmers and policymakers to discuss what it takes to move soil-restoring biotechnology from European labs to farms in South Asia and the Gulf. The panel will cover evidence, field trials, data, regulation and finance, and close with practical commitments for linking Estonian innovation to global soil restoration.

Hira Wajahat Malik · Entrepreneur(TBC) · Soil Scientist(TBC) · Agriculturalist(TBC) · Policy and Finance Expert(TBC)

426 VS 486 aka How the CO2-levels correspond with PISA science proficienfy?

In October 2026, the global CO2 concentration in the air was 426 ppm. Earlier in September, the OECD PISA test results were published, presenting the average science proficiency for 15-year olds at 486 points. These are similar values with different units, however climate change scepticism continues to rise alongside with the CO2 concentration, while science proficiency has been on a steady decline since 2012. Can we compare these processes and if so, is there a way to rethink climate change a

Marie Johanna Univer · Alexander Feil

No FOMO! by Climate Youth Delegates

A 5 p.m. "Tea-brief" of what has been going on in other pavilions and sessions that you might have missed. Every afternoon aka at tea time, the Estonian and Latvian youth delegates Marie and Rūdolfs, together with guests, debrief and offer their perspective on what has been spotted by them at COP31.

Marie Johanna Univer · Rūdolfs Podzis · Additional Youth Climate Delegates from other countries(TBC)

From Tree Huggers to Unicorns: How Science and Startups Can Build Climate Solutions

How can scientific knowledge become practical tools for better climate and forest management? This event explores how Estonia connects research, data and artificial intelligence to support evidence-based decisions and climate action. Three short pitches will showcase practical approaches from RMK, Kappazeta and Timbeter, followed by a panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges involved in turning scientific expertise into solutions with wider practical applications. Kappazeta uses AI-driven satellite data to monitor forests and assess changes such as disturbances and carbon stocks, while Timbeter develops digital tools for timber measurement, traceability and supply-chain management. Together, the speakers will examine how cooperation between researchers, businesses, forest managers and decision-makers can move climate innovation from knowledge to measurable impact.

Helen Sulg · Meelis Seedre · Anna-Greta Tsahkna · Mikk Marran

Carbon - a resource, not nuisance

Around the world, large volumes of industrial residues and mineral-rich waste streams contain valuable raw materials that could be recovered while simultaneously providing opportunities for permanent carbon storage through mineralisation. However, the absence of clear and internationally aligned frameworks for carbon dioxide management, accounting methodologies, certification systems, and transport infrastructure continues to limit investment in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) solutions. In this session, we will explore the opportunities of using CO₂ as a resource.

Alar Saluste · Representative of CO₂ Value Europe(TBC) · Laura Remmelgas(TBC) · Cris-Tiina Pärn · Representative of Bioforce(TBC) · Emma Wiesner(TBC) · +1 more

Estonia - Oman High-Level Dialogue: Building National Climate-Delivery Capability

This high-level Estonia - Oman panel will explore how trusted environmental information and digital public infrastructure can help turn climate and environmental priorities into real-world delivery. Estonia and Oman will bring two national perspectives: Estonia’s experience with secure, interoperable information exchange and Oman’s work to strengthen environmental data capability under Vision 2040. The discussion will focus on how data, institutions and implementation can be connected into effective national climate-delivery capability. The format will include a 30-minute moderated discussion followed by 10 - 15 minutes of audience Q&A.

Mark Skljarov · H.E. Dr Abdullah bin Ali Al Amri · H.E. Erkki Keldo

The Digital Watershed: Scaling Catchment-based Water and Climate Governance

Climate change is intensifying floods, droughts, coastal pressures and water quality challenges, while incomplete data and fragmented governance continue to hinder effective responses. While catchment-based approaches offer a proven way to enhance sustainable water management, they can be further enhanced by digital solutions and effective community engagement. The aim of this session is to explore how we can scale catchment-based water management to a new level, creating impact across communities and national borders. Through moderated expert discussions drawing on global and national experiences, the session will examine how shared data, community participation, coordinated monitoring and cross-border cooperation can turn water and climate strategies into effective action.

Jaanus Terasmaa · Anna Salminen · Elina Leiner · Representative of the OECD Environment Directorate(TBC)

Civic Movements Muscle: Building Social Resilience in Critical Times

When floods, heatwaves or war strike, the communities that recover best are those with strong social ties. This panel looks at how mass civic movements build that "civic muscle" before a crisis hits. World Cleanup Day began in Estonia in 2008 and now mobilises millions of people in 190+ countries each year. Let's Do It Ukraine turned its cleanup network into a humanitarian lifeline in the first days of the full-scale invasion. Speakers from Let's Do It Ukraine, UN-Habitat and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will discuss how citizen networks protect vulnerable groups, sustain livelihoods and support a just transition. They will also discuss how governments, cities and the UN system can recognise civic participation as a core part of climate resilience, and invest in it.

Heidi Solba(TBC) · Filiep Decorte · Yuliia Marhel · Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs(TBC)

Cultural Heritage in Climate Action - Plans to Accelerate Solutions

Climate science and policy recognize the importance of addressing the socio-cultural enablers of climate action. The session highlights three heritage-centric plans to accelerate climate solutions, where ICOMOS and its Estonian partners are active: Heritage-Informed Building Decarbonization, Heritage Adapts! and Integration of Cultural Heritage in NAPs. Three Coalition-led Cultural Heritage Centric global PAS of the global climate action agenda Axis 5 are concrete measurable ways to highlight the role of cultural heritage in the climate policies and action. Heritage Now! is a campaign to harness the potential of built heritage for a resilient, climate positive and just future. Heritage Adapts! Is a movement of community stewards adapting their heritage sites and cultural practices to climate change. GFCBCA initiative targets cultural heritage-based solutions in National Adaptation Plans.

Kati Lindström · Meredith Wiggins · Andrew Potts · Gráinne Shaffrey · Ave Paulus · Antonio Queterres