Explore Informative Panel Discussions Around Sustainability With The Gathering: Earth Edition

The Gathering: Earth Edition by Daily Maverick is a 1-day event running on 26 May filled with a series of panel discussions around sustainability in South Africa and the world. As we know, sustainability continues to transform and influence how we live, work, engage, and in a greater sense, how our economy operates.

The panel discussions at the event unpack everything from renewable energy solutions, to how big business can lessen its impact while looking at ways to leverage the climate crisis, the role AI will have in our collective future, and more.

There will also be a bumper panel that shines a spotlight on the role youth is playing in driving sustainability.

A varied range of experts and changemakers who drive business, civil society, science, and the arts in the country, continent, and beyond is touching down in Cape Town to join this special event. The lineup of keynote speakers and panellists confirmed for the event includes André de Ruyter, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman from Gift of the Givers, Himanshu Gupta who founded ClimateAI, a platform to help companies reduce, monitor, and adapt to physical climate risks, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, and many more.

‘The climate crisis is not a stand-alone topic; it permeates every area of life, from our basic energy needs to our economy. This isn’t about saving the planet, it’s about saving humans and ensuring that the planet remains hospitable to do so,’ says Daily Maverick deputy editor Jillian Green.

The event wraps up with a networking reception where drinks are served as well as live musical performances by Zolani Mahola and Anneli Kamfer. A free online virtual event will be streaming for those unable to attend. The Gathering: Earth Edition promises to be informative, and inspiring.

The event will focus on the following topics:

Panel 1 – South Africa’s Burning Energy Problem

Hosts: Journalist Ferial Haffajee and Daily Maverick’s Victoria o’Regan
Panellists: Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, public policy and management expert Crispian Olver, director at Gamiro Investments Heather Sonn, and Farai Chireshe, energy analyst at WWF South Africa

Reliable renewables, distribution deliverables, encouraging conservation and a nimble move to nuclear. The next steps and how we move forward.

When: 9:30am to 10:30am

Panel 2 – Expectations of Youth

Host: Daily Maverick’s Onke Ngcuka
Panellists: Climate activist Otsile Nkadimeng along with Intersectional activist, Raeesah Noor-Mohamed

Ensuring a sustainable future for our future. What they have to say and why we should listen. ‘We cannot speak about the future of our world without the voices of our youth being heard’, says Daily Maverick Event Manager Nicole Williamson.

When: 11:25am to 12:10pm

Panel 3 – Artificial Intelligence – Threats and Solutions to the climate crisis

Host: Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Johannesburg
Panellists: DeepMind Academic Fellow, Prof Rendani Mbuvha and Gugulethu Mahlangu, an aquaponics horticulturist

Nano technologies, longer life spans, optimizing energy systems and computing power. Will AI serve as a positive tool or have detrimental effects on our future?

When: 12:30pm to 1:30pm

The Gathering: Earth Edition — Dr Imtiaz Sooliman from Gift of the Givers

Panel 4 – Corruption and Ecosystem Collapse

Host: Author Rehana Rossouw
Panellists: Maanda Alidzulwi, inspector at Green Scorpions (a network of environmental compliance and enforcement officials from provincial & municipal government), investigative journalist Julian Rademeyer, Former Minister of Finance in Zimbabwe, Tendai Biti, and Frances Craige, Chief Director of Enforcement at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment

How greed and corruption/incompetence is killing our biomes from the Kruger to Antarctica

When: 2:35pm to 3:15pm

Panel 5 – The Business of Climate

Host: Journalist and editor, Ray Mahlaka
Panellists: Economist and founder at Pan-African Investment & Research Services, Iraj Abedian, Agriculture economist and Senior Manager of Sustainable Finance at WWF SA, Wendy Engel, and Desnei Leaf-Camp – CEO of The Xina Solar One Power Station, a concentrated solar power plant in South Africa

ESG thinking should dominate the future strategies of business globally. Forecasting trends and economy crushers.

When: 3:25pm to 4:05pm

Panel 6 – The Sixth Extinction

Host: Gonzo investigative reporter, Richard Poplak
Panellists: Prof Roger Smith, Behaviour Change Practitioner with WWF SA, Pavs Pillay and Kate Handley, an attorney and Executive Director at Biodiversity Law Centre

AKA The Anthropocene Conclusion. The greatest real life threats we are facing today, what we should know and what we could do.

When: 4:40pm to 5:20pm

Cost: General Access – R500pp | Youth ticket – R75pp | Corporate bookings – R5000 (Corporate bookings of 10 tickets are entitled to a 40% bulk booking discount when using the promo code GATHERINGBUNDLE40). Book via Quicket
When: Friday, 26 May, from 9am to 6pm