Impact
“Throughout my career, I have strived to make a positive impact on organisations and society at large. We all have an obligation to restore our planet”
Fernando is an award-wining scholar and practitioner with a strong desire to promote a more sustainable world. His work has been translated in the creation of international partnerships and networks. For instance, he was influential for the creation of the inno4sd – innovation for sustainable development network (funded by the European Commission). As an academic, he is currently co-leading a group of scholars spearheading the Eco-innovation Society. The steering group of this initiative includes seminar eco-innovation scholars, such as professors Massimiliano Mazzanti, Roberto Zoboli, Rene Kemp, Pablo del Rio and Javier Carrillo-Hermosilla – among others.
At the international level, Fernando was a key advisor to the United Nations’ Global Eco-innovation Project, implemented in 12 countries across Latin America, Africa and Asia.
He’s also been instrumental in supporting the Inter-American Development Bank Green Innovation and Circular Economy knowledge programme and the RELAI Network of Innovation Agencies in their efforts to incorporate circular economy and climate action among decision makers in Latin America.
Before joining the Climate and Earth Centre of HEC Paris, he was responsible for setting up the research agenda of EIT Climate KIC’s – the largest European climate initiative. A key milestone was the acquisition of over 120 million Euros in grants implementing the EU missions of climate adaptation and carbon neutral cities under Horizon Europe. His work at CKIC also included leading its science-policy lab, the Transitions Hub and the overall co-ordination of Pathways2Resilience – the flagship project of the European Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change (30 million Euros). The P2R project will empower 100 regions across Europe in the creation of ‘ready-to-implement’ climate resilience plans based on transformative eco-innovation.
For the European Commission, Fernando co-led policy studies supporting the implementation of the Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan – in particular, he co-lead the study supporting the revision of the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation . This piece of regulation is a gamechanger for the circular economy, as it makes mandatory the introduction of eco-design in hundreds of products and value chains across Europe.
Fernando is a regular speaker at conferences and events, which has resulted in a growing media presence and in receiving prestigious awards (see full list of engagements here).
The above is a sample of a testament to his dedication and expertise in the field of eco-innovation and sustainability.
Media channels presence
Online articles and mentions in media
Addressing Climate Change in Business Education
Sept 20th, 2024 @ hec.edu – As the climate crisis continues to transform the global economy, this partnership is set to provide HEC Paris MBA students with the necessary tools and knowledge to lead in a climate-conscious world. HEC Paris is partnering with ClimateCAP, an initiative founded in 2016 by the Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment (EDGE) at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
Clean Tech Innovation: A Crucial Lever Against Climate Change
July 28th, 2024 @ hec.edu – On May 16 and 17, the Paris-Saclay ecosystem organized the 7th edition of Paris-Saclay SPRING, a flagship innovation event in Europe held on the HEC Paris campus. This year, the focus was on Cleantech, promising technologies to combat climate change. In response to this urgency, research and innovation have been identified as essential solutions to ensure a sustainable future. The conference “CleanTech Horizons: Innovation shaping a sustainable future” explored these issues in depth, bringing together renowned experts. Fernando was a keynote in the opening panel.
HEC Climate day: Helping to navigate the path to net zero
June 19th, 2024 @ hec.edu – How is Africa building resilience to tackle the risks posed by global warming? What measures are being taken to scale up international climate finance? Why is it important to mobilize private savings to accelerate the low carbon transition? How can companies co-create sustainability across the value chain? These were just some of the questions at the heart of the third HEC Climate Day organized by the S&O Climate & Earth Center. An intense exchange between students, academics and experts, designed to address the climate emergency. The event opened with a keynote lecture by UN Assistant General Secretary Ibrahima Cheikh Diong. Fernando was the overall moderator of the event.
EIT Climate-KIC enables policymakers in LATAM to drive circular economy transition
Aug 10th, 2023 – EIT Climate-KIC partnered with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Latin American Network of Innovation Agencies (RELAI) to support policymakers from 14 institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean to drive the circular economy transition.
The practice of climate adaptation in a challenging environment (By: Anne-Sophie Garrigou & Aida Khalilova)
Jul 13th 2023 @ climate-kic.org – “In five years from now, there will be at least 100 European regions with a transformative climate adaptation plan, and ready to implement a number of actions to build resilience in their communities. That would be a fantastic catalyser for change,” says Fernando Diaz Lopez, lead of Pathways2Resilience, a programme funded by Horizon Europe under the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change to support European regions and communities in building resilience to climate change impacts.
Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation (By: Anne-Sophie Garrigou and Aida Khalilova)
Jun 16th 2023 @ climate-kic.org – Bringing nature into cities through planting trees; reintroducing species into an environment, creating urban gardens or green roofs; protecting forests and wetlands; and restoring coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves and reefs, to provide natural barriers against coastal erosion while supporting local fisheries, are all examples of how nature-based solutions can contribute to building regional resilience to climate change.
Why should we care about climate adaptation in Europe? (BY Anne-Sophie Garrigou & Aida Khalilova)
May 22nd 2023 @ climate-kic.org – The climate crisis is a global issue. People, especially in some parts of the world, are feeling the impacts of the climate crisis much more intensively today than we do in Europe. But it doesn’t mean climate change is not already happening here, or worse, that we shouldn’t feel the urgency to build resilience. In 2019, a massive heatwave cost nearly four thousand lives in Europe. We talked to Fernando Diaz Lopez, lead of the Pathways2Resilience programme, about the importance of climate adaptation strategies in Europe.
Keynotes, panels, moderation, jury and interviews
HEC Climate day 2024 "Navigating the path to net zero"
Organiser and overall moderator of the 2024 edition of the HEC Climate Day. , hosted by the S&O Climate and Earth Centre of HEC Paris.
May 22nd, 2024 | 8:30-19h AM HEC Paris campus.
Cleantech: tackling climate change through innovation
Keynote panelist at the Paris Saclay Spring 2024
May 16th, 2024 | 10:30 AM HEC Paris campus.
System innovation for net zero: Bringing transformational change to cities and regions
Panelist at the OECD COP28 virtual pavillion.
Dec 1, 2023 | 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM. Online.
Resilient Europe: Empowering regions for climate adaptation
Organiser and keynote speaker.
Nov 23, 2023 | 10 – 13 h, EIT House. On-site.
Innovación transformadora para la acción climática: el enfoque de las misiones Europeas.
Keynote speaker (in Spanish).
Conversatorio Diáspora2030mx. February 23rd. 2023. Online.
JURY: Commission for environmental cooperation (CEC) - youth innovation challenge
Jury of the 2022 edition of the Youth Innovation Challenge ‘Innovation towards Covid19 recovery.
Keynote panel
Hubs for Circularity in European Regions and Cities at INDTECH2022, Grenoble. June 28th, 2022.