Where there is darkness, there is light

At a time when global uncertainty, energy crises, and climate impacts dominate the headlines, the International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum (IVECF) opened with a simple but powerful message - brought to life through an impressive performance by "Moving Shadows": whenever shadows emerge from the darkness, there is always a source of light.

Looking at today’s challenges, many of the solutions ahead can feel like distant, almost intangible shadows. But there are always sources of light.

They lie in facing complexity head-on - as a “lifelong love affair,” as Director General of International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, put it - rather than shying away from it.

They lie in a shared sense of purpose. Across the Forum, one message stood out clearly: we need to approach climate action, sustainable energy, and green industrialisation simultaneously and in partnership - especially with those most affected, including least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island states. With over a thousand participants from across the globe - a diversity that felt remarkable even for a hub like Vienna, as Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger noted - this was a shared conviction.

They lie in people creating tangible solutions on the ground - like Dana K. from Kazakhstan, who developed a device that collects water from the atmosphere using nanotechnology, without the need for electricity!

And they lie in our own mindset: choosing not to give in to fear, but to grow resilience, ambition, and hope. Or, as Minister of Innovation of Barbados, Jonathan Reid put it: “We need the ambition and courage to recognise the incredible opportunities around us - despite all the troubles of the world. Let’s move away from the fear of what is, to what can be.”

Thank you to the entire UNIDO team for the great collaboration and to Phillip Cornell for the wonderful co-hosting!