Cambridge at COP 30

Cambridge is at COP 30 in Belém, Brazil to put its observer status to good use, champion youth voices, promote better education for all, defend nature and help join the dots between research, innovation, education and policy.

Now that negotiations amongst the 190+ countries taking part are well underway for what Cambridge climate talks expert Dr Joanna Depledge says is a "critical" COP moment, Cambridge researchers, students and professionals are determined to make their contributions to this year's major climate event matter.

“As a knowledge-based institution, we have a duty to show up," Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability Professor Bhaskar Vira told attendees at a pre-COP event held by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

"COPs bring together a community that cares about the future of the planet. Cambridge must be there with humility, and as part of that collective spirit.”

Belém - a city on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, - is hosting heads of state, climate experts and the national negotiating teams gathered to agree on the coordinated action needed to tackle climate change. COP 30 runs from 10-21 November.

Some Cambridge institutions in attendance or sending out messages in time for COP include the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), Cambridge University Press & Assessment (CUP&A), Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE), Centre for Climate Repair (CCR), Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI), Faculty of Education (Fac.Ed) and Cambridge Zero (CZ), the University's major climate change initiative.

CISL has published a briefing exploring what to expect from the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP).

As an official sponsor of the UK's Pavilion CISL is exercising the convening power of its UK Corporate Leaders Group (CLG UK), to lead high-level events, bring together cross-sectoral experts and forge stronger business-government engagement.

“Now is the time to step up and bring people together — to join the dots between innovation, education and policy,” CISL Chief Systems Change Officer Eliot Whittington said.

Education is a key focus this year for the University, with the Faculty of Education coalescing around the theme of climate justice.

Christine Özden Global Director, Climate Education at Cambridge University Press & Assessment is championing the crucial role of education at COP 30 in the fight against climate change misinformation.

Özden is building on a successful year of climate education teaching and learning, partnerships and events with two events on combating climate misinformation and mobilising climate finance for education.

Cambridge Zero Head of Education Dr Amy Munro-Faure is at COP to deliver a session on “decoding UNFCCC language”, helping young people understand the dense technical terminology of the global body which convenes the annual meeting on climate change: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

She is also presenting stories of young climate leaders from around the world through the ActNowFilm project (a series of short videos streaming on Instagram), and calling for greater ambition on climate action in and through education.

"We bring ActNowFilm to COP to amplify the voices of young climate leaders right where the key decisions about the future of their world are being negotiated," Dr Munro-Faure said.

"But every young person also needs the education, skills and knowledge to make informed choices about their careers, at the ballot box and in their own communities.”

Cambridge Zero Strategic Director Steve Davison is at COP to nurture the role of universities as catalysts for systems change. He will convene, along with the University of Toronto, a Network of Networks that clubs together 30+ higher education climate networks from around the world. The goal is to increase ambition, enhance the enabling environment for climate solutions and action, and improve sector-wide coordination and impact.

Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI) Director Professor Melissa Leach launched Aligning climate and nature with justice, a new brief written with colleagues from Durham, Utrecht and Oxford universities which sets out five priorities for COP30.

"Nature-climate synergies and nature-based solutions must be central to climate action - but they won't be effective or fair without justice-based restoration of relationships across all life," Professor Leach posted on her LinkedIn page.

The Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) launches a Law & Climate Atlas during COP 30 and holds a Climate Law and Governance Day global online event alongside the UNFCCC COP conferences. CCE contributes to this year’s programme, with Dr Jellie Molino serving as rapporteur, and Nick Scott speaking during the sessions. 

The Centre for Climate Repair joins COP30 to deepen conversations about additional measures that could help mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

Professor Shaun Fitzgerald, Director of the Centre for Climate Repair and Professor Hugh Hunt will moderate and join panels on topics including marine carbon dioxide removal, opportunities of the built environment, and climate engineering.

“Do you remember the words your parents may have uttered, ‘We need to talk’? That’s how I feel about COP30,” Prof Fitzgerald said. “But not about being told off, instead that there is something important to discuss and for us all to learn from each other.”

There are also several Cambridge students at COP working on reforestation, Amazonian bioeconomy, youth- and justice-centred reporting, sustainable coffee supply chains and global asset management.

One is Sienna Bassi, a first-year Engineering student at Emmanuel College, who is in Brazil to advocate for the intersection between mental health and climate change on behalf of an NGO.

"I've been speaking for youth on panels with the Commonwealth, expanding our NGO's collaborations and capturing content for Cambridge Climate Society."