photo: UN Flickr
Woodwell Climate believes that an inclusive, international process is essential for addressing the local-to-global challenge of climate change.
We played a key role in the origination of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, we’ve been at every Conference of the Parties (COP), and we’re helping build momentum for next year’s return to the country where the process began—Brazil.
OUR EVENTS AT COP29
You can find us at our pavilion, D6b.
Each year’s COP brings unique challenges and opportunities. Here’s what’s at stake and what we’re working to accomplish at COP29:
Accounting for emissions from natural sources
Rising global temperatures are driving the release of carbon from natural systems, including Arctic permafrost, tropical wetlands, and boreal forests. These emissions—and the warming feedback loops they generate—threaten the viability of both the Paris Agreement’s +1.5 degree C warming limit, as well as new national climate targets due to be published in February 2025. However, they are poorly represented in existing carbon budgets and climate models.
At COP 29, we will highlight the urgent need for greater ambition to incorporate emissions from natural sources into global carbon budgets. We will join partners for events, panel discussions, and conversations throughout the conference, as well as host an official side event with the Environmental and Energy Study Institute focused on carbon emissions from Arctic wildfires.
Access to actionable risk insights
Understanding climate risk is the first step toward effective adaptation and resilience planning at all levels of governance—from local to global—and across all sectors—from subsistence agriculture to national security. It is also foundational to motivating greater ambition in mitigation.
Previous work with the COP26 UK Presidency revealed significant barriers to access to relevant, actionable climate risk information. At COP29, we will highlight partnerships with government officials in Ethiopia, with local communities in Charleston, North Carolina, and with Alaska Native communities that demonstrate the power of understanding risk to build resilience.
Financing for tropical forest conservation
Tropical forests are currently holding back a full 1 degree C of warming—without them, we can’t hope to meet climate goals. These forests also provide a host of immediate local and regional benefits, including cycling and filtering water, hosting biodiversity, and supporting traditional cultures and livelihoods. The communities who protect and steward these forests need and deserve the world’s support.
At COP 29, we will highlight how the latest science and community partnerships can drive nature-based solutions in the world’s largest rainforests, and we will work to increase resources for forest conservation through global finance commitments and enhanced integrity of carbon markets through negotiations around Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
If you’ll be at COP29, please let us know – events@woodwellclimate.org.
Follow along with updates and takeaways from our activities at COP29.