UCL Delegation Announced for COP30

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the largest global United Nations event for discussions and negotiations on climate change. The meeting is held annually, with the presidency rotating among the five UN-recognised regions.

This year, Brazil is hosting the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), which will take place in Belém, Pará. The chosen city will provide the world with a unique platform to discuss climate solutions, firmly rooted in the heart of the Amazon.

UCL’s role at COP30

Each year, UCL sends a delegation of experts to the UN Climate Change Conferences to share research, influence policy, and champion inclusive dialogue on the climate crisis. Our participation reflects UCL’s global commitment to providing evidence-based solutions and amplifying diverse voices, including those of students, in international climate discussions.

As with previous COPs, UCL delegates will contribute to negotiations, panel discussions, and side events, translating academic knowledge into real-world impact.

Meet UCL’s COP30 delegation

Selected by a panel of academic and professional services colleagues, this year’s delegation brings together expertise from across the university:

• Dr Simon Chin-Yee, Lecturer, Political Sciences
• Prof Michael Grubb, Professor of Energy and Climate Change & Deputy Director, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources  
• Prof Jerome Lewis, Professor of Anthropology, Dept of Anthropology
• Prof Mariana Mazzucato, Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
• Dr Marina Romanello, Senior Research Fellow, Lancet Countdown

UCL colleagues attending via other delegations:

• Dr Rafael Chiaravalloti, Lecturer, Environmental Anthropology (attending via IPE - Institute of Ecological Research)

The Grand Challenge of Climate Crisis, led by Pro-Vice-Provosts Professors Lisa Vanhala (Political Science) and Mark Maslin (Geography), underpins UCL’s contribution to COP30.

In a joint statement, they said:

“COP30 will host critical discussions on the future of multilateral climate governance and the delivery of climate action on net zero, climate action and addressing loss and damage . We are sending a diverse group of UCL climate experts to Belém to share cutting edge research and evidence to inform climate action and develop new partnerships.

The UCL Climate Crisis Grand Challenge is committed to fostering innovative interdisciplinary solutions to climate change: from developing sustainable aviation to increasing food security to building inclusive climate resilient infrastructure to better climate policy-making. UCL's breadth of expertise is unparalleled, and we are looking forward to see the new opportunities COP30 will create for the whole UCL community."

Climate events at UCL

Grand Challenges is also hosting and supporting a series of events for staff, students, and the public throughout November:

• Book Launch: Governing the End: The Making of Climate Change Loss & Damage - 5 Nov | 18:30-20:30 | Bloomsbury Campus
  Join the UCL Climate Crisis Grand Challenge on Wednesday, November 5th at 6:30 pm at UCL’s Bloomsbury Campus for the launch of Professor Lisa Vanhala's new book, Governing the End: The Making of Climate Change Loss and Damage. Professor Vanhala will be joined by a panel of interdisciplinary colleagues from across academia and policy practice to explore the state of global loss and damage governance today.Register
   
• Sink or Swim: How the world needs to adapt to a changing climate. Susannah Fisher in conversation with Mark Maslin | 6 Nov | 18:30 | Waterstones, Gower Street
  As negotiators gather in Brazil for the next round of the UN climate negotiations, Susannah Fisher argues that despite the pressure on the international stage, adaptation is not going far or fast enough. Register
   
• Paris +10: Reflections on the impact of the Paris Agreement - 12 Nov | 18:00 - 20:00 | UCL Bentham House
  UCL and the French Embassy in the UK bring together an expert panel of scholarship, diplomacy and policymaking to reflect on the innovation of the agreement at the time of its inception and its role in climate governance in today’s global geopolitical climate. Register