The University of Exeter will play an important role at COP29, the UN Climate Change Conference being held in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11th to 22nd November.

With time running out to limit global warming to 1.5°C, COP29 is a vital opportunity to drive global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Exeter’s work at the conference includes leading the Global Carbon Budget – a vital annual report on the sources of carbon emissions, and natural “sinks” that absorb about half of the carbon emitted by human activity.

The University is renowned for its environmental research and education, and is home many of the world’s leading climate scientists. We now have more than 1,500 people working on the environment and climate emergency.

Our experts will be involved in a variety of events at COP29, including the following (all times are in Azerbaijan time, GMT+4):

• 13^th November, 12-1pm, Azerbaijani University: Stuart Brocklehurst – Exeter’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Business Engagement and Innovation – will speak at the launch of the Azerbaijani version of the Parliamentarians’ Guide to Climate Change. Last month, the University of Exeter and Peers for the Planet published a guide to help UK parliamentarians understand and respond to the challenges of climate change.
• 13^th November, 10:30-11am, Press Conference 2 (Natavan), Area C, Blue Zone: UN press conference for the launch of the 2024 Global Carbon Budget (GCB). The event will be chaired by Rachel Kyte, UK Special Representative for Climate. Speakers will include GCB authors Professor Stephen Sitch and Dr Mike O’Sullivan, both from the University of Exeter. More details here.
• 14^th November, 2pm, We Mean Business Coalition Pavilion: The session “From NBSAPs to NDCs: bringing climate & nature together to raise national ambition” will explore how nature and climate targets can be aligned through government and business collaboration. Speakers will include Stuart Brocklehurst, Exeter’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Business Engagement and Innovation, and Director of Green Futures Solutions.
• 14^th November, 3-4.30pm, Side Event 5, Blue Zone: Official UN launch event for the 2024 Global Carbon Budget. A panel will discuss “action with impact: critical enablers for fulfilling national commitments”. More details will be published here once they are available.
• 15^th November, 5-5.45pm, Coalition of Rainforest Nations Pavilion, Blue Zone: Event entitled: “Climate Science: The 2024 Global Carbon Budget and The Global South.” Experts will discuss how close we are to hitting 1.5°C warming, and how rainforest nations have fared in slowing deforestation over the past 12 months. More details here.
• 15^th November, 6.45-8pm, Extreme Hangout, Baku: Bright Light Burning is a performance that follows a found family of climate migrants living in 2100, with a panel discussion to follow. It will be live-streamed on the Extreme Hangout website. A second performance will be in the Art Pavilion on 19 November at 5pm.
• 16^th November, 9.30-10.30am, E1 UK Pavilion, Blue Zone: Event at the UK Pavilion entitled: “Policies for a cost-effective transition: How policymakers can enable tipping points to make sector transitions happen faster and cheaper.” This event is organised by the Economics of Energy Innovation and System Transition (EEIST) project, led by the University of Exeter, and hosted by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The event can be viewed live via YouTube.
• 16^th November, 9.30am, Green Zone: Stuart Brocklehurst will join Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of the Climate Change Committee, at an event entitled: “Curing the Cura”.
• 16^th November, 10.30am, UN Climate Change Pavilion: Stuart Brocklehurst will speak at an event entitled: ‘Harnessing Technology & Innovation for NDC Implementation’.
• 16^th November, 2pm, Parliamentary Pavilion: “Engaging Legislators with Climate Science: A Case Study from UK Parliament” will discuss key learnings from the Parliamentarians’ Guide to Climate Change, co-authored by University of Exeter and Peers for the Planet in October 2024.
• 18^th November, 11:15am-12:15pm, UK Pavilion, Blue Zone: Stuart Brocklehurst will speak at an event entitled: “Empowering Impact-Makers: How small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) drive innovation in sustainable business practice.” More information and livestream here.
• 18^th November, 5-7pm, Conference Room, Green Zone Events: Stuart Brocklehurst will speak at the QS roundtable on sustainability in higher education, co-organised by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
• 19^th November, 2-3pm, Arctic Pavilion D17, Blue Zone: Professor Martin Siegert will speak at a panel discussion on bridging communication gaps in Arctic collaboration and research. Professor Siegert will spend most of COP29 as “resident expert” in the Cryosphere Pavilion, discussing sea level and polar environmental protection for the International Climate Cryosphere Initiative. Link here.
• 19^th November, 4-5pm, Malaysian Pavilion E11, Blue Zone: Professor Martin Siegert will speak at a panel discussion on increasing awareness of sea-level rise and its impacts especially in ASEAN region (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Link here.
• 21^st November, 11.30, Side Event Room 7: Stuart Brocklehurst joins the European Space Agency and the Universities Space Research Association, to discuss ‘Co-creating action-ready climate monitoring and mitigation solution using Satellite observation’. Find more information here.