Today marks the start of the first week of the UN’s 30th Climate Change Conference, better known as COP30. Over the next two weeks, world leaders, scientists, activists, and policymakers will descend on Belém in Brazil to address global climate issues, review the progress made, and - most critically - negotiate further efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
“This COP must ignite a decade of acceleration and delivery” the UN Secretary-General told world leaders at the opening event on Wednesday, 6th November.
Yet three decades of negotiations have already passed and CO2 levels and global temperatures continue to rise. The location of this year’s conference alone, at “the gateway of the Amazon” where deforestation and climate change is causing irreversible damage, should serve as a stark reminder as to the urgency and scale of the action required.
The University of Sheffield is one of only a small number of UK universities invited to observe and take part in the annual climate conference. Every year, the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures sends delegates to witness international climate policy being made.
This year three delegates will be in Belém to take part in the largest climate conference in the world, where they will forge new connections, gather critical insights, and bring back firsthand knowledge to share with our University community.
Diana Mohd Nasir, Researcher at the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering and COP30 delegate, said: “I am thrilled to attend the UNFCCC COP30 in Brazil as an in-person Observer, particularly during the Week 2 programme, as the spotlight turns to agriculture, future food systems, community-scale farming and youth-focused farming strategies. As the lead of a UK-Malaysia British Council ISPF Global Collaboration 2024 research project, I have been immersed in developing and designing a smart, AI-integrated indoor hydroponics paddy (rice) farming system that not only reuses carbon emissions from buildings but also empowers underrepresented youth and family-scale community. To witness global policy dialogues that directly intersect with these themes feels both timely and energising.”
Anna James, Sustainability & Development Officer at Sheffield's Student Union and COP30 delegate, said: "I am beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to attend COP30 this year and directly connect Sheffield Students to key conversations in tackling the climate crisis. A really exciting aspect of this COP in particular is the emphasis on local community organising within Belém to actively promote public inclusion through expansions of the Green Zone, parallel events such as the People's Summit, and a series of activation groups and thematic days to support change-making policies. I want to connect students directly to this event and come back with a clear understanding of how COPs function for students to be able to understand them, and their connections to our everyday lives."
Colin Nolden, Researcher at the Energy Institute and COP30 delegate, will also be co-hosting a COP30 Official Side Event on 'Multi-level governance for urban climate action' at 3pm (GMT -3) on Monday, 17 November in the Blue Zone, Side Event Room 1. Colin said, “This COP30 side event explores multi-level governance as a driver of urban climate action, fostering dialogue among policymakers, practitioners, and academics to align strategies, share insights, and accelerate climate solutions across governance levels.”
We also have 10 official online observer badges, allowing delegates from the University to follow proceedings back at home.
- In-Person Observers
Anna James - Sustainability & Development Officer, Sheffield's Students Union
Colin Nolden - Researcher, Energy Institute
Diana Mohd Nasir - Researcher, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
- Online Observers
Eleni Stathopoulou - Academic, School of Economics
Tony Milligan - Academic, School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
Halvina Saiya - PhD student, School of Biosciences
Moaed Al Meselmani - Professional services staff, School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Sideqe Askre - Professional services staff, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Jennifer Hawkin - Researcher, School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Amirmohammad Hajnajafi - PhD student, School of Law
Julia Brzostek - PhD student (Grantham Scholar) - School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Katie Shaw - PhD student, School of Biosciences
Ben Lowe - Researcher, Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures
Richard Sulley, Senior Research Fellow in Sustainability Policy at the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, said: “COP, whilst far from perfect is our best hope of achieving the goals set down in the Paris agreement and avoiding the most destructive impacts of climate change. It is also, in this time of divisive politics and the rise of climate denial, important that we protect and nurture international cooperation. Every year we send observers to COP, both online and in person as part of the RINGO (Research and Independent Non Governmental Organisations) network. These Official Observers are recognised by the UNFCCC as crucial to the COP process and the experience is valuable to our participants to inform their future research."
You can keep up to date with proceedings by following us on LinkedIn and Bluesky where we will be resharing posts from all our delegates.
You can also read about the ‘Navigating the UNFCCC’ project we funded which produced a series of workshops and training sessions to ensure that our delegates for COP29 were fully prepared and ready to make a real impact at the conference.