COP29 Outcomes Forum

Pathway to COP30

Wednesday 4 December | 15:30-20:30

8th Floor, Bush House, Kings College London, 30 Aldwych

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The COP29 Outcomes Forum returned this year on Wednesday 4 December, hosted by the Policy Institute at King’s College London, King’s Climate & Sustainability, the Climate Action Coalition and DIPLOMAT Magazine.

Convening Ambassadors and High Commissioners, business leaders, academics and senior civil society representatives, the event unpicked key outcomes and agreements emerging from COP29, how these can be delivered, and looked at the road ahead to COP30.

Agenda

Through a combination of keynote addresses and panel discussions, the Forum reflected on the progress made in Baku, its key outcomes and explored their implications and impact for the next 12 months ahead of COP30.

16:00 Welcome

  • The Rt Hon Chris Skidmore OBE, Chair, Climate Action Coalition
  • Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President of King’s College London

16:10 Keynote address: Professor Sir Jim Skea, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

16:25 Panel 1: Reflections on COP29

  • H.E. Elin Suleymanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the UK
  • Kerstin Mathias, Policy & Innovation Director, City of London Corporation
  • Emilien Gasc, Counsellor – Climate, Environment, Energy, EU Delegation to the UK
  • Sheri Hickock, Chief Executive, Climate Impact Partners
  • Professor Sarah Bracking, Professor of Climate and Society, King’s College London
  • The Rt Hon Chris Skidmore OBE (Moderator)

17:25 Virtual Keynote address:  Ambassador Patricia Espinosa

17:30 Panel 2: Ambitions for COP30

  • David Saddington, Head of International Climate, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
  • Professor David Aikman, Director, Qatar Centre for Global Banking and Finance
  • David Harris, Head of Sustainable Finance Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, London Stock Exchange Group
  • Rachel Brisley, Head of Energy and Environment, Ipsos UK
  • Professor Frans Berkhout, Assistant Principal, King’s Climate & Sustainability (moderator)

18:15 Keynote address: The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland KC, the Commonwealth Secretary General

COP29 outcomes, implications and public perceptions of the climate threat

With global temperatures nearing 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels this year, COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, arrived at a pivotal moment in our fight against climate change. Delegates from nearly 200 nations gathered to make progress on scaling climate finance, reducing fossil fuel usage, and operationalising key aspects of the Paris Climate Agreement. 

Read more here.

Background

In 2023 the first COP29 Outcomes Forum welcomed representatives from over 100 jurisdictions who convened to take stock of what was agreed at COP28 in Dubai and set ambition for COP29. Led by Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor and President of King’s College London, former Prime Minister The Rt Hon Baroness May, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador H.E. Mr Elin Suleymanov and the now Secretary of State for Energy and Net Zero, and The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, the Forum provided a new annual fixture for London’s climate community, especially for those unable to attend the COP in person, to further their understanding of the COP agreements and breakthroughs.

The UAE Consensus was a key outcome of COP28, and provided a sense of hope as a signal of the “beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era.” One year on, COP29 is a critical moment for raising ambitions for the NDCs 3.0, to be published by February 2025, that will set out how countries will reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change

No single country or entity can address climate change on their own. The need for collective and collaborative action is enshrined in the Paris Agreement and its goals cannot be accomplished without a significant increase in ambition and action across all governments and sectors of the economy. Everyone needs to be part of the solution if we are to act at the speed and scale that science demands to stay on a 1.5C trajectory.

Organisers

Policy Institute at King’s College London

The Policy Institute works to solve society’s challenges with evidence and expertise.
It combines the rigour of academia with the agility of a consultancy and the connectedness of a think tank.

Their research draws on many disciplines and methods, making use of the skills, expertise and resources of not only the institute, but the university and its wider network too.

The Climate Action Coalition is a new mission-driven initiative bringing together a dynamic community of organisations committed to achieving our 2030 climate and nature goals.

Launched in London Climate Action Week by Secretary John Kerry, it is focusing on what needs to happen to deliver our near-term, 2030 targets. The Coalition is Chaired by the Rt Hon Chris Skidmore and the Secretariat is hosted and run by Climate Action.

Founded in 1947, DIPLOMAT magazine provokes intelligent discussion from the heart of the diplomatic community in London.

The content and events for the unrivalled audience of 180+ foreign governments make DIPLOMAT the only platform that provides access to so many overseas governments at once.

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