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COP27: CGS Activities & Events

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picture of COP27 sign

The Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland had a delegation present at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18, 2022. The Conference of Parties (COP) is a decision-making forum of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), bringing signatory governments together once a year to discuss and agree on how to jointly address climate change and its impacts. World leaders, negotiators, climate policy researchers and scientists, international organizations, and the media will attend. The tagline for this year’s conference is “Together For Implementation,” emphasizing global action for climate mitigation and adaptation actions. 

From CGS, attendees included Director Nathan Hultman, Assistant Research Director Ryna Cui, Postdoctoral Associate Mengye Zhu, and Senior Manager of Strategic Engagement Shannon Kennedy. Professor Anand Patwardhan from the School of Public Policy (SPP) and Sha Yu, CGS Fellow and China Program Co-Director, also attended. In addition to publicizing and discussing recent and new reports, we also officially launched our new program: Early Career Scholars for an Inclusive Stocktake (ECSIS). 

CGS Co-organized & Participating Events

Launch Event: An All-In Pathway to 2030: The Beyond 50 Scenario

  • During the opening days of COP27, the America Is All In coalition released a new report. It shows that the U.S. can exceed its 2030 climate commitments with an all-of-society strategy. 
  • CGS Speaker(s): 

Interested in attending? Contact Shannon Kennedy at skennedy@umd.edu.

Bridging Adaptation Action and Research

  • Date: Tuesday, November 8th
  • Time: 12:00 - 13:00 EET (5:00 AM - 6:00 AM EST)
  • Location: Resilience Hub, Blue Zone
  • SPP Speaker(s):

CEEW: Financing of Technologies to Enable the LIFE Movement in Developing Countries

  • Date: Wednesday, November 9th
  • Time: 16:30 - 18:00 EET (9:30 AM - 11:00 AM EST)
  • Location: India Pavilion
  • CGS Speaker(s): 
picture of CEEW event
CEEW's event "Financing of Technologies to Enable the LIFE Movement in Developing Countries" featured a critical conversation on connecting policy, finance, and equity for climate action.

California-China Climate Institute (CCCI) Co-learning for Climate Action

  • Date: Wednesday, November 9th
  • Time: 13:00 - 14:00 EET (6:00 AM - 7:00 AM EST)
  • CGS Speaker(s):
picture of Ryna Cui at COP27 GUAC event
CGS Assistant Research Director Ryna Cui discussing how research collaborations can help our respective governments see and embrace pathways to higher ambition to support global climate goals.

Climate Science Olympiad: Bridging Youth Solutions and Government Implementation

  • Date: Thursday, November 10th
  • Time: 18:00 - 19:00 EET (11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST)
  • CGS Speaker(s):
Ryna Cui at the Climate Science Olympiad
Assistant Research Director Ryna Cui served as a judge for the finals of the Climate Science Olympiad competition.

America is All In Opening Ceremony

  • Date: Friday, November 11th
  • Time: 14:30 - 16:00 EET (7:30 AM - 9:00 AM EST)
  • Location: America Is All In Action Center | Livestream here!
  • CGS Speaker(s): 
picture of CGS Director Nate Hultman at the All-In COP27 opening ceremony
“Subnational work sets the groundwork for national work which then feeds into international ambition. What we do is tell the story of how all your work aggregates together," CGS Director Nate Hultman speaking at the America Is All In Opening Ceremony.

The IRA and the Built Environment with Maryland Senator Ben Cardin

  • Date: Saturday, November 12th
  • Time: 13:00 - 14:00 EET (6:00 AM - 7:00 AM EST)
  • Location: America Is All In Action Center | Livestream here!
  • CGS Speaker(s): 
picture of Director Nate Hultman at Senator Ben Cardin's COP27 event
CGS Director Nate Hultman at Senator Ben Cardin's event discussing the historic passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the importance of centering climate justice and resilience in improving our cities and environments.

ARA 1 Year On

  • Date: Saturday, November 12th
  • Time: 17:00 - 18:00 EET (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST)
  • Location: UK Pavilion (Blue Zone)
  • SPP Speaker(s):

Flagship Report Launch: Electrification in China’s Carbon Neutrality Pathways

  • Date: Monday, November 14th
  • Time: 13:15 - 15:00 EET (6:15 AM - 8:00 AM EST)  
  • CGS Speaker(s): 

Rethinking Climate Ambition and Cooperation: Development Pathways and How They Inform the Global Stocktake

  • Date: Monday, November 14th
  • Time: 15:30 - 16:30 EET (8:30 AM - 9:30 AM EST) 

Global Cooperation to Deliver Scalable Solutions for Methane Mitigation

  • Date: Tuesday, November 15th
  • Time: 9:00 - 10:00 EET (2:00 AM - 3:00 AM EST)
  • Location: America Is All In Action Center
  • CGS Speaker(s):
picture of CGS Director Nate Hultman at COP27 event "Global Cooperation to Deliver Scalable Solutions for Methane Mitigation"
“It’s been an extraordinary year for action on methane,” CGS Director Nate Hultman at the COP27 event "Global Cooperation to Deliver Scalable Solutions for Methane Mitigation."

Building an Inclusive Global Stocktake

  • Date: Tuesday, November 15th
  • Time: 16:45 - 18:15 EET (9:45 AM - 11:15 AM EST)
  • Location: Amon (150)
  • CGS Speaker(s):
picture of UNFCCC Director of Intergovernmental Support and Collective Progress Cecilia Njenga at COP27 Global Stocktake event.
"What has emerged in the past few days is that we now have a clear roadmap.. there is still a lot more work to be done and there is still room for additional voices," UNFCCC Director of Intergovernmental Support and Collective Progress Cecilia Njenga during the Global Stocktake event.

Last November, COP26 ended with a call for countries to submit revised NDCs by September 23rd of this year to be included in a UN Climate Change progress report. Only 23 of the nearly 200 member countries that signed the Glasgow agreement had submitted updated 2030 climate plans. These countries included Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, UAE, Uganda, and Gambia, among others. The United States, China, and the EU worked on pledges established last year but did not increase the ambition, and India formalized their climate pledges into an official document. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stands out among international influences on NDCs, provoking a global energy crisis that has led to new investments in oil and gas. The invasion has also stalled or upended several national energy transition plans, including many European nations. 

Stay tuned November 6th - 18th and follow CGS on Twitter for updates and thoughts from our experts during their time at COP27!


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Megan Campbell
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