Informal stakeholder exchange upon invitation – under Chatham House rules
2024 has been the hottest year on record. For the first time, the aspirational goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, has been exceeded. The urgency for international actors to take more ambitious climate action has never been greater.
The annual COP meetings, central to decision-making under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), have recently sparked significant criticism. Concerns include rhetoric overshadowing tangible outcomes and the sheer number of participants hindering actual negotiations.
While COPs will inevitably remain the key format for international climate action, questions about how to better their democracy and effectiveness are increasingly pressing. The Horizon Europe project ENSURED is conducting research on these areas of improvement for UNFCCC decision-making, exploring the potential for reform within the process and examining the European Union’s role. The project aims to deliver actionable recommendations for EU policymakers.
During this meeting, the preliminary results of the study on the reform potential of COPs and wider UNFCCC decision-making processes will be presented. A short presentation will be followed by an informal exchange among participants, offering an opportunity to gather feedback for inclusion in the final report.
Agenda:
Welcoming remarks: Dr Irina Kustova, Head of the Energy Programme, and Christian Dietz, Researcher in Climate, CEPS
Report presentation by Dr Franziska Petri, Postdoctoral Researcher, Leuven International and European Studies research group, and Dr. Katja Biedenkopf, Professor of Sustainability Politics at Leuven International and European Studies, KU Leuven
A light breakfast will be offered starting from 9:00.
This event is part of the ENSURED project, which has received funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101092077.
