Heads of state, business leaders, and members of civil society are gathering in Egypt from November 6 to November 18 to deliberate on further accelerating global climate action through emissions reduction, scaled-up adaptation efforts, and enhanced flows of appropriate finance in a just transition for developing countries worldwide. This year, the Columbia Climate School is expanding its presence at COP27 by hosting special events both in Egypt and New York, and sharing stories that include a variety of perspectives from global thought leaders, students, and experts.
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Columbia Climate School Experts at COP27: A Journalist's Guide
See the Columbia Climate School experts who are attending COP27, and are available to the media for information and comment.
EVENTS — Columbia University at COP27
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 | 10:00am to 11:00am ET
Centering Gender at COP27 (View Recording)
Location: Virtual
Discussion of the contribution of women to climate diplomacy and the important role of a gender framework in promoting successful climate action with Catherine McKenna and Amy Myers Jaffe.
Thursday, November 3, 2022 | 6:00 to 8:00pm ET
Signature Lecture Series: COP 101 For Students (Read Related Story | View Recording)
Location: Columbia Faculty House, New York
Students, join John Furlow, director of International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), for a breakdown of what COP27 is: what happens there, who goes, and what it all means for climate action.
Monday, November 7, 2022 | 3:50pm to 4:20pm EET
Climate Is Everyone's Business: The Role of Non-State Actors in Climate Governance and Action (View Recording)
Location: Climate Action Stage at the Climate Action Innovation Zone, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
While delegates from national governments deliberate over how best to address climate change, it is increasingly clear that non-state actors such as cities, regions, private sector companies and NGOs have a significant role to play in curbing emissions and boosting climate adaptation. Panel discussion with Columbia Climate School associate dean of climate action Rajiv Joshi (moderator), European Climate Foundation CEO Laurence Tubiana, Government of New South Wales, Australia treasurer and minister for energy Matthew John Kean, and Government of Kenya Ministry of Petroleum & Mining principal secretary Andrew Kamau.
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 | 10:00am to 10:50am
Credibility Over Time Builds Trust: The ESG Disclosure Debate
Location: Climate Action Stage at the Climate Action Innovation Zone, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
ESG strategies face increasing scrutiny as a marketing ploy. At a time when corporate climate plans must translate into concrete positive action, is the current ESG model effective? Columbia Climate School associate dean of climate action Rajiv Joshi (moderator), Arizona State University Global Partnerships senior director Amanda Ellis, IFRS Foundation International Sustainability Standards Board's Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, and S&P Global Ratings director of sustainable finance Beth Burks examine the rigor behind standard metrics used today and how they are set to change.
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 | 10:30am to 11:30am EET
Money in the Bank: The Central Role of Corporate Finance & Banking for Meeting Climate Goals
Location: Business Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment's Perrine Toledano takes stock of the still insufficient role of finance in meeting climate goals, and discusses how finance can play its part in what remains from the decade of action, highlighting CCSI's work in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund and its work on net zero pledges.
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 | 1:00pm to 2:00pm EET
CGEP at COP27: Mobilizing Finance for Clean Energy in Emerging Markets (View Recording)
Location: Climate Action Stage at the Climate Action Innovation Zone, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy, along with the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, will explore concrete actions that can be taken to mobilize private capital for energy opportunities in Africa and other emerging markets while pushing forward with aggressive climate action.
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 | 3:00pm EET
Cities and Universities: An Alliance for Sustainable Development
Location: Francophonie Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Virtual via Zoom
This roundtable, organized by the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF) and the City Diplomacy Lab at Columbia Global Centers | Paris, aims to explore the nature and impact of collaboration between cities and universities. Columbia panelists include Columbia Climate School IRI's Mélody Braun and Columbia Global Centers | Paris City Diplomacy Lab's Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi.
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 | 4:10pm to 4:55pm EET
Can There Be Climate Progress Without Political Freedom? (View Recording)
Location: Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Livestream
This New York Times event explores how the climate fight is affected by authoritarian governments and the suppression of civil society, if climate action can thrive within corrupt systems, and if political freedom is essential to progress. Among the panelists is Columbia Climate School co-founding dean / Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy founding director Jason Bordoff.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 | 10:00am to 11:00am EET
Sustainable Agri-Food Systems as a Lever for Climate Neutrality and Food Security: The Role of Partnership and Cooperation in Research and Innovation
Location: Mediterranean Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Livestream
Panel discussion on food systems and food security, and the role of collaboration in research and innovation to achieve climate neutrality. Keynote by Columbia Climate School Center for Sustainable Development director Jeffrey Sachs.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 | 1:00pm to 2:00pm EET
Financing SDG Stimulus and the Paris Climate Agreement
Location: UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Livestream
Discussion on making the case for an official SDG Stimulus Plan and for mobilizing the capital needed for long–term investments in value chains aligned with the climate and sustainability goals that contribute to the satisfaction of the core-human needs. Among participants is Columbia Climate School Center for Sustainable Development director Jeffrey Sachs.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 | 6:00pm to 8:00pm EET
Financing the Transition to Net Zero
Location: Hilton Sharks Bay Resort, Cleopatra Room, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Join the Columbia Business School and the Columbia Climate School at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for an in-depth conversation on climate and finance, including:
- From carbon markets to venture capital to global funds, how do we create markets and mechanisms that incentivize green investing?
- How do we identify innovative ideas and solutions early on? What are the new and emerging technologies we should be watching?
- How do we ensure that the impact and benefits of investments and technology are shared and distributed equitably?
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 10:00am to 10:50am EET
Uniting Global Scientific Research: Efforts to Tackle Climate Change
Location: Blue Zone, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
The session brings together the latest climate science-related findings and focuses on developing a global scientific hub for climate change research. Among speakers are Columbia Climate School Center for Sustainable Development director Jeffrey Sachs and Columbia Climate School founding dean Alex Halliday. See Concept Note for further details.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 10:30am to 11:30am EET
Winning the Gold in Climate: Accelerating Los Angeles & California’s Zero Emissions Transportation Goals in time for the 2028 Olympic Games
Location: Hilton Sharks Bay Resort, Nefertiti Room, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
An armchair conversation with Pedro Pizarro (CEO of Edison International) and Matt Petersen (LACI’s CEO), moderated by Tim McDonnell (Climate and Energy Reporter for Quartz).Together, they will share how and why the public-private Transportation Electrification Partnership set the world’s most ambitious zero emissions mobility and goods movement targets to be achieved by the time of the 2028 Olympic Games. Co-hosted by the Columbia Climate School, the event will also feature opening comments from Ethan Zindler, Head of Americas at BloombergNEF on the historic Inflation Reduction Act and California’s bold climate policies.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 11:00am to 12:00pm EET
Promoting Sustainable Investment while Upholding Environmental Protection in Egypt’s Regulatory Framework for Investment and Climate Action Agenda
Location: Egypt Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment's Perrine Toledano discusses the drivers of investment in renewable energies while dismissing the idea that treaty protection incentivizes investments, highlighting CCSI's work on investment governance to achieve climate goals and work on investment in decarbonization.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 11:30am to 12:30pm EET
The Role of Engineers in Implementing the Global Energy Transition
Location: SDG Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Virtual
Panel hosted by the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) to present engineering solutions for the energy transition and some key recommendations to serve as critical engineering inputs to COP negotiations. CEET's objective is to promote and highlight Egypt’s major theme: "Getting to implementation," through an engineer-led and co-designed decarbonization forum. Among participants is Columbia Climate School Center for Sustainable Development director Jeffrey Sachs.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 12:00pm to 12:50pm EET
Global and Regional Environmental Conventions, Assessments and Outlooks: Harmonizing Our Efforts
Location: Blue Zone, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
The session discusses evidence-based scientific results of the global and regional consultative and participatory environmental assessment processes that are based on recent scientific information and data. Among speakers is Columbia Climate School founding dean Alex Halliday. See Concept Note for further details.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 1:00pm to 1:50pm
Africa's Changing Environment: Improve Africa's Resilience to Climate Change
Location: Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
This session will show the degree to which climate change is affecting Africa's natural environment, presenting the main findings of regional scientific evidence of our changing environment due to climate change impacts coupled with the human induced activities and natural processes. Panel includes Columbia Climate School Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory archaeologist and anthropologist Kristina Douglass.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 2:30pm to 3:30pm EET
CGEP at COP27: Turning a Global Energy Crisis into A Climate Opportunity (View Recording)
Location: Climate Action Stage at the Climate Action Innovation Zone, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Livestream
Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy and key stakeholders discuss working to accelerate a just energy transition as they explore the risks and opportunities of this moment. The panel will focus not only on how global events will shape this future opportunity, but also how the transition can rebalance an historically unjust relationship by enabling the Global South to become a key participant and anchor of a shared green energy future.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 2:30pm to 3:30pm EET
Tackling Air Pollution for our Health and the Planet
Location: Business Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Livestream
This session features member companies of the World Economic Forum’s Alliance for Clean Air, the first coalition of multinational companies who have pledged to measure and reduce their air pollutant emissions and actively participate in the fight against air pollution. Hosted by We Mean Business Coalition in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, Clean Air Fund, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). Among panelists is Columbia SIPA Master of Public Administration MPA student Alejandro Daly, young consultant to the UNICEF-Astrazeneca YHP Partnership, Global Shaper-Bogotá Hub, World Economic Forum.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 4:05pm to 4:55pm EET
TEDx Talk - Board Games: Another Strategy for Climate Change Education (Read Related Story)
Location: Children & Youth Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Columbia MS in Sustainability Management student Jiangnan Shen, founder of sustainability-themed educational platform Enviroally, will present a game-based approach to climate education and Planet-E toolkit, which debuted at #COY17 United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth.
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 4:30pm to 5:00pm EET
Climate Reparations: What Is Owed?
Location: UN Press Conference Room, Luxor, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Discussion of the effects of global warming on vulnerable nations in the global south, and how Emitting Nations who have gained their wealth through the burning of fossil fuels can and must help fund mitigation and adaptation efforts for those they have put in danger. Panelists include Columbia Climate School Center for Sustainable Development director Jeffrey Sachs, Climate School Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development co-director Lisa Dale, climate science educator Paul Beckwith, and Center for Sustainable Development's Regina Valdez (moderator).
Friday, November 11, 2022 | 9:00am to 10:00am ET
COP27 Spin and Substance (View Recording)
Location: Virtual
Join Columbia Climate School's Andy Revkin, who has been writing about climate change since 1988, in a sift for substance behind all the narratives competing for attention in the first week of COP27 in Egypt.
Friday, November 11, 2022 | 10:05am to 10:20am EET
Opening Keynote: The real 'just transition': How do we help the world's most vulnerable survive and thrive in the face of drastic climate impacts?
Location: Sustainable Innovation Forum, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Livestream
Keynote address by Columbia Climate School Center for Sustainable Development director Jeffrey Sachs and World Health Organization's Maria Neira.
Friday, November 11, 2022 | 11:30am-1:00pm EET (4:30am-6:00am ET)
Putting Food on the Table during a Climate Crisis (View Recording)
Location: Blue Zone, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Livestream
Experts from Columbia Climate School, World Food Prize Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, MIT, Oxford University, Clim-Eat, CATIE, and IICA discuss pathways to support science-to-action efforts to transform food systems in a changing climate and respond to the food and climate crises. Among featured speakers are World Food Prize 2022 laureate Cynthia Rosenzweig of Columbia Climate School and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Purvi Mehta of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. See Concept Note for further details.
Saturday, November 12, 2022 | 11:15am EET
Water Urbanism – Urban Design for Climate Justice
Location: Climate Justice Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Livestream
Thad Pawlowski, managing director of Columbia University Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at GSAPP, joined in conversation by Resilient Cities Network's Fitse Gelaye, shares recent work from the GSAPP Urban Design studio, which seeks to resist patterns of petrochemical urbanization by promoting locally-led adaptation planning and design visioning. Every spring, Columbia GSAPP students work with a community on the frontlines of climate change and local academic partners in a collaborative, co-learning experience resulting in shared urban design visions.
Saturday, November 12, 2022 | 4:00pm-5:30pm EET
The Pathway to Climate Resilient Food Systems: Lessons Learned from Climate Services Projects across Four Continents (View Recording)
Location: Science for Action Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Virtual/Livestream
Climate services are critical to achieving resilience in key livelihood sectors. The ACToday project introduced climate services in six countries to improve their efforts to achieve SDG2 on food and nutrition. This session will share the goals, highlights, and results from evaluations of ACToday. Partners include Met Office, FANRPAN, NFU, Columbia Climate School's IRI, ICCCAD, and ANACIM, with Met Office's Pete Falloon, NFU's Ceris Jones, IRI's Mélody Braun and John Furlow.
Saturday, November 12, 2022 | 5:30pm-9:30pm EET
COP27 Climate and Health Networking Reception
Location: Sultan Gardens Resort, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
A dinner reception to connect the global climate and health community at COP27. Hosted by Global Climate & Health Alliance, the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health Global Consortium on Climate & Health Education, the Climate & Health Foundation, and the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine Climate & Health Program.
Monday, November 14, 2022 | 6:00pm to 7:00pm ET
Fireside Chat - Philippe Benoit
Location: Virtual
COP27 is Africa’s COP, and we must work to center issues of climate and energy in Africa at this year’s conference. Join Philippe Benoit of Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy for a discussion on the energy transition in Africa, moderated by international development finance specialist Bayo Oyewole.
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 | 6:30pm EET
ACE City Champions: An Equitable and Participatory Path towards Sustainable Cities
Location: SDG Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Virtual Via Zoom (in French)
This event, organized by the ACE Observatory, Columbia Climate School, and City Diplomacy Lab, will feature locally-led examples of inclusive climate governance and capacity building by mayors, networks, and non-party stakeholders. It will also launch and present the ACE City Champions Initiative. Among panelists is Columbia Climate School IRI's Mélody Braun.
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 | 6:00pm to 8:00pm ET
Columbia Climate Conversations - Prioritizing Climate Action on the African Continent
Location: The Forum at Columbia University, New York
The significance of COP27 taking place in Egypt cannot be overstated: nations must work to highlight and address African issues of climate change from all angles. Join Columbia Climate School and Columbia Climate Conversations for a discussion moderated by Yvette Christiansë with experts Dr. Kiros Berhane, Dr. Tatianna Carayannis, Dr. Harry Verhoeven, and Alexandra Peek.
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 | 10:30am EET
Blue Climate Solutions: Considering the Ocean's Role in Our Path to Net Negative Emissions
Location: Ocean Pavilion, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt + Virtual
Every path to a sustainable climate future must pass through the ocean. Scientists and policy leaders will discuss the scientific basis for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches to complement deep emissions reductions, as well as the research agenda, governance structure, investment needs, and ethical framework necessary to ensure a sustainable climate future for all. Panel includes Columbia Climate School Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory biological oceanographer Sonya Dyhrman.
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 | 5:00pm to 7:00pm ET
Body Maps and Feeling Walks - Climate Artivism COP 27 Student Event
Location: The Forum at Columbia University, New York
Students, join us for an interactive workshop exploring how climate emotions show up in our bodies and engaging with ways to use our five senses to connect with our immediate landscapes. We'll start with a body mapping exercise, embark on a shared sound and sense walk, and then do some writing and reflection together.
Thursday, November 17, 2022 | 6:30pm to 8:00pm EET
How Can Psychology and Architectures Boost Youth Engagement in Climate Change?
Location: Blue Zone, Thutmose, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
To achieve sustainable climate goals within a social justice framework, we must include the perspectives of young people. This session explores maximizing youth impact and well-being by incorporating psychological tools and architectural design for improving health, resilience, and community engagement. Moderated by Columbia MS in Sustainability Management student Jiangnan Shen.
Monday, December 5, 2022 | 6:00pm to 8:00pm ET
Post-COP27 Debrief: Panel & Reception
Location: International Affairs Building, 420 W. 118 Street, Columbia University, New York
In mid-November, students, scholars, and faculty convened in Egypt for COP27. Now that the conference is over, what exactly happened there? Join faculty members Robbie Parks and Paige West and MA student Alejandro Daly for a conversation on their experiences as observers at COP27. Moderated by MA student Aparajita Suresh Rao. Co-sponsored by the Human Rights Grad Student Group and SIPA Career Services.
In the Media
COP27 Yielded a Historic Climate Fund. COP28 Must Do More, Experts Say | The Washington Post (November 21, 2022)
"The UAE intends to be in the energy business in many forms for a long time. Oil is just the beginning," says Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy senior research scholar Karen Young.
West Africa: UN Warns of Worsening Conflict and Displacement in Sahel Without Immediate Climate Action | AllAfrica (November 16, 2022)
According to a new report, the climate emergency if left unchecked will further imperil Sahelian communities as devastating floods, droughts, and heatwaves decimate access to water, food, and livelihoods, and amplify the risk of conflict. The report compiles predictions from a range of data sources and methodologies, including the Columbia Climate School CIESIN.
Is COP27 Becoming a 'Fossil Fuel Trade Show'? Oil and Gas Industry Presence Looms over U.N. Climate Talks. | Grid (November 15, 2022)
"My expectations for COP are very cautious. I'm not expecting a great deal from this," said Columbia Climate School founding dean Alex Halliday in a press briefing before the talks began.
From Nuclear Power to Bamboo: The Climate Solutions at COP27 | The Washington Post (November 11, 2022)
On solutions to help world leaders reach their goals of net-zero emissions: "A lot of it is hype. But then there is stuff that is not hype but needs research to evaluate," says Columbia Climate School / Columbia Engineering climate expert Vijay Modi.
As COP27 Gets Underway, Aussie Execs Care Less About Extreme Weather Risks | Insurance Business Australia (November 11, 2022)
At COP27, for the first time, leaders are debating whether to set up a loss and damage fund to help compensate developing nations suffering the impacts of climate change whereby wealthier nations would be held accountable for the fossil-fuel-driven damage they've caused. "Developing countries, the countries that are the victims of climate change, have been calling for it for many years. But almost none of the developed countries have any interest in paying it," says Columbia Climate School / Columbia Law School Sabin Center for Climate Change Law director Michael Gerrard in a report by the School.
COP27 Climate Talks: Money Is Increasingly Central to Climate Negotiations | Grid (November 10, 2022)
"Financing is available but often goes untapped. And a lot of it that is being spent is not being spent well," says Columbia Climate School International Research Institute for Climate and Society director John Furlow.
Want Consumers to Make Smart Climate Choices? Stop Greenwashing | TIME (November 8, 2022)
Columbia Climate School / Center on Global Energy Policy distinguished visiting scholar Catherine McKenna, Chair of the United Nations' High‐level Expert Group on the Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, explains their report Integrity Matters, released at COP27, which sets out to establish criteria and standards that bring transparency, ambition, and credibility to net zero.
Draft Report Offers Starkest View Yet of U.S. Climate Threats | The New York Times (November 8, 2022)
"The old narrative that climate change is something that's happening to polar bears or it's going to happen to your grandchildren — that was never true, but it is now obviously not true. There's bad stuff happening now where we can very confidently say, 'This wouldn’t have happened without climate change,'" says Columbia Climate School Center for Climate Systems Research and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies climate scientist Kate Marvel.
Even as Egypt Hosts Climate Summit, Selling Fossil Fuels Is a Priority | The New York Times (November 7, 2022)
There's a "rising tension between developed and developing countries that's going to be on full display" at COP27, says Columbia Climate School co-founding dean / Center on Global Energy Policy director Jason Bordoff. "Low-income countries are saying, 'We did not cause the problem, yet you're asking us to not industrialize in the same way that developed countries were able to.'"
