Global Futures at COP31

Turning Climate-Tech Innovation into Industrial Impact

Tuesday 11/10 9:30 a.m.
Join us as we discuss how collaboration between technology innovators, corporations, and ecosystem partners can help scale solutions that deliver meaningful environmental and industrial benefits worldwide.

Healthy, Livable and Inclusive Cities under Climate Overshoot

Tuesday 11/10 11:00 a.m.
Cities are urged to transform rapidly under climate emergency. It is important for cities to accelerate transformation and at the same time to be inclusive. Scientists and practitioners present global case studies on how the risk of climate overshoot underscores a range of severe health impacts in the Global South and Global North.

Youth Leading Intergenerational Futures: Accelerating Knowledge of the Global Youth Statement Into Technology Transfer, Cities, and Human Rights in NDCs

Tuesday 11/10 1:30 p.m.
Through the priority recommendations of the Global Youth Statement on accelerating implementation of NDCs, scaling up tech transfer, participation and leadership of youth, this youth-led panel discussion links the COP31 themes of climate-resilient cities, clean energy transition, youth and education.

Establishing a Global Earth System Policy Innovation Hub

Tuesday 11/10 3:00 p.m.
Explore how to enhance the world’s growing body of climate and environmental policy and turn these policies into measurable impact at the global level. Thousands of policies have been adopted worldwide, yet one study found that fewer than 0.5% of those analyzed have had significant impact. Governance remains fragmented and siloed, and the risks linked to the Planetary Boundaries, from biodiversity loss to freshwater depletion and ocean degradation, cannot be managed in isolation.

A Planet Under Pressure: Connecting Climate Change, Nature and Human Health

Wednesday 11/11 9:30 a.m.
Global CO₂ emissions are not falling at the rapid rate needed to limit global warming, placing increasing pressure on the Earth system with consequences for human health and well-being. Bringing together experts on the carbon cycle, Earth system science and human health, this event will explore how these interconnected challenges are pushing the planet towards greater instability and threatening health and resilience of communities worldwide.

Welcome from Peter Schlosser

Wednesday 11/11 11:00 a.m.
Executive dialogue

Reviewing NDCs in Light of the ICJ Advisory Opinion to Strengthen Accountability and Climate Commitments

Wednesday 11/11 1:30 p.m.
This conversation, proposed by the Youth Negotiators Academy, World Youth for Climate Justice and the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition, will bring together climate negotiators, legal experts and youth representatives to examine how the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on climate change can inform the review and implementation of countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions, strengthening accountability and ambition under the Paris Agreement.

Delivering on Gender and Health Commitments: Pathways to Equitable and Climate-Resilient Health Systems

Wednesday 11/11 3:00 p.m.
Climate change disproportionately threatens women’s health across the life-course, from maternal health to cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and other climate-sensitive conditions. Yet women’s health needs, perspectives, and leadership continue to be overlooked in climate decision-making, despite the vital role women play in delivering health services, providing care, strengthening community resilience, and supporting recovery from climate-related shocks.

The Global Carbon Budget 2026: We choose the future they inherit

Thursday 11/12 9:30 a.m.
The Global Carbon Budget 2026 provides the latest assessment of global CO₂ emissions, the remaining carbon budget, and the role of natural carbon sinks. Explore the choices facing society: pathways that rapidly reduce emissions and limit warming, or futures that overshoot global temperature goals. What do these futures mean for the Earth system, and what kind of world will we leave for future generations?

A Time of Great Consequence: Bridging Knowledge Systems for Collective Action in a Time of Planetary Transformation

Thursday 11/12 11:00 a.m.
This session introduces the recently published manifesto for bridging knowledge and action A Time of Great Consequence, highlighting its relevance to one of the defining challenges of our time: translating climate knowledge into effective, equitable and contextually grounded action. Following a rigorous process of international consultations in 2026 led by the BRIDGES Coalition in UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme, the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at ASU and the Club of Rome, the manifesto was launched during Social Transformations Week (28 Sept – 2 October) at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. It calls for a renewed relationship between collective knowledge and action capacities supporting resilient social and ecological systems, reinforced by institutions that learn and evolve with the communities they serve. Despite decades of climate science and increased understanding of the causes and consequences of global environmental change, the challenge of translating this knowledge into meaningful action at scale remains unresolved. Both climate impacts and response capacities vary across regions and socio-environmental systems.

10 New Insights in Climate Science: What matters for COP31

Thursday 11/12 1:30 p.m.
The 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2026/2027 distills key, policy-relevant advances in climate research from the past year. Join us for a brief presentation of the report’s findings, followed by a conversation among members of its oversight committee. As the report marks its tenth edition, they’ll discuss how the initiative has grown, the role science can play in informing and driving climate action, and the value of inter-institutional scientific collaboration

Enhancing Earth System Monitoring Through a Rapid Response Platform

Thursday 11/12 3:00 p.m.
Earth system risks, from tipping points to cascading climate shocks, are accelerating faster than the institutions designed to manage them. This panel will bring together experts in climate governance, Earth system science, prevention and early action, and youth leadership to examine how multilateral reform can close that gap. It builds on a recent closed-door roundtable at New York Climate Week, convened by the Climate Governance Commission, MEGA and members of the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.

From Commitments to Implementation: Unblocking the fossil-fuel transition through coordinated action on ISDS

Friday 11/13 12:00 a.m.
Most investment treaties allow foreign investors to take States to international arbitration, a mechanism known as investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). Since COP30, investors have brought new ISDS claims against countries’ efforts to transition away from fossil fuels, with the EU, UK, Germany, Australia, Canada and Ireland among the respondents. The ICJ confirmed in its 2025 Advisory Opinion that States must prevent significant harm to the climate system, which means curbing fossil fuel production, licensing and subsidies. ISDS claims now target the measures that meet those obligations. Yet there is no forum for collective action on ISDS, particularly in the context of the climate crisis, as the relevant OECD process has ended and UN-level technical discussion (UNCITRAL Working Group III) will also end soon.

Sailing for Climate Action and a Renewable Energy Future

Friday 11/13 11:00 a.m.
This special event will showcase Peace Boat US’s Youth for the SDGs programme, a recognised contribution to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, held in collaboration with partner organization Blue Planet Alliance.

Combining onboard education with community-based learning in ports of call, the programme connects young activists and scholars with scientists, local organisations and policymakers. Youth speakers will share experiences of ocean literacy, citizen science, ecosystem restoration and renewable energy learning, exploring how these translate into advocacy and community action.

Living in Overshoot – What the latest climate science means for COP31 and beyond

Friday 11/13 1:30 p.m.
The world is on track to overshoot 1.5C. What does that mean in practice? Drawing on the latest findings of the 10 New Insights in Climate Science, this session reflects on the risks and implications of overshoot, the cost of delay, and how advances in attribution science are reshaping responsibility for climate harm. Joined by World’s Youth for Climate Justice, a driving force behind the landmark International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Climate Change, the panel asks how science, law, and civil society can work together toward a more just climate future.

Innovative solutions to the climate crisis

Friday 11/13 3:00 p.m.
Join us for insights from four global leaders innovating solutions to the climate crisis, from nonprofits providing open access in tracking global Greenhouse Gas emissions right down to the facility level, through attribution science and public awareness raising, to corporate action that combines ecosystem restoration with climate action, and leverages public-private partnerships for systems transformation. 

Speakers:

Tim Christophersen | Vice president of climate action, Salesforce

Kirsten Dunlop | Chief executive officer of climate, KIC

Gavin McCormick | Founder and executive director, WattTime

Bernadette Woods Placky | Executive director, Talking Climate Collaborative

Whose Future? Advancing Intergenerational Equity in Climate Governance

Saturday 11/14 9:30 a.m.
Climate change is an inherently intergenerational problem. Its impacts accumulate over decades, are distributed, and extend beyond the political cycles in which climate decisions are made. While intergenerational equity has gained recognition in climate governance, translating the principle into meaningful institutional commitments and policy outcomes remains challenging.

From Evidence to Parliamentary Action on Climate Change

Saturday 11/14 11:00 a.m.
How can parliaments translate climate science into effective legislation, oversight and policy decisions? This session, led by the perspective of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), will explore practical ways to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and parliamentary action, ensuring that climate knowledge informs political choices and long-term policymaking. It will examine how stronger connections between scientists and parliamentarians can support evidence-based decision-making, while recognising the additional challenges posed by climate misinformation and disinformation. The session will highlight the role of parliaments in turning robust scientific knowledge into informed, accountable and forward-looking climate action.

From Pollution to Solutions: Connecting Youth-Led Circular Economy Action with Policy, Finance and Systems Change

Saturday 11/14 1:30 p.m.
This session brings together youth leaders, policymakers, scientists, industry representatives, investors and frontline communities to explore how circular economy solutions can move from local action to systemic change. Through practical examples from the Global South, participants will examine barriers to scaling waste prevention, safer chemicals, plastic pollution reduction, reuse and resource efficiency, including gaps in policy implementation, financing and institutional coordination. An interactive discussion will identify solutions ready to scale, who needs to collaborate and what mechanisms can accelerate implementation.

The Future Starts Today – a workshop to explore stories of intergenerational climate action

Saturday 11/14 3:00 p.m.
In 2027, a new UN Secretary-General will take office. In a time of geopolitical tensions, challenges to international law, and budget cuts, there is a real risk that climate change slips down the agenda of the UN leadership in this transition. This is the starting point for The Future Starts Today, a project led by individual members of the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change (YAG). This workshop will explore stories of intergenerational climate action, gathered through The Future Starts Today and documented in the project report. In particular, the workshop aims to socialise and contextualise the findings of the project report together with the workshop participants. The central questions for the workshop are:

1. What stories of intergenerational climate action can you share?

2. Which of the stories and recommendations in the report resonate with you and your work?

3. What steps are you willing to take to implement these recommendations?

Connecting Africa’s Ocean Science, Policy and Investment for Collective Impact

Monday 11/16 1:30 p.m.
Africa’s ocean future depends not only on generating more scientific knowledge, but also on strengthening the connections that enable ocean initiatives to collectively influence policy, mobilise investment and deliver transformative change. Despite growing momentum under the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, fragmented efforts, limited coordination and weak links between science, decision-making and implementation can constrain the impact of otherwise valuable initiatives. The SEAWARD Africa Programme, led by IOCAFRICA under the Ocean Decade, offers a practical approach to addressing these challenges. By providing a coordinated framework for actions aligned with shared African priorities, SEAWARD seeks to connect projects, expertise and enabling capabilities across ocean science and sustainable development. Its potential lies in allowing locally grounded initiatives to retain their distinct contributions while benefiting from shared learning, stronger partnerships and more coherent engagement with policy and investment processes.

From Ocean and Climate Science to Investment: Building Resilient Coastal and Riverine Communities and Ecosystems in Africa

Monday 11/16 3:00 p.m.
Africa’s coastal and riverine communities and ecosystems are increasingly exposed to interconnected climate and environmental pressures, including flooding, coastal erosion, sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion, ecosystem degradation, extreme weather and disruption of climate-sensitive livelihoods. At the same time, coastal and marine ecosystems provide essential services for food security, livelihoods,biodiversity, climate adaptation and economic development. The challenge is therefore not only to understand climate and ocean risks, but to translate available ocean and climate science into practical resilience action and investment.

Ubuntu at the Table: Negotiating as One Africa, Young and Experienced

Tuesday 11/17 9:30 a.m.
Africa’s ocean future depends not only on generating more scientific knowledge, but also on strengthening the connections that enable ocean initiatives to collectively influence policy, mobilise investment and deliver transformative change. Despite growing momentum under the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, fragmented efforts, limited coordination and weak links between science, decision-making and implementation can constrain the impact of otherwise valuable initiatives. The SEAWARD Africa Programme, led by IOCAFRICA under the Ocean Decade, offers a practical approach to addressing these challenges. By providing a coordinated framework for actions aligned with shared African priorities, SEAWARD seeks to connect projects, expertise and enabling capabilities across ocean science and sustainable development. Its potential lies in allowing locally grounded initiatives to retain their distinct contributions while benefiting from shared learning, stronger partnerships and more coherent engagement with policy and investment processes.

Science for Transformation: The UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2027 and the Road to 2030 and Beyond COP

Tuesday 11/17 11:00 a.m.
This high-level dialogue will bring together leading scientists, policymakers and international organizations to examine systemic risks, implementation barriers, inequalities and financing challenges. It will explore how integrated scientific evidence can inform actionable transformation pathways, investment priorities and effective partnerships, connecting climate neutrality and resilience with equitable and sustainable development.

Scaling Sustainability Solutions: Building and Financing the Climate Capital Collaborative

Tuesday 11/17 1:30 p.m.
A global soft lauch of the C3 initiative to mobilize capital to fund municipal climate and resilience projects.