The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 31 October to 12 November 2021, under the presidency of the United Kingdom.
While the Blue Zone at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) will host the official negotiations and side events restricted to country delegates and admitted observers, a Green Zone has been set up at the Glasgow Science Centre, which will be open to the public via a ticketing system.
The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) community will be present through the negotiations, side events and engagements outside the official COP26 events over the two weeks to promote the role of Earth observations in providing actionable information for climate adaptation and mitigation.
In addition to the in-person meetings, a Space & Geospatial Virtual Pavilion organised by the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) in collaboration with more than 30 other partners, will explore the role of innovation, inclusive growth, and collaboration in supporting the climate emergency and meeting Net Zero targets using the power of place.
A selection of the key EO-related events at COP26 can be found below. This list will be continuously updated as more information becomes available, including livestream links to follow the events remotely whenever possible.
The GEO Secretariat will be represented during the two weeks by Sara Venturini (Climate Coordinator), Diana Mastracci (GEO Indigenous Alliance) and Steven Ramage (Chief Engagement Officer). We will be working closely with UK GEO, GEO Associates and Participating Organisations, as well with as the UNFCCC Secretariat and other COP26 organisers.
1 November
- GCOS / The State of the Global Climate Observing System: GCOS Status Report 2021 (Blue Zone, Science Pavilion, 11:00-12:30 GMT)
- UK Met Office, WMO / Tracking the impacts of climate change on our fragile ocean (Blue Zone, Science Pavilion, 13:00-14:00 GMT)
- EC JRC, EC DG DEFIS and DG RTD, ESA, ECMWF / EO for Climate Action: Mitigation, REDD+, and the Global Stocktake (Brussels / connected to Blue Zone, EU Pavilion,14:30-15:30 GMT)
2 November
- WGIC, Climate TRACE, GEO / GHG Monitoring from Space - a mapping of capabilities across public, private and hybrid missions (Space and Geospatial Virtual Pavilion, 14:00-15:30 GMT)
- Government of Japan, MOE, JAXA, NIES / The GHG monitoring project for the Global Stocktake 2023 (Blue Zone, Japan Pavilion, 15:00 - 16:30 GMT)
- EO4SDG, GEO, UN-Habitat, University of Strathclyde, Wood Plc. / Earth Observations to build sustainable and climate resilient cities and communities: Applying the UN Earth Observations Toolkit for Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements (Wood House, Glasgow, 16:00-18:00 GMT)
- Government of Greece / High Level Event: Addressing climate change impacts on cultural and natural heritage – The Way Forward (Hotel nhow Brussels Bloom, Brussels, connected to Blue Zone, EU Pavilion, 16:00-19:00 GMT)
- Nature4Climate / Nature Tech: Accelerating a Nature-Positive Economy (Blue Zone, Nature Zone Pavilion, 17:00-18:30 GMT)
- TNC / There's Power in Nature+Positive: Opening the Nature Zone Pavilion (Blue Zone, Nature Zone Pavilion, 19:30-20:30 GMT)
3 November
- UNFCCC Secretariat / Earth Information Day 2021 (Blue Zone, Meeting Room 4, 10.00-13.00 GMT, with virtual poster session 13.15-14.45 GMT)
MRI SLC Member Mandira Shrestha (ICIMOD) is in attendance at this session to represent the MRI and GEO Mountains. - UK Government / Earth Information Day 2021 (Blue Zone, Pen Y Fan Plenary, 15:15-17:30 GMT, with virtual poster session 17:30-18:30 GMT)
MRI SLC Member Mandira Shrestha (ICIMOD) is in attendance at this session to represent the MRI and GEO Mountains. - UNFCCC Secretariat, Resilience Frontiers / Resilience Lab Day 3 – Transforming Humanity’s Relationship with Nature (multiple events, Blue Zone, Resilience Lab, 10:00-16:00 GMT)
- WMO, UNDP, UNEP / Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) - Innovating finance for weather and climate observations (Blue Zone, Nordic Pavilion, 18:15-19:00 GMT)
4 November
- SLYCAN Trust / Scaling Up Capacities and Support for Climate and Disaster Risk Finance for Resilient Livelihoods and Societies (Blue Zone, PCCB Capacity-Building Hub, 13:30-14:30 GMT)
- UNFCCC Secretariat / Global Open NAP Event at COP 26: An independent measure of adaptation and resilience (Blue Zone, Room tbc, 19:00-21:00 GMT)
5 November
- UNFCCC Secretariat, Resilience Frontiers / Resilience Lab Day 5 – Universal, equitable coverage of, and open-access to, (big) data and information (multiple events, Blue Zone, Resilience Lab, 10:00-18:00 GMT)
6 November
- Space4Climate, NCEO / Monitoring the lungs of the world from space – what satellites reveal about carbon storage in the forests of the Earth (Green Zone - Science Show Theatre, 14:00 - 15:00 GMT)
7 November
- Planet, KSAT, Airbus, Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment / How Can Satellites Help Save the Forests? Experiences from One Year of the NICFI Data Program (CitizenM Hotel, Glasgow, 16:00-19:00 GMT including cocktail and networking)
8 November
- OCHA, UNDRR, WMO / Getting ahead of climatic disasters: Know, Predict, Warn, Act (Blue Zone, Lomond Auditorium, 11:30-12:45 GMT)
- OS-Climate / Open Source Breakthrough for Climate-Aligned Finance and Investing (Skypark 7, Glasgow, 13:00-17:00 GMT)
- GEO Indigenous Alliance / Unlocking Resources for Indigenous Communities to Access and Use EO Data and Tools (Space and Geospatial Virtual Pavilion, 14:00-16:00 GMT)
- WMO / 2021 State of Climate Services: Water (Blue Zone, Science Pavilion, 14:30-16:00 GMT)
9 November
- GEO Indigenous Alliance / Earth observation-based innovation by and for Indigenous women for climate change adaptation (Green Zone - Tower Base North, 11:30 - 13:00 GMT)
- Planet, Carbon Mapper, Climate TRACE, GEO / Harnessing the Power of Many: Climate Accountability and the Future of Emissions (CitizenM Hotel, Glasgow, 16:00-19:00 GMT including cocktail and networking)
- UK Met Office, Ordnance Survey, Geospatial Commission, Esri / Applying climate and location data to better understand climate impacts and make informed decisions (Blue Zone, Science Pavilion, 19:30-20:30 GMT)
10 November
- CNES, GEO / Climate adaptation: Applying Earth Observations and Developing Capacity (Technology & Innovation Centre, Room 6&7, 17:00 – 19:30 GMT including cocktail and networking)
11 November
- KTN and partners / Closing Remarks for the Space and Geospatial Virtual Pavillion (Space and Geospatial Virtual Pavilion, 15:45-17:00 GMT)
12 November
- WMO, GCOS, CEOS / Satellite observations for Climate (Blue Zone, Science Pavilion, 9:30-10:30 GMT)
Useful links
- UNFCCC COP26 Homepage
- Overview schedule of COP26 negotiations
- Official UNFCCC side events and exhibits programme
- COP26 site map
- UK COP26 Homepage
- Green Zone Programme and tickets
- Science Pavilion programme
- European Union side events at COP26
- Space & Geospatial Virtual Pavilion
This article was first published by the Group on Earth Observations. You can view the original article on the Group on Earth Observations website.
Dr. James Thornton (Mountain Research Initiative and GEO Mountains) will be participating in a session on 'Earth observations for monitoring climate change impacts in mountain regions' on Wednesday 3 November as part of the COP26 Geneva Cryosphere Hub (GeCryoHub).
