Leicester delegation to COP30 includes experts covering climate from every angle
A delegation of experts from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ is heading to the Conference of the Parties, or COP30, to bring the latest insights into climate change to policymakers and officials.
With expertise ranging from earth observation science, land use, climate justice, digital environmental activism, and more, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ presence at COP30 aims to make a breadth of research available to decisionmakers during negotiations.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the largest global United Nations event for discussions and negotiations on climate change. The meeting is held annually, with the presidency rotating among the five UN-recognized regions.
In 2025, Brazil will host the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), which will take place in Belém, Pará. The chosen city will provide the world with a unique platform to discuss climate solutions, firmly rooted in the heart of the Amazon.
Co-ordinating Leicester’s presence at COP30 is Professor Heiko Balzter, Director of the Institute for Environmental Futures and a member of the , as well as co-lead of the Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People Hub. His work seeks to deliver research evidence that is policy-relevant and contributes to a safer world in which catastrophic climate change is avoided by bringing down greenhouse gas emissions.
Professor Balzter said: “My work on Earth observation of forests provides data and insights into the carbon cycle by estimating forest biomass and builds better forest governance enabled by forest alerts from space to reduce illegal logging in Kenya. At COP30, I will present my team's research at several side events in the Blue Zone. Together with the European Space Agency and the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ will be present in the Exhibition zone at COP30 and engage with negotiators, advisors and experts to disseminate our research and build a broader partnership.”
Members of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ delegation will head out to COP30 from 10 November. They include:
Professor Athina Karatzogianni’s research engages with questions of digital citizenship focusing on how youth participates in environmental and social justice movements using digital technologies, such as in the Horizon 2020 project DigiGen. Her work combines environmental communication (particularly climate disinformation on digital networks) and digital environmental activist mobilisations, and she is particularly interested in policies addressing environmental inequalities in climate breakdown hotspots and how young people can be prepared for climate transitions.
Professor Athina Karatzogianni from the School of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy said: “Being a participant and observer of COP30 will not only enrich my understanding of previous events, such as the IEF-funded research on COP26 climate activism and disinformation, but it will produce new research on climate activism and disinformation during COP30, which has significant global impact, promote overall public engagement with crucial environmental issues, and contribute to societal well-being.”
As a Professor of Environmental Geographies in the School of Geography, Geology and the Environment and a member of the Institute for Environmental Futures, Professor Caroline Upton has been working for many years on issues of environmental governance, justice and resilience - in relation to climate change, climate action, adaptation and mitigation. Her work is dedicated to co-production of policy-relevant solutions with a range of actors, drawing on diverse, including indigenous, knowledges and to facilitating moves towards environmentally just and sustainable futures.
Professor Upton said: “At COP30 I will work with Leicester colleagues to disseminate our critical research and develop new networks and partnerships. I am also part of a number of international working groups under the auspices of the UN Sponsored International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), through which pastoralist groups, NGOs, academics and advocates from across the world are forming a global coalition to demonstrate the vital role of pastoralists and rangelands in climate adaptation and mitigation. I will collaborate with pastoralist colleagues and representatives at the COP to disseminate our work and develop our impact and agenda.”
Dr Nezha Acil is a research associate at the National Centre for Earth Observation and fellow of the Institute for Environmental Futures. With a background in biodiversity conservation and optical remote sensing, Dr Acil is particularly interested in forest dynamics at the global scale and has built expertise in stand-replacing disturbances throughout her postgraduate research. Her current work focuses on modelling biomass changes worldwide, which is essential for monitoring the global carbon cycle, and she will be attending COP30 to showcase relevant outputs from her research in the Blue Zone alongside colleagues from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ and the European Space Agency.
Dr Acil said: “The COP30 event will provide a platform for us to highlight how we can use recent advances in satellite-based forest monitoring to assess changes in carbon stocks more reliably. This is much needed for transparent carbon accounting and to track progress toward climate targets. COP30 will give to researchers the opportunity to influence policies and ensure they are grounded in robust scientific evidence to efficiently support climate mitigation and adaptation. By attending the COP30, I also hope to learn more about progress made in forest restoration and nature-based solutions, engage with international experts and practitioners and broaden my horizons as an early-career researcher.”
Charity Mbaka is a doctoral researcher and Future 100 scholar at the School of Geography, Geology, and Environment and a member of Institute of Environmental Futures whose research is geared towards untangling the relational, temporal and place-based complexities of just low-carbon transitions to address the often obscured ‘dark sides’ of climate transitions.
Charity said: “My keen interest in COP30 is to follow up on the tangible progress made so far in integrating the principles of fairness and equity under the Just Transition Work Programme, a commitment made at COP29 and engage with and contribute to the emerging climate action dialogues.”
Mateus Macul is another PhD researcher is in the School of Geography, Geology, and Environment studying land tenure and forest conservation in the Brazilian Amazon, with interests in tropical forest conservation facing human induced land-use dynamics. Mateus’s work combines remote sensing, spatial modelling, and landscape metrics to reveal how land tenure shapes deforestation and wildfire occurrence.
Mateus said: “At COP30, I will observe discussions on forests, carbon markets, and nature-based solutions, with a keen interest in the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) as a mechanism to protect forests and rural livelihoods. I hope to capture insights on how remote sensing and landscape metrics can accelerate forest conservation and equitable climate solutions. The Tropical Forests Forever Facility to be announced at COP30 offers a promising pathway to safeguard ecosystems while supporting communities that depend on natural resources."
Dr Tim Neff, Lecturer in Journalism in the School of Arts, Media and Communication, has attended COPs since 2018, and he has covered the conference as a writer for Earth Negotiations Bulletin since COP27 in 2022. He will also be attending COP30 and writing about side events that take place during the summit.
Dr Tim Neff said: “Climate negotiations are entering a critical stage, with the US once again pulling out of the Paris Agreement and average global temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. My work at COPs puts me in touch with UN agencies, political leaders, civil society groups, and journalists who are central to my research on how media can facilitate meaningful efforts to address this intensifying transnational problem, which disproportionately impacts the world’s most vulnerable populations.”