NOAA experts and science on world stage at COP26 UN Climate Summit

Ko Barrett, NOAA Senior Climate Advisor and IPCC Vice Chair, spoke about the current state of the science on climate change. View recorded remarks

Short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs) impact both the climate and air quality, including significant implications for human health. Immediate reductions in emissions of SLCFs can provide near-term climate benefits while also promoting cleaner air. Hosted in the COP26 Cryosphere Pavilion and organized jointly by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) and the Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP), this session will present recent work in this area and discuss policy implications. Ben DeAngelo, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Program Office and AMAP chair, will be a featured speaker. View recorded remarks. 

Hosted in the United Kingdom’s Science Pavilion, this session will set out the needs for climate modeling in the context of the negotiations at COP26, particularly to inform actions that need to be taken over the next decade to limit temperature rise to well below 2.0 degrees. View recorded remarks.

All levels of society must be informed and engaged in accelerating just solutions to address the climate crisis at the speed and scale that science and justice requires. To do so, the United States needs a coordinated, collaborative, and inclusive strategy that elevates and makes visible the whole of Action for Climate Empowerment. NOAA’s Frank Niepold, an Action for Climate Empowerment National Focal Point spoke at the event. View the recorded event.

This event will highlight current U.S. and international efforts to address climate change impacts on marine protected areas (MPAs). Government agencies, national representatives, and other interested parties can learn about how to become a member, benefits to members, national case studies, and upcoming events through thematic presentations by high-profile speakers from the countries and organizations represented by the Partnership (Chile, Costa Rica, France, U.K., and U.S.). Watch the recorded event.

The Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean are crucial components of the Earth’s systems and play key roles in regulating climate. They are home to unique ecosystems that are under serious threat from climate change impacts such as warming, acidification, and freshening. The polar oceans are already experiencing large changes in their chemistry and through continued warming will see more non-polar species moving into them and additional consequences for food webs, fisheries, and climate regulation. This session will provide insight into some of the lesser known but highly significant impacts of climate change in the Polar Oceans; and subsequent wider environmental and societal impacts towards raising ambition for reducing emissions. Hosted within the COP26 Cryosphere Pavilion, this event is co-organized by the Arctic Council Working Groups, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab and Climate Program Office. Watch the recorded event.

Hosted within the COP26 Cryosphere Pavilion, this event is co-organized by the Arctic Council Working Groups, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), the British Antarctic Survey, and NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab and Climate Program Office. Watch the recorded event.

Wet and dry deposition of atmospheric pollutants can have harmful impacts on sensitive ecosystems, rivers, lakes and oceans, and can also reduce crop yields. The international science community is developing tools to provide globally consistent maps of ozone, sulphur and nitrogen deposition for evaluating the risks to agriculture and ecosystems. The concept of global system, deposition impacts and implications for ocean management will be presented. This session will be hosted within the IPCC-WMO-UKMO Pavilion, and moderated by Dr. Ariel Stein, a researcher at NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory.

As the culmination of a series of events co-hosted by the UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee, Nairobi Work Programme, IUCN, and the Friends of EbA network, the session will consolidate key messages from the series and focus on policy integration, finance, and capacity building to accelerate the uptake and scaling up of integrated adaptation solutions that harness the best of both nature and technology to build ocean and coastal resilience. Watch the live-streamed event.

Island nations are among the most vulnerable to climate change, but they are also at the forefront of efforts to adapt and develop pathways to climate resilience and sustainable development. The United States is working closely with many of these islands in a collaborative way to provide scientific and technical support in response to island-identified needs, and to foster “great ocean state” leadership in combating the climate crisis and promoting resilience in ways that reflect their unique cultures. This session, organized by the U.S. Department of State and moderated by NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, highlighted U.S. partnerships with island nations, and was kicked off with remarks from former President Barack Obama (starting around 03:50). Watch the recorded event.

This roundtable discussion will focus on the practical needs of decision makers in providing clean water, protection from weather events, and preparing for the impacts of climate change. The purpose of this panel is to highlight NOAA’s successful model of engagement, research, and decision support. Dr. Spinrad will highlight tool development, especially through the Climate Explorer and Climate Resilience Toolkit. A panel will delve into distinct needs of state (North Carolina) and regional (Chicago region) government, northeastern U.S. urban communities, and Native Americans living in the Desert Southwest. Watch the live-streamed event.

The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services will host a hybrid event to announce several efforts by the U.S. to address climate change and health equity. There are three planned in-person speakers and three virtual speakers. NOAA Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad will provide an overview of the White House Extreme Heat Interagency Working Group (IWG) and its recent deliverables. Watch the live-streamed event.

This event will include U.S. government officials, civil society leaders, and partner governments discussing plans to help the nation adapt and build resilience to the impacts of climate change, including the launch of the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE). Watch the live-streamed event.

NOAA Assistant Administrator Dr. Steven Volz will participate in this NASA-led event highlighting the use of satellite remote-sensing technologies to observe and monitor changes in Earth’s environment. Watch the live-streamed event.

Partnerships are the key to the effective delivery of timely and relevant climate science and services. This event will highlight examples of innovative U.S. public-private partnerships, where the benefits could be global in reach. This moderated panel discussion will focus on the role of targeted climate information to inform infrastructure resiliency, that is, how the design and construction of infrastructure needs to be informed by an understanding of future weather and climate conditions. Watch the live-streamed event.