COP25, Madrid

18th December 2019

COP25, the UNFCCC Conference of Parties, took place in Madrid this year. Celia Petty attended the important annual conference during week 2 of the negotiations on behalf of the Walker Institute. Alongside the political negotiations at COP, side events run by the Observer community (including UN agencies, NGOs and IGOs) provide valuable insights into current trends, projects and debates. The value of these extends beyond knowledge: the interdisciplinary, cross-sector networking can help to drive collaboration, as well as being a good opportunity to meet with colleagues from across Africa.

As part of a high-profile panel with lead IPCC authors, Celia co-authored a presentation given by Ros Cornforth from the Walker Institute during the first week of COP25. The presentation ‘What do we really know about adaptation?’ focused on the deep-seated problems of development that define the limits of adaptation to the climate emergency in many developing countries. These include: poverty; lack of investment in agriculture, infrastructure, education and health; low capacity to prepare for and respond to extreme events; limited data to guide policy and target resources; and siloed sectors and governance.