The COP 27 UN Climate Change Conference is taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from 6-18 November 2022. The summit aims to bring countries together to implement commitments made under the Paris Agreement and take collective action against climate change.
SCAR is once again organising a range of side events, which will be livestreamed to Facebook, YouTube and Twitch. SCAR scientists are participating in COP27 and will give talks and presentations at the COP27 Cryosphere Pavilion and at UNFCCC side events.
A full overview of events can be found below.
All times are given in Egypt time EET (UTC+2) and UTC.
UNFCCC Side Event
Livestream available on YouTube
Slow Onset, Irreversible Impacts Beyond Adaptation: Global Stocktake, Implementation and 1.5° Ambition
Date: Saturday, 12 November 2022
Time: 18:30 EET / 16:30 UTC
Irreversible Impacts: Global Cryosphere Findings Beyond AR 6: Implications for Adaptation, Loss and Damage.
Earth’s past is present: Irreversible sea-level rise from Antarctica
Speaker: Dr. Florence Colleoni
Organised by Climate Analytics, Climate Central, International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Karuna Foundation.
The International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) will host a Cryosphere Pavilion with various partners. The COP27 Pavilion will provide a place for permanent exhibits, cultural events, and ministerial-level events; as well as informational side events based on the UNFCCC side event model. The COP27 Pavilion will also have a strong virtual element, connecting the COP with policymakers, scientists and the general public worldwide. SCAR is organising two events at the Pavilion, which will be livestreamed on the following channels:
SCAR Events at the Cryosphere Pavilion
Livestream available on Facebook | YouTube | Twitch
Past is Present is Future: the Potential for Extreme Sea-level Rise
Date: Wednesday, 9 November 2022 – Mountain Glaciers and Snow Day
Time: 13:00 EET / 11:00 UTC
In Earth’s past at temperatures similar to today’s, sea levels were around 3 meters higher; at 1.5°C, 6-9 meters higher; and at 2°C, sometimes 20 meters and above. Come learn how research into Earth’s past is combining with improved modeling of physical ice sheet dynamics to better understand the potential for such extreme sea-level rise – and why it might occur faster and earlier than previously understood, sharpening the need to prevent overshoot of Paris Agreement goals.
Southern Ocean Ecosystems: Need for augmented understanding, research efforts and protection
Date: Thursday, 10 November 2022 – Polar Oceans Day
Time: 18:00 EET / 16:00 UTC
Southern Ocean ecosystems are critically important in underpinning regional biodiversity, global food security and ocean health, through nutrient supply and animal migrations. These ecosystems are under severe threat from climate change and direct human impacts. This side event brings together key scientific and policy organizations working in the Southern Ocean to discuss the major priorities for understanding and protecting this region and its global role, and to highlight the urgent need to raise ambition for reducing emissions to safeguard this and many other ocean regions.
This session is organised by the Southern Ocean Observing System, MEASO Steering Committee, SCAR, and BEPSII, Sian Henley and Andrew Constable.
Thresholds of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Date: Tuesday, 15 November 2022 – Ice Sheets and Sea Level Rise Day II
Time: 10:00 EET / 08:00 UTC
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is the most vulnerable region of the continent and has the potential to contribute several meters of sea level rise of per century at higher temperatures. When warm waters flow over the continental shelf, they can erode the ice from its base and produce instabilities in the ice sheet. Over time, these instabilities can lead to widespread melting and collapse, triggering rapid sea level rise.
This session is organised by SCAR and Victoria University, Wellington.
Egypt, Ice Sheet and Sea-Level Rise
Date: Tuesday, 15 November 2022 – Ice Sheets and Sea Level Rise Day II
Time: 11:30 EET / 09:30 UTC
This session will bring together speakers from a range of topics to discuss the implications of cryosphere loss on Egypt, whose low-lying coastal regions remain particularly vulnerable to the consequences of ice sheet retreat and global sea level rise. What are the projections for the Nile Delta, what adaptation measures are possible, and when might this breadbasket of Egypt reach its limits of adaptation if today’s emissions continue?
Organised by SCAR and ICCI.
Antarctica and Greenland: Nearing Thresholds from Different Ends
Date: Tuesday, 15 November 2022 – Ice Sheets and Sea Level Rise Day II
Time: 16:00 EET / 14:00 UTC
This event will explore the differences and connections between these two polar ice sheets, and their implications for future sea level rise.
Organised by Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Durham University, and SCAR.
Antarctic-related Side Events at the Cryosphere Pavilion
Livestream available on Facebook | YouTube | Twitch
There are several other side events at the COP27 Cryosphere Pavilion that are related to Antarctic research and may be of interest to the SCAR community.
Click here to see the full Cryosphere Pavilion Focus Day schedule.
- Monday, 7 November, 13:00 EET / 11:00 UTC: “IPCC Projections & Planning for Extreme Sea Level Rise Risk”
- Thursday, 10 November, 13:00 EET / 11:00 UTC “Multiple Threats to Polar Oceans“
- Monday, 14 November, 13:00 EET / 11:00 UTC “Emperor penguins on the Slippery Slope to Extinction“
- Tuesday, 15 November, 13:00 EET / 11:00 UTC: “The Importance of the Paris Climate Agreement for Preventing Sea Level Rise from the World’s Largest Ice Sheet in East Antarctica”
- Wednesday, 16 November, 10:00 EET / 08:00 UTC: “State of the Cryosphere 2022: Overview”