Aerial view of Baku Stadium, a large circular building surrounded by pavillions.
Baku Stadium, the location of the UN Climate Change Conference for 2024 (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Image credit: COP29 AOC.
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HomeNewsOxford University academics call for ambitious actions at UN Climate Change Conference COP29

Oxford University academics call for ambitious actions at UN Climate Change Conference COP29

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Launching today, the UN Climate Change Conference for 2024 (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, will bring together around 200 countries to develop renewed plans for addressing climate change. With global progress currently ‘falling miles short’ of that needed to avoid catastrophic climate change, there is urgent pressure for these negotiations to result in more ambitious actions. A delegation of University of Oxford researchers will be attending the conference in person, with many more following the proceedings virtually. Throughout the summit (11-22 November), they will be contributing their expertise and presenting new research findings to inform the discussions.

The Oxford delegation includes representatives from the Department of Biology, School of Geography and the Environment, Blavatnik School of Government, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, Faculty of Law, and Saïd Business School. Their expertise covers a broad range of critical areas including climate finance, carbon trading, climate justice, and environmental law.

Portrait photo of Thomas Hale, a white man wearing a suit jacket and light blue shirt.Professor Thomas Hale. Credit: John Cairns
Leading Oxford’s COP29 delegation is Thomas Hale, Professor of Global Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government. He studies the challenges raised by globalisation and interdependence, with a particular emphasis on environmental, economic and health issues, and co-leads the Net Zero Tracker and the Net Zero Regulation and Policy Hub.

He said: ‘I hope COP29 will send countries a clear signal that they need to upgrade their pledges under the Paris Agreement, due next year, and match top-level targets with concrete rules and regulations that drive implementation. A trust-building deal on the new finance goal can give countries confidence to reach their maximum ambition.’

Portrait photograph of George Carew Jones, a young white man with dark hair.George Carew-Jones
George Carew-Jones, a researcher in climate-compatible growth at the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and Environment. His research focusses on private sector climate finance in emerging and developing markets. At COP29 he will be releasing a new report on overcoming barriers to renewable power investment in Zambia, besides working with the UK Youth Climate Coalition at COP29 on strengthening the accountability framework which governs UNFCCC conferences.

He said: ‘COP29 is a big opportunity to target a couple of barriers which have been holding back the UNFCCC process for a long time: finance and accountability. I’m confident we’ll see clarification on how politically realistic different routes to finance are, but I am not so confident that this will result in the quick mobilisation of bulk financing. Growing accountability will be key to pushing for more finance as we go forward, and I think we’ll see some novel ideas from the most ambitious states (e.g. the small islands groups) on how that should look.’

Portrait of Sam Fankhauser, a middle aged man with dark hair wearing a black suit and white shirt, standing by a fireplace.Professor Sam Fankhauser
Sam Fankhauser,  Professor of Climate Economics and Policy at the Oxford Smith School and the School of Geography and the Environment. He is also Research Director of Oxford Net Zero and an Official Fellow of Reuben College, where he leads the environmental change theme.  Returning to COP for the first time in over a decade, Sam will be showcasing Smith School research on renewable energy entrepreneurship in Africa and South Asia.

He said: ‘This is a bridging summit ahead of the much bigger COP30 in Brazil next year. But it is important that we make progress on issues such as a new climate finance goal, the rules on global carbon trading, and the next round of national commitments to keep global warming well below 2°C.  I hope our research can give parties the confidence to sign up to meaningful new commitments and maintain the integrity of the Paris process.’

Portrait photo of Kath Ford, a middle-aged lady with short blond hair and glasses.Kath Ford
Kath Ford, Deputy Director for Young Lives, a project based in Oxford’s Department of International Development which is using population-level evidence to inform policies to improve the lives of young people around the world.

She said: ‘I am delighted to be representing Young Lives at COP29, showcasing our ground-breaking evidence on the life-course and intergenerational impacts of climate change and environmental shocks on children’s nutritional health, physical growth, skills development, and learning. I will be advocating for better social protection for disadvantaged households in disaster-prone regions, particularly for vulnerable girls and women, and reaching out to new partners to support our innovative new Research Hub on Climate Shocks and Environmental Shocks launched last month.’

Portrait photograph of Dr Injy Johnstone, a young white lady with shoulder length dark hair.Dr Injy Johnstone
Dr Injy Johnstone, Research Associate in net zero-aligned offsetting within the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. During COP29, she will be working on improving the net zero alignment of carbon markets. This includes active engagement in the Article 6 negotiations (which would enable countries to trade carbon credits), as well as mapping gaps and opportunities to scale durable carbon removal.

She said: ‘My hope at COP29 is that negotiators will see environmental integrity as central to rather than a barrier to Article 6 operationalisation and that, ultimately, it sets a new global baseline from which to go further and faster on climate mitigation.’

Dr Mary Johnstone-Louis, a white lady with long blonde hair wearing a white jacket and red top.Dr Mary Johnstone-Louis
Dr Mary Johnstone-Louis, a Senior Fellow in Management Practice at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School where she convenes the Oxford Sustainable Business Programme with the Smith School and Oxford Net Zero. She is a Fellow of the Skoll Centre, Senior Fellow of the Business Fights Poverty Institute, trustee of Blueprint for Better Business, and Chair of B Lab UK. 

She said: ‘In a time of global uncertainty, COP provides an opportunity for companies to clearly articulate what the private sector needs to innovate and scale solutions. In the race to create the industries of the future, those who participate at COP with the intent to lead for change can unlock resources needed for breakthrough technologies, sustainable growth, and market leadership.'

Portrait photograph of Dr Ievgeniia Kopytsia, a young white lady with short blonde hair.Dr Ievgeniia Kopytsia
Dr Ievgeniia Kopytsia is an environmental and climate law scholar and a research fellow at the Faculty of Law. Her research focuses on the intersection of climate action, the net zero transition, and security (particularly how to implement climate commitments in vulnerable, conflict-affected regions). She co-leads the RE: BUILDING UKRAINE FOR ALL project, and at COP29 she will coordinate panel discussions at the Ukraine pavilion, bringing together international stakeholders to address the unique challenges of climate action and recovery efforts in conflict zones.

She said: ‘I hope to see COP29 establish concrete mechanisms to support climate action in fragile and conflict-affected settings, moving beyond declarations to implementable solutions. With COP29 dedicating 15 November to Climate, Peace, and Security discussions, the conference presents a unique opportunity to ensure that countries like Ukraine—actively pursuing climate goals amid ongoing conflict—receive adequate technical assistance and dedicated financial support. And as we approach the next round of NDCs, it is crucial for countries to integrate security considerations into comprehensive climate action plans, prioritize socially just transition policies, and account for military emissions in their national commitments. In these politically turbulent times, the path forward must be one that unites climate resilience with a commitment to peace and equity.'

Portrait photograph of Amani Maalouf, a young Asian lady with long dark hair wearing a red jacket.Dr Amani Maalouf
Dr Amani Maalouf is a Senior Research Associate at Oxford Sustainable Finance Group. She works on developing asset-level datasets and impact assessment methodologies for high-impact industries. She leads the group’s research on the waste management sector, focusing on emission accounting methodologies, the carbon market, and the climate and environmental analyses.

She said: ‘At COP29, I will share insights on the role of effective waste management in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, current limitations in emissions accounting, and opportunities for carbon market mechanisms to drive investment in effective waste management. At COP29, I hope to foster stronger global commitments towards sustainable waste and resource management and facilitate partnerships that advance transparent, accountable frameworks for reporting and emissions reduction.’

Ana Nacvalovaite, a young white woman with long blonde hair.Dr Ana Nacvalovaite
Dr Ana Nacvalovaite, a research fellow in Kellogg College’s Centre for Mutual & Co-owned Business. She researches how sovereign wealth funds can channel investments into alternative businesses, such as cooperative models, employee-owned businesses, and social enterprises that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

She said: ‘My hopes for COP29 are firmly anchored in a decisive commitment to climate finance and the promotion of peace. It is imperative that world leaders establish an ambitious New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) that significantly increases public funding for adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage, particularly for developing nations. We must also emphasise the critical link between climate action and peace, recognising that environmental degradation can exacerbate conflicts and instability.’

Portrait photograph of Brian O'Callaghan, a white man with dark hair and a beard.Dr Brian O'Callaghan
Dr Brian O'Callaghan is an expert on the economic characteristics of public and private green investment. He has advised over 20 governments on investment policy that supports both environmental and economic objectives. He is also Senior Advisor to the UN Economic Commission for Africa and Vice President at Acadia Infrastructure Capital, a major investor in US middle-market renewables. At COP29, Dr O’Callaghan is supporting negotiations on the New Collective Quantified Goal for climate finance. His new paper, A COP29 Climate Finance Target that Makes Economic Sense, uses a new approach in AI economics to identify a median appropriate target of $1.7 trillion. 

He said: ‘I’m advocating for a climate finance solution that makes economic sense—one that accounts for needs as well as technical factors like financial discounting. Developing countries need a fighting chance to tackle climate change alongside development; their success is the world’s success. In most cases, this requires a target well over $1 trillion per year, clawback mechanisms for missed payments, and a public finance backstop on private finance commitments.’

Portrait photograph of Thom Wetzer, a middle aged man with brown hair and glasses.Dr Thom Wetzer
Dr Thom Wetzer, is Associate Professor of Law and Finance and Director of the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme. He studies how legal and financial mechanisms address, or fail to address, governance challenges associated with aligning private initiative and the public good, with a particular emphasis on climate change and financial stability. He co-leads the Oxford Net Zero Regulation and Policy Hub. 

He said: ‘At COP29, I hope we can continue to turn a groundswell of climate action into ground rules that embed net zero into the global economy. Recent political developments may create headwinds for climate action, but an increasingly global network of climate rules and regulations creates strong incentives for decarbonisation as firms assess global obligations and market trends. This also underpins the mobilisation of climate finance at a speed and scale commensurate with the challenge we now face.’

The delegation also includes:

Professor Juliane Reinecke, Professor of Management Studies, Saïd Business School.

Dr Hassan Aftab Sheikh is a Research Fellow in Nature Finance at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. His research focuses on nature finance and investment, helping financial institutions decarbonise scope three emissions, and focusing on financing nature recovery.
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