PML at the UN Climate Change Meeting COP31

PML’s ocean and climate experts will be playing active parts in the 31th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 – 20 November 2026. With global temperatures hitting record highs, and extreme weather events affecting people around the globe, COP31 will bring together world leaders and negotiators from the member states (or Parties) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to further global progress, with business leaders, young people, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society sharing insights and best practices to strengthen global, collective and inclusive climate action. Türkiye will COP31 with Australia as the President of Negotiations.

This COP31 advances along three main tracks, aiming to turn the commitments made at previous sessions into concrete implementation:

• Emission targets and implementation — Countries delivering on their strengthened Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement
• Climate finance — Delivering the new collective quantified finance goal set at COP29 to developing countries
• Adaptation and resilience — Strengthening the resilience of vulnerable countries and communities against climate risks

UN Climate Change Conferences (or COPs) take place every year, and are the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change that brings together almost every country on Earth. PML experts have attended COPs since 2009 and over the years their work and that of the wider ocean community has seen Parties UNFCCC recognise the importance of protecting the ocean and its ecosystems in the Convention and Paris Agreement. To increase the visibility of the ocean at the COPs and to make ocean events more accessible the team was a co-founder of the 1st Virtual Ocean Pavilion at COP26 and a founding partner of the 1st Virtual Ocean Pavilion at COP27. At COP31 PML experts will continue to play active roles highlighting the enormous role the ocean plays in sustaining life on Earth, the consequences of a high CO₂ world for the ocean and society and options for action.

To put it simply, the COP is where the world comes together to agree on the actions to address the climate crisis, such as limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, helping vulnerable communities adapt to the effects of climate change, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

PML at COP31 – Event Schedule

Date & Time	Event	Where
Monday, 2 November 17:00 – 18:30 PM EST	COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Preview Event – From Dialogue to Delivery: Leveraging the Ocean-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus to Accelerate the Implementation Era	Online – Details & on-demand viewing
This high-level session builds directly on the critical mandates established during the 2026 Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue. It aligns with emerging UNFCCC COP31 priorities to elevate ocean-based climate action as a cross-cutting global priority. As we enter the ocean implementation era, our focus must shift from political ambition to concrete delivery by embedding the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus into national climate strategies. Our distinguished panel will explore the collaborative frameworks, financial mechanisms, and policy tools needed to turn cross-convention synergies into measurable action on the ground. Bringing together voices from governments and civil society, this event maps out what lies ahead for the ocean community at COP31. This event provides an essential preview of the summit’s broader ocean agenda and an inside look at both the physical Ocean Pavilion and the Virtual Ocean Pavilion programs
Who from PML: Thecla Keizer (co-organizer and co-founder of the Virtual Ocean Pavilion)
Monday, 09 November 15:00–18:00 UTC +3	Earth Information Day 2026 PML has been selected to submit a poster on its work concerning its work on ‘Satellite-Derived Data Products to Inform Carbon Assessments’. Our experts will demonstrate with the poster how satellite observations are now providing a robust and increasingly comprehensive basis for monitoring ocean carbon at a global scale, supporting climate science, carbon budget assessments and evidence-based climate policy.	More details can be found at: Earth Information Day 2026 – Mandated event | UNFCCC Live streaming at: https://grandreserva.unfccc.int/virtual-meetings/b07f1029-9b34-4f18-a0d3-a1bda934cf81/attend/watch
Earth Information Day (EID), held annually, provides a platform for Parties to engage with the systematic observation community to share and discuss latest information on the state of the global climate system including observed trends and future projections to inform work under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Earth observation networks, including in-situ and satellite-based, provide relevant data for understanding the changing climate and associated risks, predictions and forecasting, and supporting other critical climate services such as early warning systems (EWS). EID also serves to highlight advances and gaps in closing observation gaps, enhancing systematic observations, advancing related initiatives, and strengthening international cooperation.
Who from PML:  Dr Gemma Kulk, Dr Victor Martinez-Vicente, Dr Daniel Clewley, Thecla Keizer and Jon White
Tuesday, 10 November time tbc	From Glacier to Ocean: Climate Risk, Adaptation Finance and Disaster Resilience	Ocean Pavilion, Blue Zone, COP31
The session follows climate risk from the Himalayas and the Arctic down to coasts and small island states. It covers vulnerability, disaster risk reduction and early warning, and adaptation finance. Organised by the Ocean Policy Research Institute, Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI SPF), Japan. Who from PML: Professor Matt Frost
Thursday, 12 November 09:00–09:50 UTC +3	Ocean Advantage: Environmental Intelligence, Finance & Partnerships for Sustainable Climate Action	Ocean Pavilion, Blue Zone, COP31
The ocean economy is projected to reach $5.1 trillion by 2050, but to realise this potential, ocean-dependent growth must be resilient, sustainable and evidence-based. Climate change poses a growing risk to ocean ecosystems, coastal communities and wider society. Delivering effective ocean-climate action requires sustained collaboration across science, finance, industry and governance. This session will take a multinational, multi-sectoral approach, including perspectives from the Global South, to examine how environmental intelligence, innovative finance, cross-sector partnerships and international cooperation can be leveraged to support a sustainable ocean economy. Through panel discussion and audience participation, pathways will be identified to accelerate the translation of knowledge into policy, unlock public and private investment, and enable action that supports delivery of global climate commitments. This event is organised in partnership with BNP Paribas, BIMCO and the World Association of Marine Stations (WAMS) Who from PML: Professor Matt Frost (Moderator) and  Thecla Keizer (co-organizer)
Tuesday, 17 November 18:30 – 20:00 UTC+3	OCEAN-CLIMATE-SOCIETY: Delivering Action for Adaptation, Mitigation, Finance & Capacity Building	Side Event Room 6 – KATİP ÇELEBİ Livestreaming will become available at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEM21lCpB5Mc&si=VA9WJfUgE9PF_k9y Virtual registered attendees of COP31 can also join through the COP31 virtual platform. An overview of the COP31 side events can be accessed here: SEORS | Side events list
Climate change is increasingly affecting ocean ecosystems & coastal communities, with implications for the ocean’s ability to support adaptation & mitigation. We will showcase finance, governance, science & adaptation examples that can accelerate implementation & strengthen UNFCCC ocean integration. This is an official side event of the COP31 and as such part of its programme. These official side events are a platform for admitted observer organizations to engage with Parties and other participants for knowledge sharing, capacity building, networking, and exploring actionable options for meeting the climate challenge. Who from PML: Dr Olivia Rendon (speaker) and Thecla Keizer (co-organizer)

Exhibition Booths

Date	Description	Location
In collaboration with: Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean Society (POGO), and the Global Ocean Forum.
02–20 November	Plymouth Marine Laboratory virtual exhibition booth as part of the free-to-register COP31 Virtual Ocean Pavilion. The Pavilion offers a great selection of live and on-demand events, a live lesson, roundtable discussions, youth-led interviews with ocean-climate experts, key messages, a Treasure Trove of ocean-related information, art and other media, as well as a searchable overview of the COP31 ocean events, and more!	Online

For any questions please contact PML’s COP31 coordinator Thecla Keizer, tke@pml.ac.uk