Harvard at COP30
What is Harvard doing at COP30?
Restoring Biodiversity
Climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, desertification, and other forces are causing rapid changes to the intricate web of ecosystems that provide essential services to humanity, from purifying our air and water, to pollinating crops and stabilizing our climate. A new Harvard initiative launching at COP30 will focus Harvard expertise and resources on this urgent threat. The initiative, led by Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Climate Action Acceleration Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, will host two events alongside COP30:
Biodiversity Roundtable
November 7th | São Paulo
Scientists, government representatives, business leaders, and civil society actors will convene for a presentation on the new Harvard Biodiversity & Planetary Stewardship Initiative, discuss science-informed strategies that integrate climate and biodiversity goals, and explore opportunities for collaboration and applied research.
Science-Informed Strategies for Climate & Biodiversity
November 15th | 4:00 – 5:30 PM | Belém
This official COP side event will showcase how integrated ecosystem assessments can inform policy and advance climate-biodiversity solutions.
Bringing Harvard alumni together to advance climate action
Every year, Harvard alumni from around the world head to COP.
By bringing together these alumni on the sidelines, the Salata Institute fosters meaningful connections that advance climate solutions across sectors and disciplines. Peter Tufano, Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School, will speak to the important role alumni play in the success of Harvard’s climate initiatives at this event co-sponsored by Natura, Dengo, and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies’ Brazil office.
Harvard Alumni in Climate networking series
November 3rd | 5:00 – 8:00 PM | São Paulo
Harvard alumni may register here.
Advancing global climate policy
Brazil’s aspiration to announce an Open Coalition for Carbon Market Integration has been informed by the Global Climate Policy Project (GCPP)’s flagship report on climate coalitions. GCPP faculty lead, Catherine Wolfram (MIT Sloan), and Director, Arathi Rao (Salata Institute), were invited to participate in an event that the Government of Brazil is organizing on carbon markets during COP30 Finance Days, November 14-15. Read more in E&E news.
The GCPP will also convene a closed-door session on the margins of COP30 in Belém to shape its forward-looking work program.
Preparing the next generation of climate leaders
The Salata Institute is sponsoring 10 students to attend COP30, including students from Harvard College, the Graduate School for Arts and Sciences, the Extension School, the Kennedy School of Government, and the School for Public Health.
These students will gain invaluable real-world experience from the negotiations that will inform their research and build their skills in climate leadership, and share this knowledge with the Harvard community upon their return.
Exploring climate change and public health
Mary Rice, director of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE) and the Mark and Catherine Winkler Associate Professor of Environmental Respiratory Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, will lead two official side panels at COP30.
Integrating Art, Indigenous Wisdom, and Science for Climate Action
November 11th | 11:30 – 1:00 PM | Belém
This official COP side event explores how artistic approaches, indigenous knowledge, and evidence-based communication paired with real-world energy, urban planning, and food interventions can mobilize action.
Demonstrating health and economic co-benefits of climate mitigation
November 17th | 9:00 – 10:00 AM | Belém & Livestream
Public health and economic gains are compelling motivators for policy action. This official WHO Health Pavilion side event will present successful real-world energy, urban planning, and food policy interventions that have provided significant health, economic, and climate mitigation gains.
Who from Harvard is attending COP30?
Harvard faculty, students, fellows, and staff attending COP30 and its surrounding events represent a wide range of disciplines required to tackle the climate crisis, from business, to public health, to economics. Please note that the following list is developing and subject to change.
Harvard faculty and fellows attending COP30 and surrounding events include:
Mark and Catherine Winkler Associate Professor of Environmental Respiratory Health, Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Andelot Professor of Demography, Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Climate Action Acceleration Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Director of the Harvard University Herbaria, Chair of the Harvard Forest Leadership Committee, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Climate Action Fellow, Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University, 2025 Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow
A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program, Director of Graduate Studies for the Doctoral Program in Public Policy and the Doctoral Program in Political Economy and Government, Co-Chair of the Harvard Business School-Kennedy School Joint Degree Programs, and Director of the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements
Baker Foundation Professor, Harvard Business School and Senior Advisor, Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University