COP30 Cryosphere Pavilion Schedule

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Tuesday, Nov. 11 | Feasible Pathways to 1.5°C Emissions Reductions

10:00-10:45 | Scientific Revisions, Policy Decisions: Climate Effect of Black Carbon in the Arctic 
This session will address policy communication to explain this revision, which is largely the result of emission data and improved methods of modelling interactions of atmospheric components. It will show results about the evolving understanding of the behavior and impacts of BC and why policy should continue to emphasize rapid reductions in BC emissions in the Arctic and beyond.
Clean Air Fund, Climate and Clean Air Coalition, AMAP

14:00-15:15 | Climate Overshoot Challenges: Peatland Warming, Risky Assumptions, and Temporary CDR Solutions
With 2024 marking the first year above 1.5°C, focus grows on overshoot and carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Research reveals peatland warming increases CDR needs, while a new method to include temporary CDR into climate policy offers a way to offset short-lived climate forces. New research shows the increasing challenges for societies facing an overshoot world and calls for critical policy evaluation to meet climate targets.
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE), Climate Analytics

19:45 | Indigenous-Led Initiatives to Govern Frozen Commons
As the cryosphere rapidly melts, there is an urgent need to understand what this means for these frozen commons—snow, ice, and permafrost-based environments — governed by people whose livelihoods and cultures depend on them, and for planetary sustainability. Arctic Indigenous Peoples have been on the front lines of witnessing the effects of ice and permafrost degradation and of adapting to change through long-term, detailed observations and monitoring. The event invites Indigenous Peoples, nomadic communities, scientists, artists, and policymakers to discuss how to combine cutting-edge research with Indigenous and traditional knowledge, to create and enforce alliances between Arctic Indigenous Peoples and other stakeholders, and make informed decisions on the governance of the cryosphere that impact future generations.
Arctic Athabascan Council and Polar Bears International, GWU, Yukaghir Elders Council, World Reindeer Herders, CCRCC, Mongolia

Wednesday Nov. 12 | Polar Oceans

10:00-10:45 | The Future of Tropical Glaciers Relies on Today’s Policies
The mass loss of glaciers globally significantly impacts sea-level rise, freshwater resources, tourism, culture, and more. Here we discuss the latest glacier projections and how our actions as a society, by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, can reduce the severity of these impacts. These impacts from glacier mass loss are experienced at both global and local scales thus highlighting the utility of global glacier projections in combination with localized work to support adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Carnegie Mellon University, ICCI, IPCC SROCC

14:00-15:15 | Super Pollutants, Arctic Shipping, Myths and Realities
Immediately reducing emissions of super pollutants – short-lived climate forcers – is the best option to avoid runaway Arctic warming and remain below 1.5C. Methane, ozone and black carbon are responsible for nearly half of global warming experienced to date, yet black carbon emissions from shipping remain unregulated and liquified natural gas is marketed as “green fuel”. This event will bust myths while highlighting the need for urgent action by Arctic shipping to protect the Arctic cryosphere.
Clean Arctic Alliance, AMAP, Equal Routes, International Maritime Organization (IMO), WWF

17:00-18:15 | Navigating Arctic Ocean Protection: Current Status and Future Directions
The Arctic Ocean is under increasing pressure from climate change, with sea ice loss, ocean acidification, warming and freshening occurring more rapidly in the Arctic compared to the rest of the global ocean. This event considers what is needed to protect this vulnerable ecosystem. We bring together a range of voices to discuss what roles different players have and how best to move science forward in order to allow Indigenous and local communities to adapt to changing conditions. While also raising critical considerations for mitigation and future sustainable use of the Arctic Ocean.
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Moore Foundation, 90 North Foundation, WWF, AMAP, Inuit Council

Thursday, Nov. 13 | Ice Sheets 

10:00-10:45 | Warming of 1.5°C is Too High for Polar Ice Sheets
Mass loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets has quadrupled since the 1990s. This has raised concerns about their future stability and focused attention on the temperature thresholds that might trigger more rapid retreat or even collapse, with renewed calls to meet the more ambitious target of the Paris Climate Agreement and limit warming to 1.5 °C. This side event will summarize recent evidence to show that 1.5 °C is too high and that even current climate forcing (1.2 °C), if sustained, is likely to generate several meters of sea-level rise over the coming centuries, causing extensive loss and damage to coastal populations and challenging the implementation of adaptation measures. To avoid this requires a global mean temperature that is cooler than present, highlighting the need to rapidly reduce emissions; and reinforcing recent calls for a stricter and more ambitious long-term temperature goal for a safe and just future for planet Earth.
Durham University, Potsdam University, Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Max-Planck Institute for Geoanthropology

15:30-16:45 | Bridging Climate Finance Gaps: Lessons from Bangladesh’s Coast and Hilly Areas
Bangladesh’s coastal belt and hilly areas face adverse climate impacts due to diverse climatic hazards, including cyclones, sea-level rise, salinity, floods, and landslides. The coastal region receives climate financing for different adaptation and mitigation interventions; however, hilly areas lag in receiving adequate climate finance for implementing such measures. This session will explore financing gaps, regional disparities, and recommendations to ensure inclusive, appropriate adaptation and loss and damage responses.
Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change of Bangladesh, Ministry of Finance of Bangladesh, University of Dundee, Centre for Climate Change and Environment Research (C3ER) at BRAC University

18:30-19:45 | Launch of the State of the Cryosphere Report 2025
Latest research detailed in the 2025 State of the Cryosphere Report notes thresholds likely at just 1°C of warming for the stability of the polar ice sheets, and even lower temperatures for many glaciers. The Report also notes however that the most proactive climate pathways, also released today, can bring down temperatures below 1.5°C by 2100 and below 1°C next century – but only if reductions begin immediately.
ICCI

19:45 | Frozen Heritage & Sinking Islands: The Fight to Preserve Culture in a Warming World 
As an environmental photographer, explorer, and public speaker, I operate at the intersection of climate, science, and culture, using visual storytelling to raise awareness about the human dimension of environmental crises. Over the past decade, I’ve documented fragile ecosystems and cultures from Antarctica to the Pacific and Arctic regions, often in close collaboration with scientific institutions and UN-affiliated bodies. Key themes: how cultural identity is threatened by climate change; the role of photography and storytelling in driving public engagement and policy attention; case studies from the Pacific Islands, Antarctica, and the Arctic; and integrating resilience, adaptation, and heritage preservation in climate strategies.
Christian Clauwers

Friday, Nov. 14 | Permafrost

15:00-16:30, UNFCCC Side Event | The Perils of Ignoring Science and 1.5°C at COP30: Tipping Points in the Cryosphere, Their Impacts, and How to Avoid ThemWhile some actors try to undermine the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target at COP30, scientists at least are aligned: overshooting 1.5°C brings severe and potentially irreversible impacts for polar regions and the Earth’s ice and snow, which in turn will cause loss and damage all over the world. The latest State of the Cryosphere report details those impacts, but also highlights new ambitious ways forward – if obstructionists at COP30 stop denying physical reality.
COP30 Blue Zone, Side Event Room 9, Area C

15:30-16:45 | Permafrost-Climate Feedbacks & How is Permafrost Mapped from Space and on the Ground?
Scientific presentations will focus on permafrost dynamics and their relevance for ongoing climate negotiations. Speakers will summarize the state of knowledge on permafrost thaw; the potential carbon dioxide and methane emissions anticipated under present warming trends; and the status of efforts to monitor, measure, and account for these emissions. They will further discuss ecosystem tipping points now unfolding across the permafrost region, which are projected to worsen and become more widespread if global temperatures approach 2°C.
Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), European Space Agency

18:30-19:45 | Permafrost Thaw is Warming the Global Climate and Impacts Communities, Health, and Oceans
This session will provide a holistic overview of the impacts of permafrost thaw on the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems. At least one third of the Arctic’s land ecosystems are now confirmed as a net source of greenhouse gas emissions. Permafrost thaw also poses major physical risks to humans and infrastructure. Speakers will discuss observed land degradation and displacement of Arctic communities, and also explore how this thaw amplifies sea-level rise, alters coastal environments, and pushes the limits of adapation into loss and damage. As part of a solutions mindset, the ILLUQ project (the Inuvialuktun word for partner) is rooted in participatory research with local stakeholders and rightsholders. It focuses on the long-term implications of decision-making in the context of permafrost thaw.
Woodwell Climate Research Center, Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, AWI

Saturday, Nov. 15 | Mountain Glaciers and Snow

10:00-10:45 | Adapting to a Changing Cryosphere: Lessons from the Andes on Securing Water and Reducing Risks 
This event aims to showcase solutions for climate change adaptation in mountain and cryosphere areas and discuss the different factors for success. Speakers from Adaptation at Altitude will present findings from the recent UNIGE/GLOMOS effectiveness and sustainability evaluation of adaptation actions in the Andes, which will be used as the basis for discussion with representatives from other regions (such as the HKH) and those who implement solutions on the ground. The event will share good practices that can be taken from the Andes and implemented around the world.
Adaptation at Altitude, University of Geneva, GLOMOS, ICIMOD, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Lima Office, Glaciares+ Project

12:30-13:45 | Addressing Barriers to Glacier-Related Financing
Stakeholders from the financing and development impact community highlight interlinkages between increasing water, adaptation, and physical risk based on the latest cryosphere science.
BNP Paribas, Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Cryosphere and Climate Initiative, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

18:30-19:45 | Wild Animals from the Polar Regions to the Amazon: An Important Climate Tool for Ecosystem Resilience
The Amazon rainforest and the Earth’s cryosphere, though geographically distant, are profoundly interconnected. Deforestation, biomass burning, and the loss of biodiversity from land-use change in Amazonía is linked to Andean glacier melt, downstream hydrological changes that impact biodiversity and affecting species which migrate between the regions. In turn, accelerated cryospheric change alters water availability and ecosystems throughout the Amazon basin as well as food availability. Together, these processes undermine biodiversity, human well-being, and global climate stability – yet policy responses have too often treated the two regions in isolation. By connecting the Amazon and cryosphere through science-based policy solutions, experts will demonstrate that safeguarding ecosystems and animals is not peripheral to climate ambition but central to it. It will offer governments a practical pathway to strengthen their NDCs, foster regional cooperation, and lay the foundations for a Declaration that reflects the interdependence of our planet’s forests and polar regions.
World Federation for Animals, Yale University, Government of Zimbabwe, International Fund for Animal Welfare

Monday, Nov. 17 | Thresholds and Tipping Points

10:00-10:45 | Tipping Points for Earth’s Frozen Regions
University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Max-Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Newcastle University, ICCI

17:00-18:15 | Educating for the Cryosphere: 5 Years of Lessons Learned and Future Pathways for Impact
As the cryosphere melts, education emerges as a vital lever for resilience. This side-event presents lessons from five years of implementing the Ocean & Cryosphere manual (co-developed by OCE with the IPCC), which has trained over 30,000 teachers and reached more than four million students. It will share how science-based, inclusive education has helped teachers, students and communities in Latin America engage with cryosphere realities, and explore the path forward to scale that impact.
Office for Climate Education, UNESCO, Secretary of Education of Para, Brasil, French National Space Agency CNES, Fundacion Cortes Solari (Chile), Instituto Nacional de Ciência e tecnologia da Criosfera

18:30-19:45 | Policy Briefing: Emerging Evidence of Abrupt Changes in the Antarctic Environment 
Changes in Antarctica have global impacts. Multiple abrupt changes in the Antarctic environment are now unfolding – spanning Antarctica’s ice, ocean and ecosystems – and the interconnections between these systems amplify the risks of exceeding tipping points. This side event highlights the emerging evidence of abrupt changes in the Antarctic environment and discusses the policy responses needed to limit further “surprises” and irreversible losses from the Antarctic region.
The Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future, the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, and the Australian Antarctic Division

Tuesday, Nov. 18 | Glaciers and Snow: Financing for Mountain and Coastal Regions

10:00-10:45 | Forecast-Based Financing: A Pathway for Anticipatory Adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region
The Hindu Kush Himalaya faces rising climate extremes that threaten mountain communities, demanding a shift from reactive to proactive approaches. Forecast-based financing, guided by forecasts and risk analysis, enables anticipatory action by releasing funds ahead of crises to reduce losses. This session will discuss opportunities, challenges, and best practices of forecast-based financing, drawing on global pilots and reflecting on its relevance for building resilience in fragile mountain geographies.
Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, German Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, Nepal

15:30-16:45 | Fragile Frontlines: An Atlas of Loss and Damage in the Third Pole
The session will mark the launch of Fragile Frontlines at COP30. The interactive atlas serves as a climate advocacy tool for a cryosphere in crisis, documenting cascading climate catastrophes and aiding Loss and Damage assessments under the UNFCCC. We will convene interdisciplinary stakeholders across science, design, and policy to explore both; innovative mechanisms for Loss and Damage financing and the use of foundation models and digital-twin technologies to integrate climate and social sciences, aiming for equitable disaster response and mitigation across the HKH.
Urban Justice League, Columbia Climate School, Stimson Center, ICIMOD, Columbia University

18:30-19:45 | Zero Waste for Mountain & Coastal Resilience: Ending Waste Burning to Safeguard the Cryosphere
Zero Waste strategies reduce open burning by expanding waste collection and cutting black carbon emissions—major drivers of cryosphere melt and glacier loss. This session will bring together diverse voices to showcase cross-regional, innovative solutions. Speakers will explore how adapted finance, progressive policies, and community-driven waste management innovations are protecting mountain glaciers and strengthening coastal resilience.
Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives, Clean Air Fund, Fundación Basura (Chile), Nipe Fagio (Tanzania/Kilimanjaro), GAYO (Accra), and Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)

19:45 | Stories on Ice: Serendipity & Serenity – Creative Pathways to Polar and Mountain Cryosphere Learning
This interactive 45-minute event blends storytelling, visuals, film, and LEGO exhibits to bring the Arctic, Antarctic, and Third Pole to life. Through slideshows, a short film, and the playful yet meaningful LEGO Polar Explorations Pavilion, participants engage with cryosphere heritage, science, and education. The session bridges generations, sparks informal dialogue, and connects delegates to the Polar Resource Book for practical learning resources.
Polar Educators International

Wednesday, Nov. 19 | Ice Sheets II

10:00-10:45 | Antarctic Tipping Points Outlook
Currently the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) is leading an assessment on global climate tipping points. One area of focus within this report is the cryosphere where tipping points are especially relevant in predicting the rate of global sea level rise. For this event, we will share some insights discussed in the WCRP report and define the various characteristics of tipping points related to Antarctica. This includes discussing their abruptness, irreversibility, and the impacts of extreme weather.
Université Grenoble Alpes, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), Instabilities and Thresholds in Antarctica (INSTANT) Program, Italian National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics

15:30-16:45 | International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation/Decade Cryosphere
Government of Tajikistan, UNESCO

18:30-19:45 | Quiz: State of the Cryosphere Report 2025
Latest research detailed in the 2025 State of the Cryosphere Report notes thresholds likely at just 1°C of warming for the stability of the polar ice sheets, and even lower temperatures for many glaciers. The Report also notes however that the most proactive climate pathways, also released today, can bring down temperatures below 1.5°C by 2100 and below 1°C next century – but only if reductions begin immediately.
ICCI

19:45 | Arctic Visions: What’s happening in the Arctic?
Arctic Visions is a visual and narrative journey across the Arctic, exploring the profound transformations taking place in this fragile ecosystem. Through images, sounds, and voices of local communities, the project addresses the impacts of climate change—from melting permafrost to sea-level rise—while amplifying the perspectives of Indigenous peoples. This session tells the story of the Arctic through an artistic and creative lens, combining photography, interviews, and storytelling. Main themes include permafrost thaw, sea-level rise, and the challenges faced by Indigenous communities. At COP30, selected videos and images from the project will also be screened. This is an independent and self-sustained long-term project I have been developing since 2016, with fieldwork carried out in Iceland, Finland, Norway, Alaska (hosted by an Inuit family), Svalbard, and Greenland.
Isacco Emiliani

Thursday, Nov. 20 | Sea Ice

10:00-10:45 | The Response of Emperor Penguins to Changing Ice Conditions
Emperor penguins rely on stable fast ice around Antarctica from ~April to December for successful breeding. The decline in Antarctic sea ice since 2016 has led to breeding failure at numerous colonies. Models suggest that 98% of colonies will be extinct by 2100 under a high-warming scenario, but this can be limited to 61% if the Paris Climate Agreement targets are met and efforts are made to limit warming to +1.5 °C. This event will summarize the latest science regarding emperor penguins, how they are impacted by ice changes, and policy implications.
Durham University, ICCI

14:00-15:15 | Latest Science on the AMOC
Government of Iceland, Government of Ireland, Potsdam University, ICCI

18:30-19:45 | Safeguarding the Polar Regions from Dangerous Geoengineering
Polar scientists will share the significant issues and risks inherent to five highly-publicized polar geoengineering “schemes,” ranging from technological availability, logistical feasibility, cost, predictable adverse consequences, environmental damage, scalability (in time and space), governance, and ethics. Their measured conclusion is that, given their feasibility challenges, and known as well as unknown risks of negative consequences, these ideas should not distract from the priority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This presentation draws from a paper published in September 2025, authored by over 40 field-leading cryosphere scientists from 33 different institutions.
University of Exeter, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), ICCI

Friday, Nov. 21 | Feasible Pathways to 1.5°C Emissions Reductions

10:00-10:45 | Connecting Past, Present & Future: Early Career Scientist Presentations
Our team Early Career Scientists volunteering at the Cryosphere Pavilion during Week 1 will give presentations on their research and fieldwork in the cryosphere, explaining the global importance of polar ice sheets, mountain glaciers and snow, permafrost, polar oceans, and sea ice.
Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, ICCI

11:00-12:15 | Solar Cooking – A Pathway to Emissions Reduction and Climate Crisis Mitigation
solar cooking improves human health, economic well-being, women’s empowerment, and the environment by promoting climate-friendly solar cooking to address the challenge of 2.1 billion people cooking with polluting fuels. Over 4 million solar cookers have been identified around the globe. Estimates indicate they are avoiding 30+ million metric tons of CO 2 emissions over their lifetime. A panel will showcase this solution and how governments can include clean cooking in their NDCs.
Solar Cookers International, Global Warming Mitigation Project (GWMP), EcoGaia, ChildFund Alliance EU Office