ICCI coordinates COP31 Cryosphere Pavilion activities, in strong cooperation with various partners, including lead organizing partners for various Focus Days (as listed below). Our assigned space this year will again combine exhibit, side event and office space in a single consolidated Pavilion in the Blue Zone and is taking place in coordination with 《融冰雄心宣言》高级别小组 Co-chair Iceland.

Breadth is strongly encouraged: scientists, Indigenous peoples, Youth and all those who participate in these side events help raise cryosphere impacts and the need for 1.5°C-consistent NDCs. We will focus on the importance of science to inform emissions goals, especially the urgently needed transition from fossil fuels. There will be 6-7 one-hour slots each day, with sufficient breaks to allow set-up of the next event.

Proposals for side events should be submitted as emails or word documents by Monday, August 31 (earlier applications most welcome) to Amy Imdieke at amy@iccinet.org with the email subject line: “COP31 Cryosphere Pavilion: Side Event Application”.

July 29                        Side event applications open

August 31                   Application period ends; notification of successful applications begin immediately.

September 18            Last date for notification of successful or reserve status

November 9-20          COP31, Antalya, Türkiye

Please note that any side event applications received after the August 31 deadline will be evaluated on a space-available basis, given the high demand for side events and limited scheduling room available.

All COP31 Cryosphere Pavilion side events will be livestreamed and saved on ICCI’s YouTube channel.

There is no charge for hosting a side event at the Crysophere Pavilion, though we welcome funding and sponsorship from governments, IGOs, foundations, academic institutions and other stakeholders to ensure a fully inclusive breadth of representation and activities. Sponsors are invited to create Pavilion wall posters as part of the permanent Pavilion exhibit. Given the UNFCCC’s expressed constraints in terms of COP31 accreditation numbers, largely virtual side events are also welcome but we do ask for at least one in-person participant whenever possible.

For more information on logistics in connection with COP31, kindly see the COP31 host website at: https://cop31.tr  Please note that at this time ICCI is unfortunately not able to assist with travel, visas, or accommodations.

Overshoot and Feasible Pathways to 1.5°C Emissions Reductions | Emissions reductions consistent with 1.5°C can prevent some of the worst global impacts from cryosphere loss, with a narrowing window for action. Ambitious 2025 NDCs are critical to ensuring these pathways remain feasible.

Mountain Glaciers and Snow: Healthy Ecosystems or Water Resource Loss | Mid-latitude glaciers suffer near total loss above 2ºC, but preserve some basis for regrowth and stabilization of water and other ecosystem services at 1.5ºC. However, mountain-dependent regions, in particular the Hindu Kush Himalaya, already face challenges today.

Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets: Irreversible Impacts of Sea-level Rise | West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse will lead to 4-6m of sea-level rise over time and may have already passed that threshold into irreversible loss, but chances of slowing or preventing its collapse are far better without overshoot of 1.5ºC. In Earth’s past, even 2°C has resulted in 12-20 meters of sea-level rise over time.

Polar Oceans: Slowing Ocean Currents, Acidifying Waters | Warming, acidification and freshening in polar oceans and high latitude seas already impacts fisheries and shelled organisms today, because these colder waters absorb CO2 more quickly. Overshoot above 450ppm, which will be breached around 2030 if current annual CO2 growth of 2-3ppm continues, will lead to even larger impacts. These factors increase the invasion of low latitude species and add stress towards (in worst-case emissions) a mass extinction event.

Permafrost Thaw: More Carbon Emissions for Centuries with Overshoot | Carbon emissions released from thawing permafrost increasingly contributes to global warming. Permafrost emissions are already on the order of Japan’s, but overshoot to 3-4°C will introduce a permafrost contribution closer to that of China or the U.S. today. These microbial processes cannot be halted; they continue emitting for centuries after initial thaw.

Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice: Stabilizing Climate or Accelerating Warming | Antarctic sea ice hit a record low this year, with potential feedbacks to ice sheet loss and global ocean currents. In the Arctic Ocean, ice-free summers will still occur within 1.5ºC; but by 1.7°C, they could become an annual phenomenon. By 2°C, ice-free periods stretching from July to October could occur most years, with feedbacks increasing permafrost thaw and Greenland ice loss, and harming Arctic food chains and communities.

Financing Adaptation for Mountain and Coastal Regions | Mountain areas are key for climate adaptation efforts due to their transboundary and global importance, serving as water towers and global biodiversity hotspots. Coastal areas have a similarly high vulnerability to climate change as well. Critical steps forward include leveraging finance, such as finding synergies between mitigation and adaptation projects, from the local to national and regional level.

Thresholds and Tipping Points | Tipping points are critical thresholds where small climate changes can trigger significant and potentially irreversible instabilities in cryosphere regions, leading to accelerated ice melt and cascading global impacts. 

COP31: Connecting Antarctica, Pacific Island States, and Coastal Nations | Antarctic ice loss is one of the greatest long-term drivers of global sea-level rise, with consequences for hundreds of millions of people living in coastal regions. This focus day examines the latest updates in Antarctic ice sheet science, future sea-level projections, and the shared challenges facing small island states and coastal nations in a warming world.

Cross-cutting | If you event relates to Cryosphere Science and Policy but is more cross-cutting, feel free to so designate.

If you have any questions, please reach out to: