Scientist’s Guide to the COP – McGinn, Kochtitzky, Isenhour & Strong
Every year, representatives from ~195 countries gather at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of the Parties (COP). Last year, two CCI graduate students and two faculty members attended COP23 in Bonn, Germany. From their experience, coupled with their attendance at previous COPs, CCI students Anna McGinn and Will Kochtitzky wrote a Scientist’s Guide to the COP. This guide is written to help scientists, especially from UMaine, better navigate the COP by providing explanations of negotiating processes, ways that science interfaces with the negotiations, and tips on making the most of one’s time at the conference. This year, COP24 will be held in Katowice, Poland, where thousands of delegates from around the world will gather to negotiate the next stage of post-Paris Agreement climate actions, share knowledge, and learn about the impacts of climate change around the world. UMaine will again send a small delegation to attend COP24 to share our science, hear what others are doing, and learn how we can better shape our science to address policy relevant questions.