
EVENT: Youth At International Climate Conferences
Learn more about Youth Voices at International Climate Conferences during this event organised by the ClimaTalk COP28 Project for New York Climate Week 2023.
Learn more about Youth Voices at International Climate Conferences during this event organised by the ClimaTalk COP28 Project for New York Climate Week 2023.
A useful table to understand the acronyms for EU committees.
A comprehensive guide to this year’s UNFCCC Bonn Climate Change Conference, SB62 (2025). It covers thematic areas, mechanisms, stakeholders, a glossary and tips building capacity and analysing negotiation texts.
After more than a decade of talks, the IMO has agreed on the world’s first legally binding Net-Zero Framework for shipping which introduces a global fuel standard and a pricing mechanism for greenhouse gas emissions. The framework marks progress but it still falls short in ambition for many small island states and environmental groups, warning that the measures may not be enough to meet global climate goals. Despite criticism, the agreement marks a meaningful step towards a cleaner maritime future and can be considered a rare example of multilateral climate cooperation.
The 2025 UN Ocean Conference is critical for international ocean cooperation, bringing together global stakeholders to address the ocean polycrisis through the theme: "Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean." Building upon previous conferences in 2017 and 2022, UNOC 2025 occurs at a pivotal moment following the adoption of landmark agreements like the High Seas Treaty and the Kunming-Montreal biodiversity framework, while confronting urgent challenges including pollution, overfishing and marine biodiversity degradation. The conference aims to produce the "Nice Ocean Action Plan" and a political declaration; these could establish foundations for post-2030 ocean governance, serving as a crucial test of multilateral cooperation in addressing unprecedented threats to our blue planet with only five years remaining to achieve SDG 14.
Coral reefs are facing the worst global bleaching event on record, with over 80% of reef areas affected between 2023 and 2025, threatening biodiversity and the livelihoods of over a billion people. The main causes of coral bleaching include rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, and local stressors like overfishing and pollution, leading to the loss of half of the world’s corals since 1950. A coordinated global response is essential, involving emissions reduction, local conservation, scientific restoration, effective monitoring, policy reform, and legal action to protect and restore reef ecosystems.
ENSO is a pattern of climate variability that observes sea surface temperature and atmospheric consisting of El Niño (warm) and La Niña (cold) phasesENSO is observed over the tropical Pacific Ocean but affects the weather across the entire globeClimate change is likely to increase ENSO which could cause more extreme weather events
A group of 16 children affected by the consequences of climate change filed a complaint against six States for violating their rights by failing to fulfil the States’ international commitments to reduce emissions. The claim was deemed inadmissible for failure to exhaust domestic remedies but recognised the extraterritorial application of human rights obligations in the context of climate change and the victim status of the authors of the complaint.
In the case of Friday for Future Estonia v Eesti Energia, a youth-led NGO filed a claim contesting the grant of a permit to construct an oil plant, claiming that it was in breach of international obligations to mitigate climate change.
The EU’s first biennial transparency report shows an emission reduction of 31.8% relative to 1990.The EU is currently not on track to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target, although the impact of recently adopted policies has yet to be determined.The EU doubled its contribution to climate finance between 2014 and 202, but concerns about its reporting methodology could have potentially led to overestimations.
Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) are an essential tool to enhance transparency and trust between Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They are submitted every two years, with the first ones having been submitted at the end of 2024.BTRs have four main components: greenhouse gas inventory, information to track progress, adaptation and support.BTRs are subject to expert reviews and discussions amo
NBSAPs stand for National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans; they are the mechanism for implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at the national level. Creating an ambitious NBSAP involves a multi-stakeholder process that engages actors such as government and civil society.Most countries missed the COP16 deadline to submit their updated NBSAP, with commonly cited reasons including a lack of capacity and national elections, and some decided to update their national targets instead.