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CGS at COP30 and the COP30 Local Leaders Forum

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An aerial view of Belem Cathedral in Brazil.

Researchers from the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland will attend the UN Conference of the Parties (COP30), the UN’s global climate summit taking place this year in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to November 21, 2025. Leading up to this event, a CGS delegation will be present at the COP30 Local Leaders Forum in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, from November 3 to November 5, 2025. COP30 will bring together world leaders, negotiators, policymakers, climate researchers, climate activists, and the media to discuss the state of global climate change and to advance meaningful climate actions around the world. Focused on meeting the 1.5°C global temperature rise target, the COP conferences allow for knowledge-sharing as countries prepare their next round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. Before COP, the COP30 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies are hosting the COP30 Local Leaders Forum to bring together mayors, governors, and subnational officials from around the world to showcase how local action is driving global climate progress.

The CGS delegation will bring its expertise to the UN climate conference to provide key insights into how countries can ramp up climate ambition to achieve national and international climate targets. Their participation comes at a pivotal moment for transformative climate action across the globe. The CGS delegation will share their latest research on climate trends, policies, and solutions to advance transformative and sustainable climate action.

Attendees this year are CGS Founder and Director Nate Hultman, Associate Director and Associate Research Professor Ryna Cui, and Assistant Director and Assistant Research Professor Jiehong Lou. CGS Director of Communications and Public Affairs Gail Chalef will be present at the Local Leaders Forum. In addition to participating in and hosting several events in Brazil, CGS will also launch several new research reports. Stay tuned for more.

COP30 Local Leaders Forum Events

Enhancing Ambition Through Subnational Action

Monday, November 3 | 2:15 - 4:00 PM BRT (GMT-3)

Location: Hotel Vila Galé Rio de Janeiro (R. Riachuelo, 124 - Centro, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20230-014, Brazil)

Join WWF for a discussion on how national and subnational actors can collaborate more strategically to enhance ambition and accelerate the implementation of NDCs.

America Is All In Solutions Exchange

Tuesday, November 4 | 12:30 - 1:30 PM BRT (GMT-3)

Location: Museu de Arte Moderna (Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 85 - Parque do Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20021-140, Brazil)

Join America Is All In as they highlight how U.S. local leaders are delivering on U.S. emissions reductions and forging international alliances with Brazil and beyond.

COP30 Events

The Global Stocktake: Driving Solutions and Ambition

Tuesday, November 11 | 9:00 - 10:00 AM BRT (GMT-3)

Location: Australian Pavilion, Blue Zone

This event, hosted by C2ES, will examine the power and promise of the global stocktake: what it has accomplished, how its outcome has been considered by Parties, and what is needed for a robust GST2.

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2035 Pathways for Major Economies and Australia: Comparative Analysis

Tuesday, November 11 | 11:00 - 11:50 AM BRT (GMT-3)

Location: Australian Pavilion, Blue Zone

Join CGS and the Australian National University (ANU) for an event highlighting country-level pathways, including Australia, to achieving greater climate ambition.

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America’s Climate Leadership in Action

Tuesday, November 11 | 4:30 - 6:00 PM BRT (GMT-3)

Location: COP30 Business Pavilion, Blue Zone PV-C87

America Is All In will host a spotlight event with U.S. local leaders at COP30 in Belem, showcasing the breadth and potential of climate action by U.S. subnational actors. 

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Subnational Climate Action: A Cross-Regional Civil Society Dialogue

Wednesday, November 19 | 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM BRT (GMT-3)

Location: Asia Solutions Pavilion, Blue Zone

This event, hosted by Peking University, E3G, and CGS, will provide cross-regional perspectives on how subnational climate action can be leveraged to achieve more ambitious national goals. 

All Hands on Deck: Opportunities for Global Cooperation

Thursday, November 20 | 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM BRT (GMT-3)

Location: Side event 4, Blue Zone

CGS’s official side event with PBL and the NewClimate Institute will explore opportunities to develop a "globally determined contribution" integrating national and subnational actions through NDCs.

Register Here

Empowering Future Leaders: Advancing Green Skills through Higher Education

Thursday, November 20 | 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM BRT (GMT-3)

Location: NDC Partnership Pavilion, Blue Zone, Hangar - Convention and Trade Center

This event will explore the role of higher education and green skills in advancing NDC implementation and sustainability development across the Commonwealth.

CGS Research Launches

Throughout COP30, CGS will showcase both recent and newly released research products. Stay tuned for more.

Country Climate Ambition: High Ambition Pathways for National and Global Climate Goals

CGS's new flagship website on Country Climate Ambition provides in-depth analyses of plausible, high-ambition pathways for key emitting countries toward 2035 and net-zero goals.

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Pathways to 2035: Expanding non-federal climate leadership in the United States

A new America Is All In report led by CGS finds expanded U.S. subnational climate action and renewed federal engagement after 2028 can achieve up to a 56% reduction in GHG emissions by 2035.

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Achieving a High Ambition Pathway for Canada’s 2035 NDC and 2050 Net-Zero Emissions Target

A new Center for Global Sustainability report analyzes five climate-policy scenarios with varying levels of climate ambition to explore how new policy priorities could affect Canada’s climate future.

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Achieving a High Ambition Pathway with Enhanced Subnational Climate Action in Mexico

A new Center for Global Sustainability, WWF Mexico, and Tempus Analitica report presents high-ambition, economy-wide pathways to reduce Mexico’s greenhouse gas emissions by 47-51% by 2035.

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High Ambition Pathways for Korea to Achieve 60% Emission Reduction by 2035

New research from CGS, KAIST, and SNU showcases a pathway for Korea to achieve 60% emissions reductions by 2035 through a set of concrete policy actions.

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High Ambition Pathways for Indonesia’s 2035 NDC and Net-zero Emissions

A new CGS analysis presents high-ambition, economy-wide pathways to reduce Indonesia’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 46-49% by 2035.

Learn More

For Media Inquiries:
Gail Chalef
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
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