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The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing series on what Congress needs to know about the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Briefings will cover key issues at play in international climate negotiations and why they matter for U.S. efforts to address climate change.
The briefings in this series are:
What’s on the Table for the Negotiations
Keeping it Cool: International Efforts to Reduce Emissions from Refrigerants
International Trade and Climate Policy
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing about what Congress can expect during the upcoming United Nations climate negotiations in Belém, Brazil (COP30). Hundreds of negotiating sessions and thousands of events will take place over the course of the two-week U.N. session. Whether traveling to Belém or observing COP30 from D.C., this briefing will guide policymakers on how to engage effectively.
Panelists will explain key issues on the negotiating agenda, including determining metrics for climate adaptation and charting the path toward international climate finance goals. The briefing will describe the role of the COP30 Brazil Presidency and its forest and agriculture priorities, unpack the evolving role of the United States in this international policy-making process, and highlight which U.S. stakeholders are expected at COP30—from businesses and nonprofits to state and local governments. It will also preview the realm of possible outcomes from COP30 and what they would mean for U.S. climate policy.
Seventy-one countries, including the United States, are part of the Global Cooling Pledge, a commitment initiated at the 2023 U.N. climate summit (COP28) to address the greenhouse gas emissions associated with refrigerators and air conditioning. Join the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) for a briefing that explores the imperative of reducing these emissions, especially the superpollutant hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), while also ensuring that people are kept safe from the impacts of extreme heat. The Global Cooling Pledge calls for a 68% reduction in emissions by 2050, increased availability of and access to sustainable cooling solutions by 2030, and increased energy efficiency of air conditioners.
This briefing will explore progress made towards these goals—from nature-based and passive cooling to low global warming potential refrigerant technologies. Panelists will also discuss the Senate-ratified Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which is phasing down HFCs. The briefing will leave policymakers with takeaways on what to expect at COP30 related to sustainable cooling and extreme heat as well as the economic and public health benefits of addressing refrigerant emissions domestically.
Join the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) for a briefing about the nexus of global trade and climate change. International trade is an integral part of the U.S. economy—the United States is the world’s largest importer and second-largest exporter of goods. While trade presents economic opportunities, it also comes at a cost. The global movement of goods via water, air, and land accounts for 20 to 30% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Climate change is also disrupting global supply chains, increasing costs, and damaging vital infrastructure.
This briefing will explore multilateral efforts to reduce trade-related greenhouse gas emissions through the lens of the upcoming international climate negotiations (COP30). Panelists will discuss climate-related policies being proposed in the United States and abroad, as well as the broader geopolitical trade environment–including tariffs–impacting these efforts. Speakers will also describe collaborations in the maritime shipping sector, which accounts for 90% of all goods moved. Attendees will leave with an understanding of the different ways trade is expected to influence COP30 negotiations as well as opportunities for additional international cooperation that could advance, rather than detract from, global climate goals.
For more information, contact Dan O'Brien at [email protected] or (202) 662-1880.
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