Insights from COP29

Moderator summary: Four things I learnt about science and climate action in 45 minutes at COP29

Published on December 5th, 2024

authored by Stephan Kuster, Head of External Affairs 

Participating last month at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, I had the pleasure of moderating  a discussion with some of the leading voices in climate science and innovation on a subject that couldn’t be more relevant given the setting and the stakes.

The topic of discussion was the underutilization of scientific knowledge in processes geared toward policy consensus and climate action. The question on the floor was: “[If] we possess so much scientific knowledge about the causes for the climate multi-crisis and about the solutions, why then does science not play a bigger role in breaking what seems like an endless cycle of deadlocked discussions?”

Here are four lessons I took away from the ensuing discussion:

Offer without demand will fail

No matter how good and extensive the supply of science and innovation is, the gap between knowledge and action will remain if there is no demand for the knowledge-based solutions being offered. The science, and the innovations that result from it, need to meet core human needs – a concept the UNFCCC has been championing through the United National Global Innovation Hub (UGIH) and highlighted by Massamba Thioye, Project Executive of the UGIH.

Science that is not accessible will fail

Access to science and innovations as public global goods is essential. Without wild circulation of data and published results outside of academic circles, the entire virtuous cycle – from research to new solutions, to deployment and finally acceptance by the market and by large populations - is severely delayed if not completely obstructed. The Open Science Charter therefore calls on governments to ensure that publicly funded research is open and accessible to the public that paid for it. Marcelo Mena – former Chilean Minister for the Environment and CEO of the Global Methane Hub described how science has a more immediate impact on policies when it is available and can be referred to by policy makers.

If we do not collaborate, we will fail

We need to break down the siloes that still exist between science and policy making.  Barriers  persist within science, between fields and disciplines. True multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration needs to emerge and for that to happen it needs to be encouraged through appropriate funding mechanisms. Prof. Phoebe Koundouri, leading expert and global thinker in environmental economics, spoke of the importance of creating an interface of stakeholders so that everyone can be part of the co-designing and can have access to the solution pathways. And Prof.  Jason Rohr of the University of Notre Dame,  highlighted his excellent transdisciplinary research that won him and his co-authors the Frontiers Planet Prize in 2024 and how he is developing cross sector capacity building.

If science is not trusted it will fail

Dr. Salvatore Aricó - CEO of the International Science Council – described a horizontal mistrust in Institutions which needs to be rectified and there is a need for strengthening the public consensus around what the science is telling us. Trust in Science as a global public good is a key ingredient for the successful deployment of solutions and new technologies. Trust in science hinges on clear communication of what science can and cannot deliver and on narratives that focus on solutions to problems as people experience them at the local level.

This was a fascinating discussion and as glad as I was to have these important voices on the panel, I couldn’t help but think (and say aloud) that we would much rather have them at the centre of the negotiations of this and any future COP.

With this collection of Policy Labs contributions, we offer them a platform to elaborate on the important points they made on that panel in Baku.