A busy COP30 for JPI Climate

As the dust settles on COP30 with reflective articles on the value of outcomes at world governments level, there are many undeniably positive gains from science-policy exchanges in Brazil.

At the level of research scientists, policy professionals and climate practitioners, COPs remain an effective and busy forum of knowledge exchange and building personal connections for future collaborations.

JPI Climate Vice Chair Dr Frank McGovern has an established track record at COP, the annual UNFCCC world climate summit. He is  active at the negotiations level as Chief Climate Scientist with Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency and a regular UNFCCC  delegate, and, as VC of the Joint Programming Initiative on Climate, he is at the forefront of driving cutting-edge climate science into European policy for climate adaptation action.

COP30, held in Belem, Brazil, from November 10^th-21^st, was another summit at which Frank wore multiple hats, representing Ireland, JPI Climate, its policy-facing initiative Equinox Process and the MAGICA Climate Project.

Innovations and technologies for our planet

He started his two-week schedule by acting as a facilitator at the UNFCCC-mandated Earth Information Day, on November 10^th. Here, he co-moderated the breakout session dedicated to Earth Observations – data access and sharing, and related innovations and technologies. This explored climate data use and the connection between local observation networks and global outputs, sustaining long-term observations, data-sharing and analysis of atmospheric GHGs and ocean variables, AI in Earth Observations and climate services, and advancing sharing of data access.

This second of two breakouts had a truly global agenda, with speakers from the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Earth System Modelling and Observations, Japan Meteorological Agency, University of Oxford,  Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, Malawi and the University of Groningen, Netherlands.

As well as high-level discussions for Ireland’s EPA, Frank was keen to capitalise on the gathering of many climate policy-makers, scientists, researchers and practitioners to promote the work of JPI Climate, the Equinox Process, and the most recent activity, the JPI Joint AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) Assessment Report.

Away from the negotiations, Frank joined María José Sanz, Scientific Director at the BC3 – Basque Centre for Climate Change (a key speaker at our ECCA2025 conference in the summer) on November 17^th, to share how the collaborative knowledge framework, the Equinox Process, is informing ambitious, inclusive and science-driven climate strategies (see main picture). We thank the Spain Pavilion for hosting the discussion.

On November 19^th, he joined the German Climate Pavilion for their inspiring Science for Action Evening.

Inspiring international cooperation

Frank and Prof Dr Hans-Otto Pörtner, physiologist and marine biologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute and member of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), shared the joint JPI Climate and JPI Oceans AMOC Assessment initiative as an example of international cooperation in climate change research.

The event was an excellent platform to engage a vibrant audience with our pan-European approach to accelerate trustworthy climate science into policy action.

Frank appreciated the opportunity to join one of the break out groups with the audience for a deep dive exploration of the challenges these initiatives face, for example in communicating clear messages to policy around the uncertainties involved.

Thank you to our hosts the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space, the moderator Friedemann Call. If you missed the session, you can watch it here: ‘Next generation purposeful Climate Knowledge: The Equinox Process Bridging Science and Policy for urgent Climate Action’.

We would like to thank all working behind the scenes on these events and especially, the audiences who joined us.

We look forward to continuing to promote trustworthy climate science to make a real difference to policymakers for effective climate adaptation in our upcoming events and at COP31, in Antalya, Türkiye, in November 2026.

Stay in touch with JPI Climate, the Equinox Process and MAGICA through our LinkedIn page and subscribe to our newsletters.

Upcoming events:

December 11^th-12^th Equinox Workshop: Societal transformation in the face of climate change & Equinox Dialogue: Modelling the Economics of Climate Change

January 12^th-15^th  AMOC Assessment: Authors’ Writing Workshop I