Climate Policy Center

MIT Events at COP30

Announcing the Amazon Livelihoods Lab

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) will showcase their environmental work and announce the Amazon Livelihoods Lab. 

From Climate Data to Systemic Change: AI-Powered Multi-City Collaboration

Discover how cities are using AI, data, and systemic portfolio design to accelerate climate action. This session will showcase CHAMP Brazil’s 50-city implementation, the open-source CityCatalyst platform, and MIT’s “Transformative Cities” vision linking urban innovation to Amazonian resilience.

  • Date and Location: November 10th at UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub in the Blue Zone
  • Faculty/Staff: Kent Larson

Imaginary Atlas: Amazonia-Immersive Installation

A collaboration with City Science, the Federal University of Pará and the Emílio Goeldi Museum, this exhibition reimagines urban futures where cities grow in harmony with the forest. 

  • Date and Location: November 10th-21st at the Forum Landi 
  • Faculty: Kent Larson

Meeting of the Mayors with City Science/MIT Brazil

We’re inviting mayors and city leaders to join a new network of professionals dedicated to using advanced modeling and simulation tools to better understand and shape urban futures. In this session, MIT Professor Kent Larson will share recent research and present new opportunities to advance responsive, human-centered urban development.

  • Date and Location: November 11th at 10:30am at the EY House
  • Faculty: Kent Larson 

UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee Report on Building Energy Efficiency release event

Moderated discussion of UNFCCC/TEC Building Energy Efficiency briefs, which discuss policies needed to enable deployment of relevant technology, and the case studies where recommendations have been deployed. These policy briefs will be released alongside the Solar Impulse Foundation’s catalogue of climate technologies that are ready-to-go.

Closed Session with the Global Climate Policy Project (GCPP) at Harvard and MIT

Credit: Tim Correira

The Global Climate Policy Project (GCPP) unites Harvard and MIT, and partners around the world, to drive innovation in global climate policy. By fostering academic collaborations across climate science, economics, political science, law, and other areas, we generate ambitious new ideas and actionable policy proposals to address climate change. At COP30, the GCPP's proposal for a Global Climate Coalition is on the agenda, and will be furthered through events inside the Blue Zone and around Belém. This particular event will convene a closed-door session on the margins of COP30 in Belém to shape its forward-looking program.

Scaling Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Through Evidence and Practice

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), will convene a panel with government officials, development practitioners, and research institutions to explore the state of evidence of PES schemes. Participants will examine key barriers deterring broader and fairer participation while reviewing emerging evidence on how to design more scalable and inclusive PES policies drawing on lessons from around the world. 

Urban Mitigation and Adaptation: Academic Partnerships with Implementing Agencies for Climate Solutions (Official MIT Side Event)

Kent Larson from the MIT City Science Center and Jeffrey Schlegelmilch from Columbia’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) will showcase innovative partnerships between universities and non-academic actors that are accelerating climate action. This event invites academics, decision makers, and collaborators to rethink how research can drive real-world impact.

  • Date/Location: November 15th at 1:15pm in the Blue Zone, Side Event Room 4
  • Faculty: Kent Larson 

City Science for Climate Action: Insights from International Leaders

This event, organized by the City Science Network, will bring together global urban decision-makers to explore how cities can lead climate action and regenerative transformation.

  • Date and Location: November 15th at 2:30pm at EY House
  • Faculty: Kent Larson
  • Registration: TBD

Urban Development Design Exhibit  

From MIT's City Infrastructure Equity Lab (CIEL), this ongoing exhibit will demonstrate the realities of Amazonian river cities by exploring how urban development can be re-centered around rivers—integrating them into spatial, ecological, and infrastructural systems.

  • Date and Location: November 15 at the Museo Goeldi and in the Inter-American Development Bank's Pavilion 
  • Faculty: Kent Larson

Innovation and Investigation as a Driver of Change

As part of the side event “a Day at COP30”, the City Science Lab at Gipuzkoa will lead a workshop focused on exploring governance spaces for climate action, reflecting on new models of collaboration and decision-making that integrate research, innovation, and local knowledge.

  • Date and Location: November 18th in Madrid, Spain
  • Faculty: Kent Larson

Connecting Academia and K-12 Education for Climate Action

With insights from  MIT Open Learning pK-12, this event will explore how collaboration between academic institutions and K–12 educators can drive the creation of innovative climate curriculums, and foster networks.

  • Date and Location: November 18th at 2:30pm at EY House
  • Faculty/Staff: Claudia Urrea