University of Birmingham at COP30
The University of Birmingham is proud to part of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), the premier global summit on climate change. Our commitment to sustainability and environmental research is at the forefront of our mission to create a greener, more sustainable world.
Bridging research and policy for global climate action
As the world approaches COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the University of Birmingham presents a series of evidence-based policy briefs that bridge cutting-edge research with actionable climate solutions. Marking a decade since the Paris Agreement, this report underscores the urgency of renewed global commitment to climate action amid rising temperatures and widening adaptation gaps.
The University’s interdisciplinary research, led through initiatives like the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability & Climate Action (BISCA) and the Brazil Institute (UBBI), addresses five critical areas: adaptation and resilience, sustainability education, equitable energy transition, climate justice and health, and climate finance. Each brief offers targeted national and international policy recommendations grounded in scientific expertise and global collaboration.
Key themes include the integration of biodiversity and water management into resilience planning, embedding sustainability across education systems, ensuring a just and inclusive energy transition, aligning health and equity with climate goals, and mobilising responsible finance to close the climate investment gap.
This report calls on policymakers, institutions, and communities to act decisively, collaboratively, and equitably. With the right frameworks and partnerships, the University of Birmingham believes we can still shape a sustainable and just future for all.
Policy briefs
Adaptation and resilience
Withstanding the impact of climate change
Sustainability education
Teaching the world a greener way
Energy transition
A comprehensive approach to decarbonisation and equitable transition
Equity, justice and health
A fairer world by tackling climate change
Driving climate finance
Understanding the role of responsible institutional investors
Engaging with climate change at Birmingham
Through COP30, the University collaborated with policymakers, researchers, and organisations to address critical issues such as climate finance, renewable energy adoption, and the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
Alongside the policy briefs in the panel above, the University explored the role of the arts in facing the challenges of climate change and the opportunities to unlock offshore wind repowering.
Initiatives included Engage Amazonia 2025 to enable exchange between researchers and students from the University of Birmingham and Amazonia. This was in collaboration with the University of Birmingham Brazil Institute (UBBI), the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action (BISCA) and the Birmingham Institute for Forestry Research.
We are also nurturing a new generation of climate-conscious citizens and support staff development through sustainability in out teaching and learning. whilst through our Thriving Planet research we are diagnosing the destructive impact of anthropogenic climate change and advancing the scalable clean technologies needed to ensure a sustainable future for people and planet.