Expertise Informing Global Climate Policy At COP31

A 13-strong Durham delegation will attend the annual climate change event in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026.

Their expertise spans some of the most pressing climate questions as countries across the globe seek to turn climate commitments into meaningful change.

Additionally, seven Durham students whose studies include Law, Finance, Earth Sciences, Environmental Humanities, Anthropology and Archaeology will also be involved in COP31.

Alan Wong, Astrid Fionna Harningtas, Zonash Aasim, Mustafa Kamran and Benjamin Reeves will attend the conference in person, while Brandon Bein and Phoebe Linley will co-ordinate COP-related activities back in Durham.

Turning research into action

A key part of Durham's presence at COP31 will be an official UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) side event exploring how science can drive effective climate mitigation and adaptation, and strengthen global science-policy partnerships.

This will see us join TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, India), Science Europe and the German Research Foundation (DFG) to bring together academic, research funding and policy officials.

Discussions will consider how scientific knowledge can be translated into action, and how climate governance can be both impactful and equitable.

Professor Petra Minnerop, our Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability) and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy, will lead Durham's contribution to the session.

Tackling climate change across disciplines

Collectively, our COP31 delegation demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of the climate challenge.

Our researchers are examining not only the physical consequences of a warming world, but also who is most affected, how governments and societies can respond, and how law, economics and emerging technologies can support the transition to clean energy.

This interdisciplinary approach is also central to JusTN0W, our initiative focused on the challenge of achieving a just transition to net zero.

Through research, events and international collaborations, our involvement in COP31 will connect Durham research with the policy discussions shaping the next phase of global climate action.

Leaders in their field

The 12 Durham delegates attending COP31 are listed below. A more detailed description of their research and expertise is available on our designated COP31 webpages.

• Professor Harriet Bulkeley is an internationally recognised expert in climate governance, environmental politics and urban sustainability, exploring how cities, businesses and communities can contribute to decarbonisation, biodiversity and environmental justice.

• Dr Owen Boyle is Project Manager for Durham's JusTN0W initiative and his background is in human rights law, including the responsibilities of businesses for human rights.

• Dr Milad Kazemi explores how advanced AI can be made safe, transparent and reliable, including its use in high-stakes settings. His work spans reinforcement learning, causal reasoning, uncertainty and AI safety.

• Professor Karen Lai has research expertise on financial networks, FinTech, AI infrastructure and digital economies. Recent projects investigate the growth of data centres in the UK and in Southeast Asia regarding the economic, environmental and social impacts of data centre growth, and associated role of green finance.

• Dr Grant Macdonald uses satellites and Earth observation technologies to study polar environments, including how changing Antarctic sea ice is affecting emperor penguins and what changes in the cryosphere mean for conservation, sea-level rise and the global climate system.

• Professor Laura Marsiliani brings an economic perspective to the delegation, researching environmental policy, energy transitions, taxation and responsible investment, as well as the wider economic challenges associated with sustainability and decarbonisation.

• Professor Petra Minnerop researches the relationship between law and science and how both can respond to climate change and wider environmental challenges. She also leads Durham's sustainability reporting, UN Sustainable Development Goals implementation and UNFCCC engagement.

• Professor Elisa Morgera specialises in international law, human rights and the environment, with particular interests in the connections between climate, nature and oceans and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, children and small-scale fishers.

• Kate Morris is Senior Business Development Manager for JusTN0W, developing partnerships between researchers and government, industry and international organisations to turn research on climate action.

• Dr Franka Pues researches the intersection between criminal law and climate change, including climate litigation, climate protest and environmental defenders. At COP31 she will engage with debates around climate justice and accountability for harm.

• Professor Habib Rahman speciality is in development economics, political economy, and climate change. His research examines how climate-related disasters and environmental shocks shape economic development, human behaviour, political institutions, and societal resilience, with a particular focus on developing and climate-vulnerable countries

• Professor Chris Stokes is a leading researcher into how glaciers and the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are responding to climate change. At COP31, he will highlight the threat of rapid and irreversible sea-level rise and the importance of minimising the scale and duration of temperature overshoot.

• Dr Katalin Sulyok specialises in international environmental and climate law, including climate litigation, the relationship between law and science and intergenerational equity.

Main image shows, top row from left: Elisa Morgera, Habib Rahman, Petra Minnerop, Chris Stokes, Harriet Bulkeley, Laura Marsiliani.

Bottom row from left: Owen Boyle, Katalin Sulyok, Grant Macdonald, Kate Morris, Milad Kazemi, Franka Pues, Karen Lai.