River and Amazon rainforest with the city of Belém in the background. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Stanford at COP30
United Nations Climate Conference
Belém, Brazil | November 10-21, 2025
Eleven scholars from across Stanford University traveled to Belém, Brazil in November 2025 for the UN climate summit known as COP30.
The annual Conference of the Parties (COP) is the largest global gathering on the world’s response to climate change.
Events
Select event recordings and livestreams can be found on the UN Climate Change – Events channel on YouTube.
An ecological civilization in China and beyond
This event brings together policymakers and leading experts from around the world to explore how dialogue, cooperation, and shared innovation can accelerate global climate and sustainability goals. It will highlight the vision of an ecological civilization in China, and emphasize the importance of multilateral collaboration, policy innovation, and local best practices in achieving harmony between people and nature. Mengye Zhu of the Natural Capital Alliance at Stanford will participate.
- Nov 10 | 9:30am
- Blue Zone | China Pavilion
Mainstreaming natural capital in economic decision-making: Unlocking the nature-climate nexus
This event will showcase how natural capital approaches can unlock new opportunities for transformative impact by embedding nature into decision-making and driving a climate-resilient future, stronger fiscal management, and sustainable development. It will highlight the critical role of Ministries of Economy, Finance, and Planning in the integration of nature into national accounting, fiscal policies and investment strategies. Panelists include Jade Delevaux and Hector Angarita of the Natural Capital Alliance at Stanford.
- Nov 13 | 5pm
- Blue Zone | IDB Group Pavilion
Transforming blue food systems for equity, resilience, and climate action
This session will explore the multiple dimensions that shape blue food systems, including justice, equity, community leadership, aquatic animal welfare, resilience, and fisheries data integration to climate action. Panelists will analyze key opportunities and challenges, sharing insights on pathways to create more resilient and climate-aligned blue food systems. Co-organized by the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions.
- Nov 17 | 10:30am-11:30am
- Blue Zone | Food and Agriculture Pavilion Room 10
Inclusive finance for food futures: Youth, gender, and urban agroforestry in climate-resilient agri-food systems
This session explores how food systems, forests, and agroforestry can be inextricably interwoven, serving as powerful nature-based solutions to combat climate change and food insecurity. By integrating Indigenous knowledge, women empowerment and youth leadership for intergenerational fairness and multi-species justice, it spotlights Amazonia as a living model for scaling regenerative, equitable agrifood systems across both urban and rural landscapes. Particularly, urban agroforestry and regenerative food systems are highlighted as socio-economic and ecological enablers to drive sustainable development with lasting impacts on local communities. The dialogue also charts a roadmap where climate finance plays a vital role in empowering communities, uplifting youth and promoting inclusion and resilience at the heart of the global food system transformation. Speakers include Stanford student Megan Chen.
- Nov 17 | 4:30pm-5:30pm
- Blue Zone | Action on Food Pavilion
Seaweed and aquatic foods – blue solutions for climate resilience
Seaweed and aquatic foods are emerging as powerful nature-based solutions to address the climate crisis, enhance food security, and support sustainable livelihoods. This event explores pathways for sustainable aquatic food and non-food uses (e.g. cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, biomaterials & biofuels) through FAO’s Blue Transformation and the UN Global Seaweed Initiative (UNGSI), showcasing how aquatic systems can drive climate-resilient, low-emission, and nature-positive solutions for food, product development and livelihoods.
- Nov 19 | 9:30am-10:30am
- Blue Zone | Thematic Room
Delivering on the COP30 Action Agenda and Global Stocktake through aquatic blue foods
High-level dialogue to integrate aquatic foods into climate and food systems policy. We aim to break silos & spotlight opportunities for aquatic foods in the COP30 Action Agenda to support implementation of GST outcomes, including NDCs, Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work, and the Global Goal on Adaptation. Co-organized by the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions.
- Nov 20 | 1:15pm-2:45pm
- Blue Zone | UNFCCC side event room 4
Stanford attendees
- Chris Field, Melvin and Joan Lane Professor of Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies; director of the Woods Institute for the Environment; professor of Earth system science; senior fellow at Woods and the Precourt Institute for Energy
- Hector Angarita, senior scientist at the Natural Capital Alliance
- Stephanie Caddell, PhD student in oceans
- Megan Chen, undergraduate student in civil and environmental engineering
- June Choi, PhD student in Earth system science
- Jade Delevaux, senior fellow at the Natural Capital Alliance
- Rebecca Grekin, PhD student in energy science and engineering
- Quinn Parker, PhD student in oceans
- Sanil Rajput, student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER)
- Rafael Stern, postdoctoral scholar in Earth system science
- Mengye Zhu, senior scientist at the Natural Capital Alliance
Expert insights
Natural Capital Project scientists offered up holistic development solutions at the 30th UN climate conference, where there was growing recognition of nature’s role.
Projects in Belize and Colombia take critical steps toward embedding the value of nature to their economies into financing that benefits both.
Ahead of the global climate summit known as COP30, Stanford experts discuss how global developments, such as investments in natural solutions and renewable energy, could redefine climate progress in the absence of U.S. leadership.
Testing and comparing AI models can verify and build trust in their ability to measure and map carbon stored in forests, according to new research. The breakthrough could transform how companies and countries track and pay for nature’s help with combatting climate change.
Climate scientist Rob Jackson and philosopher Leif Wenar discussed challenges, ambitions, and moral implications of restoring the atmosphere in a recent Dean’s Lecture Series event.
New guidelines share opportunities for governments to leverage fisheries and aquaculture for climate action – and how some countries are already doing so.
In the media
Media contacts
For help reaching experts email sustainability_media@stanford.edu.