London’s Natural History Museum has announced its Cop28 activities, including sessions and talks on biodiversity, climate anxiety and conservation.
Representatives from the museum will be at the 28th annual United Nations (UN) climate meeting to take part in critical conversations around the planetary emergency, biodiversity loss, nature-based solutions and the vital role of data.
“Our mission is to create advocates for the planet, so it is fantastic to be attending Cop28 to engage with policy makers and influence discussions around both the role of biodiversity loss in the planetary emergency and the potential for nature-based solutions,” said Doug Gurr, the Natural History Museum’s director.
“At Cop15 the world committed to ’30 by 30′ and we are particularly excited to share our initial findings from a new piece of work at Cop28 that aims to answer the critical follow up questions: which 30 percent, how are we doing, and who’s doing it well?”
Natural History Museum Cop28 event highlights
5 December: The Natural History Museum’s head of research innovation, Gareth Thomas, will explore the interconnected relationship between water resilience, biodiversity, and economic stability alongside a panel of experts.
He said: “When thinking about ecosystem health and protecting critical natural assets, it’s important to remember that biodiversity transcends borders, and thus protecting and restoring the most crucial 30 percent requires a global approach.”
8 December: The museum and the We Are Family Foundation will curate a day of activities within the Cop28 Green Zone. This will include sessions and workshops on hope and anxiety in the climate crisis.
9 December: The Natural History Museum will take part in several activities within the Blue Zone, including a session on nature-based solutions chaired by the museum’s director of policy, Emma Woods.
9 December: The museum’s principal curator of mammals, Richard Sabin, will join the ‘Focussed on Nature’ panel in the Green Zone to discuss the conservation of whales and dolphins.
Cop28 is being held in Dubai from 30 November until 12 December. The UAE has launched a new exhibition for the conference called ‘House of Sustainability’ in the former Expo 2020 Dubai UAE pavilion.
Images courtesy of Cop28 and Natural History Museum
