Professor Richard Beardsworth supports the Priestley International Centre for Climate in hosting webinar on UN climate negotiations

The webinar "RINGO and You: Researcher Engagement with COP26" was held on Wednesday 16 September and explored the important role of research in the UN climate negotiations.

The main speaker at the webinar was Tracy Bach who is a Visiting Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. She is a lawyer and law professor who teaches and publishes on climate change, international environmental law and human rights, and healthcare and environmental health law.

The UN climate change negotiations rely on relevant and current climate research in the sciences and humanities to move the negotiations forward toward an effective outcome. The webinar aimed to discuss the question “how can researchers navigate the complex UNFCCC process to ensure their research is available for parties and non-party stakeholders to draw on?”

The Research and Independent Non-Governmental Organizations (RINGO) is an observer constituency to the UNFCCC that comprises academic institutions (including the University of Leeds), independent think tanks, and other NGOs involved in research and analysis. While RINGO does not take positions on specific negotiation items, it does advocate for a process that is evidence-based and grounded in sound physical and social science. As one way to accomplish this goal, RINGO helps its members navigate the negotiations and best place their research at the Conference of the Parties (COPs) and other technical meetings throughout the year.

In the webinar, RINGO Co-Focal Point Tracy Bach provided an overview of the constituency and its role in the UNFCCC process, explored the place of research in the negotiations, and highlighted how researchers can most effectively engage in them. She also outlined additional opportunities in the run up to COP26, given its delay until 2021.

Find out more about the webinar on the event page where you can access a recording of the presentation.