Governments are in Poland over the next two weeks for the UN’s climate conference COP24, expected to be the most important gathering since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015.

Experts from the Overseas Development Institute will be attending the conference throughout the fortnight of meetings and will be available for interviews with media.

Shelagh Whitley, head of the Climate and Energy Programme at ODI, said: ‘Three years on from the Paris Agreement, governments are still failing to make sure investments and expenditure are consistent with reducing emissions and building climate resilience, which was one of the three key commitments made in 2015.

‘With the recent UN warning that emissions are on track to exceed the 1.5C rise by 2030, it is imperative that all parties at COP24 work together to realign finance flows to meet this crucial commitment.

‘Our research highlights four tools governments can use to realign finance towards low-carbon and climate resilient development. These include financial policies and regulations, fiscal policy levers, public finance and information instruments such as voluntary standards and labelling.'

Rebecca Nadin, head of the Risk and Resilience programme at ODI, said: 'Adapting to climate change is a global issue that cannot continue to be dealt with piecemeal. This year’s summit must move on from the business-as-usual approach of treating the way we adapt to climate change as a national or local issue only.

'Countries are already experiencing transboundary risks which can destabilise international supply chains, migration patterns, financial systems and shared ecosystems. It is crucial that regional and cross-border adaptation plans are part of efforts to build resilience to the worst effects of climate change.'

ODI experts attending COP who will be available for interview include:

Shelagh Whitley, head of the Climate and Energy Programme at ODI, will be at COP from Thursday, December 6 until December 12. Shelagh has recently written a report on how to make finance flows consistent with the goals set out in the Paris Agreement, which will be an important aspect of the discussions at this year’s COP.

Rebecca Nadin, head of the Risk and Resilience programme at ODI, will be at COP from Thursday, December 6 until Friday, December 14. Rebecca will be available to discuss issues including how the international community should use this year’s COP to start to work together to meet the global challenge of adapting to climate change and challenge the consensus that this is an issue to be dealt with at a local and national level only.

Rebecca is also a commentator on China’s emerging geopolitical strategy both with a climate focus and more generally, having had 15 years’ government and consultancy experience in China and Asia.

Katie Peters, senior research fellow at ODI, will be at COP from Friday, December 7, to Monday, December 9. Katie is an expert on climate security and disasters and has regularly appeared in televised interviews on these topics.

Neil Bird, senior research fellow at ODI, will be at COP from Monday, December 3 until Thursday, December 6. Neil is an expert on climate finance and will be available to discuss research findings on the financing of Nationally Determined Contributions, as set out in the Paris Agreement.

For more information or to arrange an interview with an ODI researcher please contact James Rush on [email protected] or +44 (0)7808 791265