UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya: RIFS at COP31

Germán Bersalli will speak on the panel Who Decides, Who Benefits? From Extraction to Ownership in a Just Energy Transition. The event, which Bersalli co-organized, will address the costs of the transition, including the extraction of mineral resources, as well as renewable energy owned by Indigenous groups and local communities.
•    When: 10 November 2026, 10:00–11:00
•    Where: Just Transition Pavilion
___________
Germán Bersalli and Charlotte Unger are hosting a RIFS side event titled Climate policy backlash and disinformation: the battle of narratives and who shapes them. The event is co-organized with the German Climate Consortium (DKK), Instituto Torcuato Di Tella (Argentina), Uma Gota No Oceano (Brazil), Mediators Beyond Borders (USA) and Equal Routes (Canada).
•    When: 12 November 2026, 16:45–18:15
•    Where: Antalya EXPO Center, Blue Zone, Room 4

Unger is also part of the Türkiye–EU Climate Bridge, an initiative of the Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) and Sabancı University. A meeting on 14 November 2026 will focus on improving exchange and cooperation on climate policy and research between organizations and institutes in Türkiye and Europe.
____________
RIFS Fellow Deborah Lika from Albania will deliver an opening statement at the event Climate Action for the Next Decade – From National Implementation to Future-Ready Climate Empowerment. Charlotte Unger of RIFS will join the panel for the discussion that follows. “The event aims to bring together government representatives, national Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) focal points, the UNFCCC secretariat, civil society, young people and researchers to discuss practical approaches to strengthening climate education, public participation, access to information, youth engagement and institutional coordination,” says Lika. “The second part of the event will look to the future.”
•    When: 14 November 2026, 11:30 - 12:30 
•    Where: Albania Pavilion

Lika will also moderate the event From Participation to Influence: Empowering the Next Generation of Climate Leaders.
•    When: 14 November 2026, 13:00–13:50
•    Where: Albania Pavilion

In addition, she will moderate the panel discussion Youth in Mediterranean Climate Decision-Making.
•    When: 14 November 2026, 15:00–16:00
•    Where: UfM Mediterranean Pavilion

___________

On 14 November 2026, Thomas Bruhn will speak at the event ‘Beyond Knowledge: How Can Higher Education Enable Transformation?’ about practical formats and approaches to transformative learning.

•    When: 14 November 2026, from 5.45 pm to 6.45 pm
•    Where: ‘Higher Education and Climate Action’ Pavilion
___________
RIFS Director Mark Lawrence will give a short talk on the role of scientists in knowledge transfer and in developing climate literacy at the Science for Action Evening: Information Integrity on Climate Change, hosted by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
•    When: 16 November 2026, 19:00–21:00
•    Where: German Pavilion

Lawrence will also deliver a keynote at Cut Methane, Clear the Air: Ground-Level Ozone as the Missing Link Between Climate, Health and Food Security, hosted by Environmental Action Germany (DUH).
•    When: 17 November 2026, 12:00–13:00
•    Where: German Pavilion

Lawrence has also been invited to join a roundtable on Solar Radiation Modification Research Governance as an expert.
•    When: 17 November 2026, 16:00–17:00
•    Where: Blue Zone Meeting Room

He is scheduled to speak at the Brahma Kumaris side event Leadership for an ethical approach to effective multilateralism and just climate actions.
•    When: 18 November 2026, 18:30–20:00
•    Where: SDG Pavilion

At the launch of the SF6 Pledge in the German Pavilion on 19 November 2026, Lawrence will open the event with a brief introduction to the production and impacts of SF6.
•    When: 19 November 2026, 12–13:00
•    Where: German Pavilion
___________

RIFS Director Doris Fuchs will speak at the fishbowl discussion From Global Commitments to National Pathways: Building Credible Roadmaps Beyond Fossil Fuels.
•    When: 18 November 2026, 12:00–13:00
•    Where: German Pavilion
___________
RIFS Directors Doris Fuchs and Mark Lawrence are hosting a RIFS side event titled Keeping Cool: Mobilizing Science and Faith Together to Protect the Cryosphere, together with Brahma Kumaris and the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO).
•    When: 20 November 2026, 10:00
•    Where: Cryosphere Pavilion