NASA Leadership to Participate in Global Climate Change Conference  

NOV 27, 2023

RELEASE M23-142

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivers remarks before the ribbon cutting ceremony to open NASA’s Earth Information Center, Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The Earth Information Center is new immersive experience that combines live data sets with cutting-edge data visualization and storytelling to allow visitors to see how our planet is changing.

NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other agency leaders will participate in the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) beginning Thursday, Nov. 30, through Tuesday, Dec.12, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

This global conference brings together countries committed to addressing climate change, which is a key priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and NASA. For the first time, a NASA administrator will attend, joining an expected 70,000 participants, world leaders, and representatives from nearly 200 countries.

Throughout the conference, parties will review the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and, also for the first time, provide a comprehensive assessment of progress since adopting the Paris Agreement. 

In addition to Nelson, NASA participants in the conference include:

• Kate Calvin, NASA’s chief scientist and senior climate advisor
• Susie Perez Quinn, NASA’s chief of staff
• Karen St. Germain, director, NASA Earth Science Division
• Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, program scientist, ocean physics, NASA Earth Science Division
• Laura Rogers, associate program manager, ecological conservation, NASA Langley Research Center
• Wenying Su, senior research scientist, climate science, NASA Langley Research Center
• Ben Hamlington, research scientist, sea level and ice, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

During the conference, Nelson will participate in the first Space Agency Leaders’ Summit, which aims to demonstrate a collective commitment toward strengthening global climate initiatives and promoting sustainable space operations.   

Throughout the conference, NASA leaders also will participate in additional events and presentations at the NASA Hyperwall, a main attraction at the U.S. Center showing how  the agency’s climate science and research helps model and predict ocean health, heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and droughts, among its other Earth-related research. NASA will provide a hyperwall presentation every day, some with interagency partners, between Sunday, Dec. 3, and Monday, Dec. 11.

Climate adaptation and mitigation efforts require robust climate observations and research. NASA’s unique vantage point from space provides critical information to advance understanding of our changing planet. With more than two dozen satellites and instruments in orbit, NASA’s climate data – which is openly and freely available to anyone – provides insight on how the planet is changing and measure key climate indicators, such as greenhouse gas emissions, rising sea level and clouds, and precipitation.

A full schedule of U.S. Center events at COP28 is available at:

https://www.state.gov/u-s-center-at-cop28-schedule/

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