The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) is taking place in Antalya, Türkiye from 9 to 20 November 2026. COP31 stands for the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a landmark international treaty agreed in 1992, and parent treaty to the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Below is an overview of the events, meetings, and initiatives organized by the APECS UNFCCC Project Group. More information about sessions and the official programme can be found on the official COP31 website.
Cryosphere Pavilion:
Monday Nov. 9 | Early Career Scientist Presentations & Intergenerational Impacts
19:30 [Evening Event] Cryosphere Climate Card Game
Visitors play a 3–5-minute mobile game in which they choose climate actions from 2026–2100 and see a transparent modelled scenario for warming and cryosphere impacts. Using a QR code, players balance mitigation, adaptation, public support and justice, then receive a score and can join a friendly leader board. Outcomes are based on an established modelling framework or reviewed precomputed scenarios—not presented as forecasts making a complex 1.5°C pathway tangible, social and accessible. Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)
Tuesday Nov. 10 | COP31: Connecting Antarctica, Pacific Island States, and Coastal Nations
10:00 The Future is Already Here: Early Career Voices on a Changing Cryosphere
Four early-career researchers from across the cryosphere discuss what their generation of researchers wants decision-makers to know. Bringing together perspectives from ice-shelf hydrology in Antarctica to indigenous communities in the Arctic, the panel explores whether diverse research experiences lead to a shared perspective on what needs to happen now or reveal priorities for responding to a rapidly changing cryosphere.
Thursday Nov. 12 | Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice
16:00 From Land to Table: Indigenous Foods in a Changing Arctic
Rapid Arctic sea-ice loss is transforming Indigenous food systems, acting harvesting, mobility, food access, cultural practices, and well-being. This event explores how climate change intersects with colonial and socioeconomic conditions to shape Arctic Indigenous food sovereignty. It highlights Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous-led approaches to protecting food systems, health, and self-determination in a rapidly changing Arctic.
Tuesday Nov. 17 | Polar Oceans: Acidifying Waters, Shifting Marine Habitats
16:00 Antarctic Ocean Change and the Future of Coastal Communities
Antarctic Bottom Water, the densest ocean current, is freshening and slowing because of sea ice loss with cascading consequences for global ocean circulation and sea-level rise in Pacific Island states and coastal nations. This session brings together early-career and established oceanographers to present current observations and connects the deep-ocean science to the frontline communities already living with its consequences.
Ocean Pavilion:
Thursday, Nov. 19 | Connecting Antarctica, Pacific Island States, and Coastal Nations (9.00-9.50 a.m.)
Antarctic Bottom Water, the densest ocean current, is freshening and slowing due to sea ice loss, with cascading consequences for global ocean circulation and sea-level rise in Pacific Island states and coastal nations. This session brings together early-career and established oceanographers to present current observations and connects the deep-ocean science to the frontline communities already living with its consequences.
