CMCC brings its expertise to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in Antalya. Scientists and experts contribute to the negotiating tables and across the conference programme. See the full list of the CMCC participants, topics, and events at COP31 and get in touch to know more about how the conference aims to shift the global focus from setting high-level climate ambitions to concrete implementation, delivery, and accountability.

From coastal resilience and nature-positive finance to artificial intelligence, urban action and climate literacy CMCC brings climate science directly into the COP31 negotiations, with researchers supporting Italy’s delegation on adaptation, loss and damage, agriculture and land use. At the UN climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026, their work connects scientific evidence with international decisions on how to reduce emissions, build resilience and respond to climate impacts.

CMCC researchers provide scientific and technical expertise to the Italian delegation in the UNFCCC negotiations, while four CMCC events form part of the Italy Pavilion programme. Within the delegation of Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), Anna Pirani, Caterina Guidi and Marta Ellena contribute expertise on climate science and adaptation; Elisa Calliari works on loss and damage; and Maria Vincenza Chiriacò and Matteo Bellotta bring expertise on agriculture, forestry and land use. These contributions build on CMCC’s involvement in international climate assessments: Pirani and Soheil Shayegh have also been appointed lead authors for the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report.

Alongside the negotiations, CMCC experts examine how to finance nature-positive adaptation, strengthen coastal resilience, address the energy footprint of artificial intelligence and build public trust in climate science. Jaroslav Mysiak brings expertise on climate risk and sustainable finance; Giovanni Coppini on coastal observation and forecasting; Soheil Shayegh on energy, carbon management and climate policy; and Giulia Galluccio on climate governance, education and the science-policy interface.

How can adaptation plans become funded action? What happens when climate impacts exceed the capacity to adapt? How can agriculture and forests contribute to emissions reductions while sustaining livelihoods? These are all questions that CMCC experts are addressing in their contributions at COP31.

The CMCC team

CMCC researchers participating at COP31 are either working within the Italian delegation or contributing their expertise to the negotiations through side events and other initiatives. Their activities cover climate science and adaptation, land use and agriculture, loss and damage, climate law and communication, sustainable finance, coastal resilience and the socioeconomic impacts of climate change.

• Anna Pirani is part of the Italian delegation, providing scientific and technical support on climate science and adaptation. A climate scientist and CMCC director, she works on climate-risk assessment and policy, supports MASE in the UNFCCC negotiations and serves as Italy’s alternate IPCC focal point.
• Giovanni Coppini contributes to CMCC work on coastal resilience. A principal scientist and Director at CMCC, he leads research on coastal ocean observation, forecasting and science-based solutions for the adaptation of vulnerable coastal communities.
• Jaroslav Mysiak contributes to the official side event on values-based finance for locally led, nature-positive adaptation. A CMCC principal scientist, his research covers climate-risk assessment and governance, adaptation, environmental economics, sustainable finance and climate services and recently contributed to the Integrated European Climate Resilience and Risk Management Framework.
• Soheil Shayegh contributes to the Italy Pavilion event on artificial intelligence and the climate impacts of data centres. At CMCC he works on the integration of the planetary biogeochemical and industrial carbon cycle and develops models of interactions between human and natural systems to support climate policy under uncertainty.
• Giulia Galluccio takes part in CMCC and Italy Pavilion events on climate communication, urban finance and cultural heritage. As Director of CMCC’s Advanced Training and Education Center, she works at the science-policy interface through training, knowledge sharing and research on climate governance, climate law, cultural heritage, sea-level rise and coastal resilience.
• Caterina Guidi supports the Italian delegation on adaptation. A researcher in CMCC’s Risk Assessment and Adaptation Strategies Division, her expertise lies at the intersection of climate change, biodiversity protection and the legal and policy frameworks governing forests and natural resources.
• Maria Vincenza Chiriacò contributes her expertise on agriculture, forestry and other land use. Her research focuses on the sustainable management of agroforestry systems for climate mitigation and adaptation, sustainable land-use policy and carbon accounting.
• Matteo Bellotta supports work related to agriculture and land use. A researcher in CMCC’s Impacts on Agriculture, Forests and Ecosystem Services Division, he specialises in agriculture, forestry and climate change, particularly the land-use, land-use change and forestry sector and methods for quantifying greenhouse-gas emissions.
• Elisa Calliari contributes to the negotiations on loss and damage. A CMCC researcher, her work examines the governance and politics of adaptation and loss and damage, from national policymaking to international climate negotiations.
• Marta Ellena supports the negotiations on climate science and adaptation. Her research focuses on urban adaptation and participatory processes, including the links between heatwaves, social inequalities and climate risk, and she has supported MASE in UNFCCC processes since 2019.

CMCC events at COP31:

The coastal frontline: Accelerating science-based solutions and cooperation for coastal resilience

14 November, 11:30–13:00 TRT (09:30–11:00 CET) | Side Event Room 1 – GORDIYON

Bringing together ocean scientists, coastal communities and young people, energy stakeholders and governments, the panel will focus on turning coastal climate risks into coordinated, finance-ready adaptation. It will also examine how international cooperation and science-based solutions can support resilient communities and a just energy transition in the Global South.

Powering AI, protecting the climate: Data centres, integrated solutions and verified benefits

10 November, 17:30–19:00 TRT (15:30–17:00 CET) | Italy Pavilion

As artificial intelligence expands, growing data-centre demand raises questions about energy use, emissions and pressure on local infrastructure and resources. The session will examine projected demand and emissions, integrated solutions such as clean energy, nature-based approaches, heat recovery and industrial symbiosis, and the role of monitoring, reporting and verification in assessing climate benefits.

From innovation to implementation: Funding models for climate mitigation and adaptation at the urban level

11 November, 15:30–17:00 TRT (13:30–15:00 CET) | Italy Pavilion

Cities are central to climate action, but pilot projects need durable governance and financing if they are to become long-term investments. The discussion will consider Climate City Contracts, revolving climate funds, public–private cooperation and sustainable finance instruments that can mobilise capital and scale local mitigation and adaptation.

Banking on nature: Values-based finance for locally led, nature-positive adaptation

18 November, 16:45–18:15 TRT (14:45–16:15 CET) | Side Event Room 9 – SAFRANBOLU

Values-based finance can help locally led adaptation initiatives move from promising ideas to bankable and scalable investments. The event will bring together experience from finance, human rights, conservation and community organisations to discuss how nature-positive projects can strengthen resilience while delivering lasting benefits for people and ecosystems.

Who owns the climate story? Narratives, trust and climate literacy for action

10 November, 09:30–11:00 TRT (07:30–09:00 CET) | Italy Pavilion

How climate change is communicated can shape public trust, participation and action. Through sessions on youth and digital narratives, climate disinformation, communication for non-specialist audiences, scientific and legal literacy, education and climate ethics, the event will explore how to move from awareness to informed participation.

Climate change and culture: Two perspectives on a global challenge

12 November, 13:30–15:00 TRT (11:30–13:00 CET) | Italy Pavilion

The event will approach climate change through two cultural lenses. The first will examine how the built heritage can support both adaptation and emissions reduction; the second will explore how artistic and architectural research can illuminate links between ecological degradation, industrial agriculture, biodiversity loss, pandemic risk and planetary health.