Sofia is the world climate capital from 27 July to 2 August

Bulgaria is hosting the 61st Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Sofia will welcome over 500 delegates from 150 countries from 27 July to 2 August for a plenary session of the most influential international scientific body in the field of climate change. The meeting will address key topics concerning climate change, on the basis of which countries will take decisions on the implementation of their climate policies.

Bulgaria expressed its intention to host this prestigious meeting as early as during the 28th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held last year in Dubai, UAE. Bulgaria’s hosting of the 61st Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a major success of our climate diplomacy and is the result of demonstrated high-level political will and recognition of the important role of climate science in shaping climate policies, as well as of the favourable conditions presented for holding the plenary session, which will take place in Sofia from 27 July to 2 August 2024.

The Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) is also coordinating a satellite programme with a series of events to draw the attention of the public and scientists, municipalities and businesses to climate issues in Bulgaria and the Black Sea region.

“This will be the largest climate science-related event ever held in Bulgaria and is an opportunity for our country to showcase the achievements of Bulgarian climate science. Bulgaria possesses unique natural features and climate in terms of their diversity. This enables our scientists to continuously carry out analyses and studies, the conclusions and data from which should have their place in international climate decision-making”, shares the Minister of Environment and Water Petar Dimitrov.

The IPCC is the scientific panel responsible for systematising, analysing and disseminating scientific information related to the state of the global climate and the necessary measures for adaptation to the ongoing changes. The panel’s regular reports serve as the scientific basis on which countries take decisions on the planning and implementation of climate policies.

The IPCC plenary session in Sofia is expected to bring together over 500 delegates from 150 countries. At this session, the IPCC will discuss and approve the outlines of two reports that have been mandated for preparation - the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities and the Report on Short-Lived Climate Forcers.

In order to maximise the impact of Bulgaria’s hosting of the 61st IPCC Session, the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW), in cooperation with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia Municipality, the European Commission, a number of local and international non-governmental organisations and initiatives related to climate and the environment, is organising a set of events across Sofia to attract the attention of the public and key stakeholder groups to climate issues in Bulgaria and the Black Sea region, including the importance of climate for urban development.

Within this satellite programme, on 25 and 26 July the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Sofia Municipality will host a scientific conference on “Climate Risks in the Black Sea Region”. Internationally recognised scientists from Bulgaria and the region will discuss topics such as: climatic characteristics and changes in the Black Sea basin and their consequences; the Black Sea and the World Ocean – sea level rise, changes in salinity and other alterations; the Black Sea and the rivers flowing into it. The conference will conclude with a round table at which the scientific findings presented by the researchers are expected to form the basis for shaping policy decisions for the development of the region, including at local government level.

A conference on “Climate Policies as an Opportunity for Investment in Urban Development” will bring together in Sofia mayors of dozens of municipalities from across the country, along with the organisers from the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Ministry of Energy, in partnership with the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB), EnEffect, the European Covenant of Mayors, and with the participation of representatives of the IPCC and the European Commission.

At the end of July, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Sofia University will host a thematic forum “CLIMATE FINANCE at SCALE / Scaling Up Finance for Climate Action” with the participation of representatives of the IPCC, MoEW, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy, the Bulgarian National Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Bulgarian Development Bank, the Bulgarian Investment Agency, the Association of Banks in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, banks, insurance companies and investment funds. The event aims to launch a dialogue between Bulgarian and international financial institutions on how to provide affordable and advantageous financing to achieve measures for reducing carbon dioxide in every sector of the economy; for restoring nature and better protecting people from the increasingly severe impacts of climate change; how financial institutions can support a just green transition and how to support an economy that is favourable to nature and people.

On 31 July Sofia Municipality and the MoEW will host an event on urban rivers at Toplocentrala, where the need to change the urban planning of cities through which rivers flow will be discussed, so that it corresponds to contemporary opportunities for improving the quality of life of residents through ecological restoration of urban rivers.

The satellite programme to the 61st IPCC Session in Bulgaria is complemented by a discussion event on what climate science advisory councils around the world are and why it is important for Bulgaria to have a strong and independent climate advisory body. Representatives of the IPCC will also devote time to present to a scientific audience the requirements and steps for the participation of Bulgarian scientists in the IPCC panel.

The contribution of Bulgaria to the development of technologies for achieving net zero emissions will be the topic of another event, organised by Net 0 Lab and the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Sofia University on 1 August.

As part of Sofia’s hosting of the IPCC session, the National Palace of Culture will be illuminated with climate-themed 3D mapping, and there will be events for children and young people, art seminars and workshops within the summer school of the National Academy of Arts, as well as various cultural and artistic events supported by Sofia Municipality.

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