RTI International delegation convening at COP29 as world leaders focus on how to finance critical climate action

Experts aim to accelerate global efforts to combat climate change

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Top climate experts from RTI International, a nonprofit research institute and leading international development organization, will attend the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku, Azerbaijan, beginning November 11.  

The event brings together leaders and representatives from more than 190 countries as well as scientists and researchers to act together to prevent further harmful human impact on the climate while building resilience, especially among the world’s most vulnerable populations. 

Negotiations at COP29 will focus on establishing a new global climate finance target that will support ambitious climate actions. This work aims to increase the previous goal of $100 billion annually, particularly from historically high-emitting countries and wealthy fossil fuel-producing nations.  

RTI experts are available for interviews on a wide range of climate topics:  

Tom Bishop 

• Blended Finance for Mitigation and Adaptation Programs: Collaborating with impact funds, investment banks, climate funds and local partners to design blended finance instruments for evidence-based climate interventions 
• Green Finance Policies: Supporting low-income countries mobilize domestic green finance by helping central banks and financial regulators develop effective policies 
• Climate Project Pipeline Development: Supporting local green businesses to develop bankable climate projects and access climate finance 

Ashley Boddie 

• Methane Reduction Strategies: Market-based solutions for reducing methane intensity in the dairy sector 
• Soil Health Solutions: Climate-smart practices to address soil acidity from synthetic fertilizers 
• Agricultural Insurance: Promoting large-scale adoption of agricultural insurance 

Candise Henry  

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Projections of global non-CO2 GHG emissions, such as methane 
• Renewable Energy Circularity: Potential for critical minerals recovery from end-of-life renewables in middle-income economies 
• Green Jobs: Job creation potential from renewable energy investments and green workforce development strategies 

Daniel Lapidus 

• Climate-Smart Agriculture:  Facilitators, barriers, risks and benefits to the adoption of adopting agricultural technologies and practices 
• Food security policies and programming: Policies and strategies that can improve the availability, accessibility, utilization and stability of food 
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning: Assessing the impact of climate-related programs and investments 
• Integrating Climate into Development: Tools and processes for incorporating climate considerations into development programming 

Jonathan Quebbeman 

• Water Resources Management: Integrated management and planning for improved resilience in changing climates 
• Dam Safety Evaluation: Risk-based assessment methods for dam infrastructure investment 
• Hydrologic Hazards: Developing methods to evaluate probabilities of extreme flooding events 
• River Forecasting Systems: Real-time hydrologic forecasting to support reservoir operations and community safety 
• Capacity Building Programs: Strengthening data utilization and hydrologic analysis capabilities 

Alyssa Mesich, IDG senior manager of communications at RTI, will be onsite at COP29 to assist with interviews and RTI-led events. 

Learn more about RTI's Center for Climate Solutions  and view our COP29 Event page for more information.