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COP26: Dr Carolyn Cobbold to speak during summit

1 November 2021 Fellows

Dr Carolyn Cobbold, a Research Fellow of Clare Hall, will appear within a film screened in the Green Zone of the UN’s Climate Change Conference (COP26) this weekend.

The screening event, titled Coast to Coast: Nature-Based Solutions for Climate, Biodiversity and People, will showcase successful examples of habitat restoration in coastal wetlands and illustrate the benefits to climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience, the economy, and the health and wellbeing of local communities. 

Presented by the RSPB and the Environment Agency, the event is taking place on Sunday 7 November from 10.30am (GMT), and will feature lessons learned from implementation and community engagement, faciliatating discussion around the value of these sites. 

Dr Cobbold’s work on environmental and climate change mitigation, which she has been doing voluntarily for the past 20 years, was honoured by BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour in 2020. As they noted, her projects have changed the shape of coastal defence in the UK. Dr Cobbold has devoted her time to the Manhood Peninsula in West Sussex since the late ‘90s, when she and a friend developed plans to protect the area from flooding. They formed the Manhood Peninsula Partnership (MPP) in 2001, and the group has since been responsible for securing significant funding for many climate change projects in the area. Dr Cobbold and the MPP helped instigate and support the creation of Medmerry — the largest coastal realignment project in Europe — creating 300 hectares of vital biodiverse habitats.

The film, which is being live-streamed globally, focuses on Medmerry alongside world heritage wetlands in China, South Korea and wetlands in the Cayman Islands.

You can read more about the event via the RSPB’s website and watch the livestream (or catch up) via YouTube.