On 15 October 2026, King’s College London welcomed André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, President of COP30, for the inaugural Leslie Bethell Annual Lecture. The lecture celebrates historian Leslie Bethell’s contribution to the study of Brazil and Latin America.
In the lecture titled ‘Consensus and Implementation at COP30: Strengthening Multilateralism through a Two-Tier Approach’, Corrêa de Lago explained how multilateral agreements on the environment and climate change have developed from the 1970s to today. He described Brazil’s fundamental role in the history of international climate policy and stressed the importance of its continued presence during this challenging geopolitical era.
The lecture was hosted by King’s Brazil Institute in the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy. Dr Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos, Director of King’s Brazil Institute, said:
“This event celebrates an extraordinary scholar, Leslie Bethell, and a remarkable contribution to Brazilian Studies. But we also celebrate the field he helped to build and our shared responsibility to ensure that Brazilian Studies continues to flourish in the UK for the next generation.”
King’s at COP31
COP31 will take place from 9 to 20 November in Antalya, Turkey. COP31 is the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was the landmark international treaty agreed in Rio in 1992 and the parent treaty of the Paris Agreement.
Dr Emel Akçalı, an International Relations scholar and Senior Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department, will lead 14 other interdisciplinary King’s academics in attending the conference.
In an announcement on their website King’s said:
“King’s College London is proud to present a diverse and dynamic delegation of researchers and academics whose work spans environmental geopolitics, climate finance, social and environmental justice, adaptation and resilience, climate governance, and more. Their presence reflects King’s commitment to advancing climate action through interdisciplinary research, policy engagement and global collaboration.”
The King’s delegates are:
Dr Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos, Director of the King’s Brazil Institute.
Dr Bilkisu Jibrin, PhD student in the School of Population Health Sciences.
Dr Claudia Horn, Lecturer in International Political Economy Education in the Department of European and International Studies.
Dr Clement Sefa-Nyarko, Lecturer in Security, Development and Leadership in Africa at the African Leadership Centre.
Dr Ewa Karwowski, Senior Lecturer in Finance and Development in the Department of International Development.
Dr Maeve Ryan, Reader in History and Foreign Policy in the Department of War Studies.
Dr Manuel Rodrigues, Senior Lecturer in Financial Management at King’s Business School.
Opeyemi Esther Adegburin, PhD student at the African Leadership Centre.
Richard Kalu, PhD student in the Department of Geography.
Ruoxuan Li, PhD researcher in the Department of International Development.
Sele Pretoru-Gogo, doctoral researcher in the Dickson Poon School of Law.
Yuetong Guo, PhD candidate in the Department of Political Economy.
Dr Zeno Leoni, Lecturer in Defence Studies in the Defence Studies Department.
Dr Zoe Moula, Lecturer in Mental Health in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care.
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