Here are the important dates that climate researchers and academics need to know about in 2026.
The year ahead is set to be a pivotal one for climate science and research, with major policy milestones, landmark scientific reports, and a dense calendar of conferences.
For researchers, staying on top of these dates isn’t just helpful – it is essential for planning publications, funding bids, collaboration opportunities, outreach, and policy engagement.
This guide brings together key moments in the climate research cycle for 2026, from UN-level negotiations to UK-specific briefings, scientific assemblies, annual report releases, and global awareness events.
We will be building and adding to this list throughout the year, so please do *********@****ac.uk“>contact us with additions and updates, to help make this list as comprehensive and accurate as possible.
Search the calendar below or jump ahead by month:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| 1 Jan | New Year climate policy positioning | |
| Jan | UKRI/NERC Standard Grant Round | |
| Jan | ERC Starting Grants open | |
| Jan | World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Preliminary State of the Climate | |
| 14 Jan | HadCRUT temperature series announcement for 2026: 2025 continues series of world’s three warmest years | Collated by the Met Office, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science |
| 25-29 Jan | American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas, USA | A yearly gathering for the weather, water, and climate community, which brings together great minds from a diverse set of scientific discipline |
| 28-29 Jan | Coastal Futures 2026, Royal Geographical Society, London and online | The largest ocean conference of its kind in the UK |
| 29 Jan | Webinar: Accelerating climate adaptation after COP30 | Following the outcomes of COP30, the UK Universities Climate Network (UUCN) and the Cabot Institute for the Environment at the University of Bristol will host an event to explore how to accelerate the action needed to adapt for a climate resilient future |
February 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| Feb | CCC: Early-year briefing (variable) | |
| 2-5 Feb | Arctic Frontiers Conference: Turn of the Tide in Tromsø, Norway | In 2026, bringing together leading voices to examine the state of Arctic collaboration, economic transitions, infrastructure needs, technological frontiers, and the health of the ocean that unites the region |
| 22-27 Feb | Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland | Every two years, scientists from across the globe, in the greater ocean-connected community, gather to share the latest research findings, collaborate on solutions, and make lasting partnerships with the goal of advancing scientific knowledge and impacts |
| 25 Feb | NERC Independent Research Fellowships open | NERC’s primary support mechanism for early career researchers in environmental sciences |
| 26 Feb | NERC Large Grant outlines: deadline | Apply for funding to support innovative, large-scale and complex projects that tackle big environmental science questions and have the potential to produce world-leading research |
March 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| Mar | World Meteorological Organization: State of the Global Climate Report (variable) | |
| Mar | IPCC internal plenary/author meetings (variable) | |
| Mar | Met Office: Spring outlook | |
| Mar | Horizon Europe Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy, Mobility) Funding calls (variable) | This cluster aims to fight climate change by better understanding its causes, evolution, risks, impacts and opportunities, and by making the energy and transport sectors more climate and environment-friendly, more efficient and competitive, smarter, safer and more resilient |
| Mar | UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship deadline (variable) | |
| 1-5 Mar | European Ocean Days 2026 in Brussels, Belgium | A week-long event with a series of dynamic and interconnected sessions focused on key ocean-related themes |
| 3 Mar | World Wildlife Day | |
| 18-19 Mar | UNESCO: World Day for Glaciers 2026 in Paris, France | |
| 21 Mar | International Day of Forests | |
| 22 Mar | World Water Day | |
| 23 Mar | World Meteorological Day | |
| 24-25 Mar | International Conference on Climate Change, Geography, and Sustainability (IC2CGSY-26) in Edinburgh, UK | This event brings leading scientists, academicians, industry professionals, speakers, and experts to one platform, to highlight solutions, achievements, trending issues, and future strategies |
| 25-1 April | Arctic Science Summit Week in Aarhus, Denmark | Organised annually by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) to provide opportunities for coordination, cooperation and collaboration between the various scientific organisations involved in Arctic research |
| 25-26 Mar | Third World Congress on Earth Science, Climate Change & Sustainability in London, UK | Theme: “Bridging Earth Science, Climate Change Mitigation, and Sustainable Development” |
April 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| Apr | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Dataset refresh (variable) | |
| 7 Apr | World Health Day | |
| 22 Apr | Earth Day | |
| 27 April-1 May | Amsterdam Complexity School on Climate Change in Amsterdam, The Netherlands | A one-week event where early-career researchers and non-academic stakeholders come together to work on interdisciplinary projects around climate change using complexity science |
May 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| May | ONS Climate Change Annual Statistics refresh (variable) | |
| 3-8 May | EGU26 General Assembly in Vienna, Austria and Online | Brings together geoscientists from all over the world to one meeting covering all disciplines of the Earth, planetary, and space sciences |
| 12-13 May | UNEP-WCMC Nature Action Dialogues in Cambridge, UK | A unique and powerful forum where business, finance and conservation leaders meet as peers to advance collaboration at the nexus of biodiversity, climate, water, and health |
| 14-15 May | Fourteenth World Conference on Climate Change in London, UK | Innovating for a Climate-Resilient Future: Science, Policy & Global Action |
| 20 May | World Bee Day | |
| 22 May | International Day for Biological Diversity | |
| 28 May | ERC Advanced Grant call opens |
June 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| Jun | UNFCCC Bonn Climate Meetings (SBSTA/SBI (variable) | |
| Jun | UN Global Stocktake Technical Updates (mid-year; context for research reporting) | |
| Jun | International Climate Initiative (IKI) call opens | |
| Jun | UKRI/NERC Highlight Topics Funding Round (summer call) | |
| Jun | CCC: Progress Report to Parliament (typically mid-year) | |
| 5 Jun | World Environment Day | |
| 8 Jun | World Oceans Day | |
| 9-11 Jun | Flood & Coast Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Liverpool, UK | Annual event for professionals working to manage flood risk, build climate resilience, and protect our communities, infrastructure, and environment |
| 14-19 Jun | World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, Switzerland | Theme of Leading Transformation Together |
| 17 Jun | World Day to Combat Desertification & Drought | |
| 18-19 Jun | Fifth World Conference on Climate Change & Sustainability in London, UK | Theme: Solutions for Climate: Innovation, Equity, & Sustainability |
| 20-28 Jun | London Climate Action Week | The largest city-wide climate festival in Europe |
| 21 Jun | Show Your Stripes Day |
July 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| Jul | National Adaptation Programme (NAP) monitoring updates (July window; UK policy) | |
| Jul | ERC Consolidator Grants open | |
| Jul | Met Office: State of the UK Climate 2025 Report | |
| 6-15 Jul | UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York, USA | |
| 8-10 Jul | Royal Meteorological Society Annual Weather and Climate Conference in Exeter, UK | A platform for scientists and operational meteorologists working in academia, public and private sectors to present their work to the weather and climate community |
| 13-16 Jul | International Congress of Biometeorology in Novi Sad, Serbia | |
| 23-25 Jul | Seventh World Conference on Climate Change and Global Warming in Copenhagen, Denmark | CCGCONF 2026 is designed to provide its attendees with an enriching experience that will enhance their academic work and provide them with an opportunity to engage in a meaningful dialogue with peers |
| 28 Jul | CCGCONF 2026 is designed to provide its attendees with an enriching experience that will enhance their academic work and provide them with an opportunity to engage in a meaningful dialogue with peers |
August 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| 17-28 Aug | Seventeenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | COP17 will bring together UNCCD’s 197 Parties in a crucial global forum to accelerate action against desertification, land degradation and drought |
September 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| Sept | UNFCCC Regional Climate Weeks (Africa/MENA/LAC/AP events begin) | |
| Sept | UNEP Emissions Gap Report preliminary findings (pre-COP) | |
| Sept | Horizon Europe autumn funding calls open | |
| Sept | Global Flood Partnership (GFP) Annual Meeting (tbc) | |
| 7-8 Sept | International Glaciological Society symposia: British Branch in Aberdeen, Scotland | |
| 7-11 Sept | Bath Conference on Earth System Governance in Bath, England | Building Just and Sustainable Futures for Planetary Integrity. The conference will be held primarily in person, with selected sessions available for virtual access and participation |
| 8-22 Sept | 81st Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York City, USA | |
| 16 Sept | International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer | |
| 20-27 Sept | Climate Week NYC in New York City, USA | Brings together heads of state, global business leaders, philanthropic leaders, and civil society to accelerate climate action at scale |
October 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| Oct | UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2026 (variable) | |
| Oct | Lancet Countdown on Health & Climate Change | |
| Oct | IPBES Global Assessment Report | |
| Oct | IAHS Scientific Assembly of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (tbc) | |
| 4-10 Oct | World Space Week | |
| 13 Oct | International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction | |
| 31 Oct | World Cities Day |
November 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| Nov | IEA World Energy Outlook (tbc) | |
| Nov | UNEP Emissions Gap Report (tbc; usually during COP) | |
| Nov | UKRI/NERC Discovery Science deadlines (Nov window; variable) | |
| Nov | UNEP Production Gap Report (tbc) | |
| Nov | Global Carbon Budget 2026 (released at AGU events) | |
| 9-20 Nov | 2026 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 31) in Antalya, Türkiye | According to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB), reports that additional topics expected to be discussed at COP 31 include post-2020 finance, the seventh review of the financial mechanism, the periodic review of the long-term global goal under the Convention and of overall progress toward achieving it, and mountains |
December 2026
| Date(s) | Event | What you need to know |
| Dec | UNEP Global Environment Outlook (GEO-8) (variable; typically year-end) | |
| Dec | ERC Synergy Grants open (variable) | |
| Dec | Met Office winter outlook (variable) | |
| 5 Dec | World Soil Day | |
| 7-11 Dec | Advancing Earth and Space Sciences Annual Meeting in San Francisco, USA |
Related links
- Key an eye on all our upcoming Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research events
- Check out our latest publications
