2025
Funder
Summit

This event took place on November 4th, 2025.

For more information on the 2026 Summit, please stay tuned.

View 2025 session recordings

Frontier Research to Manage Climate Risks

The climate crisis is fast-accelerating beyond the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5°C warming, with projections pointing to a world that could be 2.5 - 3.0°C warmer. Scientists are increasingly concerned that impacts like collapsing glaciers, methane emissions from tropical wetlands, and potential irreversible shutdown of ocean currents are unfolding faster than expected, and could threaten global stability.

While decarbonization and adaptation are essential, these tools may not suffice to safely manage climate overshoot — and yet we are vastly underinvesting in research that could help predict and prevent catastrophic outcomes.

This one-day summit focused on how philanthropy can accelerate frontier research to predict and prevent catastrophic climate risks. It offered an opportunity to hear from leading practitioners and experts advancing this frontier research, and was a place to meet and strategize with fellow funders.

Co-sponsored by:

Agenda

8:45 - 9:20am

Registration & Coffee

9:20 – 9:40am

Welcome Remarks  & Collective Stock-taking
Mike Schroepfer, Sasha Post, and Dr. Ilan Gur

9:40am - 10:00am

The Warming Feeds the Warming
Lightning Talk + Q&A - Dr. Phil Duffy

10:00am - 10:10am

Catastrophic Climate Risks and the Case for Prevention
Lightning Talk + Q&A - Dr. Joshua Elliott

10:10 - 10:30am

Super Pollutants 
Lightning Talk + Q&A - Erika Reinhardt

10:30 - 10:50am

Sunlight Reflection Methods (SRM)
Lightning Talk + Q&A - Dr. David Keith 

10:50 - 11:05am

Break

11:05- 11:30am

Open-System Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
Lightning Talk + Q&A - Dr. Antonius Gagern & Dai Ellis

11:30 - 11:55am

Catastrophic Sea Level Rise (SLR) & Glacier Stabilization
Lightning Talk + Q&A - Dr. Brent Minchew

11:55 - 12:20pm

Getting to Government Research Leadership
Lightning Talk + Q&A - Ricken Patel & Tom Pravda

12:20 - 12:30pm

Synthesis Session
Sasha Post and Kelly Erhart

12:30 - 1:35pm

Lunch

1:15 - 1:30pm

Kim Stanley Robinson
Author of The Ministry for the Future

1:35 - 1:55pm

Practitioner Introductions

2:10 - 4:40pm

“Choose Your Own Adventure”
In-Depth Conversations with Leading Practitioners & Scientists

4:45 - 5:15pm

(Funder-Only) Feedback Session

5:15 - 6:15pm

Cocktails Reception & Networking

Speakers & Sessions

Welcome Remarks & Collective Stock-taking

9:20 – 9:40am

Speakers: Ilan Gur, Mike Schroepfer & Sasha Post 

Setting the baseline of today’s climate risk landscape. Together, we’ll assess where we stand, what we know and don’t know, and why frontier research is essential to managing catastrophic climate risks. This session will invite us to ask: Are we on track; and what more can we do?

The Warming Feeds the Warming

9:40 - 10:00am

Speaker: Dr. Phil Duffy

Two observed climate trends suggest that future climate warming may be greater than commonly expected. First, reductions in low cloud cover over the past ~15 years are accelerating warming by reflecting less sunlight into space. Second, GHG emissions from tropical wetlands, permafrost, and forests are increasing. We will discuss what we know and don’t know about these trends and other self-reinforcing mechanisms in climate change, as well as possible implications for future warming levels.

Catastrophic Climate Risks and the Case for Prevention

10:00 - 10:10am

Speaker: Dr. Joshua Elliott

With warming now on track for 2.5 or 3°C, we'll review potential catastrophic and irreversible climate impacts across ice, oceans, the biosphere, and atmosphere, and their consequences for societies. We’ll explore why traditional carbon management and adaptation models can’t fully address these risks - and how research into targeted interventions could expand our options for a safe and equitable climate future.

Super Pollutants

10:10 - 10:30am

Speaker: Erika Reinhardt

A deep dive into the role of super pollutants such as methane and other short-lived climate pollutants in current and projected warming. This session will highlight emerging abatement and removal strategies, and identify promising areas for further research and innovation.

Sunlight Reflection Methods
(SRM)

10:30 - 10:50am

Speaker: Dr. David Keith

An introduction to sunlight reflection approaches, with a focus on stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI). We’ll review the science, key uncertainties, and governance considerations necessary for responsible evaluation of SRM, and discuss the research required to inform future decision-making.

Open-System Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)

11:05 - 11:30am

Speakers: Dr. Antonius Gagern & Dai Ellis 

An exploration of open-system CDR pathways that can durably remove CO₂ from the atmosphere at scale through deployment in ecosystems like oceans, rivers, and soils. We’ll examine potential benefits, risks, and the field-building priorities needed to advance these approaches responsibly.

Catastrophic Sea Level Rise (SLR) & Glacier Stabilization

11:30 - 11:55am

Speaker: Dr. Brent Minchew 

This session will explore the threat of glacial-driven sea level rise, including the latest science, advances in forecasting, and potential intervention pathways to slow sea level rise by stabilizing glaciers. We’ll examine what’s at stake for communities and ecosystems worldwide, and where research is urgently needed to reduce potential catastrophic near-term risks.

Getting to Government Research Leadership

11:55 – 12:20pm

Speakers: Ricken Patel & Tom Pravda

This session will examine the politics, policy, and coordination needed for governments to lead in frontier climate research. We’ll discuss strategies to unlock public funding, develop policy and  regulatory frameworks, and strengthen global collaboration.

Synthesis Session

12:20 - 12:30pm

Speakers: Sasha Post & Kelly Erhart

A closing session to connect the dots across the morning discussions. We’ll explore what these insights mean for the funding landscape and how philanthropy can play a catalytic role in supporting neglected research areas.

Guest Speaker

1:15 - 1:30pm

Speaker: Kim Stanley Robinson

An opportunity to continue conversations over from lunch, with remarks from renowned science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, best known in climate for his book The Ministry for the Future.

Choose Your Own Adventure: In-Depth Conversations with Leading Practitioners & Scientists

2:10 - 4:40pm

These interactive breakout sessions will give funders the chance to engage directly with practitioners and researchers working on frontier research pathways. Across six 20-minute rounds, participants will rotate between stations, engaging in focused discussions and Q&A.

(Funder-Only) Feedback Session

4:45 - 5:15pm

A session for funders to discuss the day’s presentations and ask further follow-up questions.

Cocktail Reception
and Networking

5:15 - 6:15pm

Close out the day with informal conversations over drinks. A chance to unwind, share reflections, and spark collaborations with fellow funders, researchers, and practitioners.

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