Environmental Diplomacy: Student Experiences from COP27

In the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh, four Tar Heels participated in the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in November.  

This multilateral convening is the largest annual United Nations conference and brings stakeholders from across world regions and sectors to discuss climate action and diplomacy. 

Hear from the student participants to learn about their experience, how they got there, what they learned and how that could be you! 

Join us in room 4003 in the FedEx Global Education Center on Tuesday, April 18 at 12:30 p.m. for the student discussion. We’ll be serving Brandwein’s Bagels (many of their ingredients are locally sourced, so it’s good for the planet!)

Please register for the event to join us in-person or via Zoom.  

Melissa Ashbaugh ’23

M.A. City and Regional Planning, with certification in Natural Hazards Resilience.  
Most memorial moment at COP27: Seeing Dr. Robert Bullard in the flesh! 

Christian Chung ’24 

B.S. Biology & B.A. Public Policy (Concentration in Science, Climate, and International Development Policy); Minor in Environmental Science 
Most memorable moment at COP27: Meeting Grace Fu! (Minister of Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore) 

Jamie Cummings ’22

B.A. Global Studies and Public Policy
Most memorable moment at COP27: Jamie attended COP27 where she moderated a panel with the International Chamber of Commerce and spoke at a side event on Localized Solutions to Reduce Climate Induced Loss & Damage for the Most Vulnerable. She also dressed up in a blow-up dinosaur suit!

Rene Marker-Katz ’23

M.A. City and Regional Planning, with certification in Natural Hazards Resilience.  
Most memorial moment at COP27: Speaking with members of UNICEF about my master’s thesis (on women’s vulnerability). 

Moderated by:

Felix Dodds

Adjunct Professor at UNC and the PI for the Belmont Forum Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience project. He also from 2007-2011 coordinated the Water and Climate Coalition at the UNFCCC COPs. He has written or edited 24 books on sustainable development the latest is Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage. 

This event is part of Carolina’s second-annual Diplomacy Week hosted by the Office of the Vice Provost for Global Affairs.