Nine University of Chicago students recently attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. The group, which included six undergraduates and three master’s students from the Harris School of Public Policy and Booth School of Business, participated as part of an annual delegation sponsored by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth.
The students were accompanied by staff from the Institute and spent three days at the conference from November 12 to 14. They organized their own schedules, attending a variety of panels that covered topics such as climate finance, technology, agriculture, and health care. These sessions featured speakers from around the world who shared international perspectives on climate-related issues.
Eliza Beckerman-Lee, a joint master’s student at Booth and Harris, commented on her experience: “This was ‘the COP of implementation’ and it was fascinating to see countries go from high-level strategy to actually getting things done on the ground. Unsurprisingly, funding is the greatest implementation challenge, and I loved the conversations between public and private sector leaders about how to reduce the cost of capital to increase the availability and speed of climate financing.”
The students also observed live United Nations meetings and negotiations on topics including international climate-finance platforms like the Adaptation Fund and Loss and Damage Fund. Davis Turner, a fourth-year undergraduate student, reflected: “Negotiations may be long, tedious and riddled with minutiae, but in watching the passion with which delegates spoke about the environmental values of their country, I take a renewed, vested interest in the legal frameworks that so importantly shape the future of emission reductions in Illinois, the United States, and the rest of the world.”
Networking opportunities allowed students to connect with peers from other universities as well as professionals working in energy companies such as Rystad Energy. They also met with Christa Hasenkopf from UChicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) Clean Air Program and Assistant Professor Amir Jina from Harris—both presenting at COP30—as well as Andrew Light, Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth.
Laura Bornhoevd, a second-year College student majoring in climate and sustainable growth studies said: “The opportunity to attend COP30 has added an invaluable layer of nuance to my understanding of how this process works to create international climate action—or in some cases, a lack thereof. Overall, going to COP allowed me to see the main topics of my major first-hand to better understand what happens during actual negotiations at COP, as well as work being done by NGOs, businesses and other stakeholders in the climate space.”
Students’ experiences at COP30 have contributed additional perspective beyond classroom learning.
For more information about daily reflections or student bios related to this event or details on joining future delegations through UChicago’s Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth can be found on their Daily Diaries page or COP30 delegation page.