Environment community playing a leading role at COP28
Environment staff and students are involved in several COP 28 events on a range of topics, with many contributing to the daily themes over the two week period.
The Faculty of Environment research community are making their mark in COP28, currently taking place in Dubai. This year there is a focus on youth, innovation and experience in the delegation, with our first Undergraduate member, Vaibhav Pramode Nair, from the School of Earth and Environment, an advocate of the Save Soil Movement.
He said, “Soil is our very body. Saving our soil must be our top priority if we want to sustain life on the planet.” He is joined by School of Geography PHD Researcher Jyoti Narsude, who has a focus on Nature-based land management, and said. “It is our moral responsibility to take action in all aspects in a well-disciplined manner to achieve the targets of climate change migration.”
Soil is our very body. Saving our soil must be our top priority if we want to sustain life on the plane
The Priestley Centre for Climate Futures is playing a leading role in our COP28 delegation with Professors Piers Forster and James Ford leading events and speaking at the conference and Research fellows Rebecca Sarku, Climate Change and Food Systems and Luba Pirgova-Morgan, who works in the area of corporate environmental sustainability and green initiatives, specifically with foundation industry companies, is part of the delegation.
Other faculty colleagues include SEE’s Vasiliki Kioupi, Lecturer in Sustainable curriculum; Ruth Jihyung Joo, Knowledge Translation Fellow and Harriet Thew, Lecturer in Climate change, who commented, “My hope is that COP28 is the COP in which the financial pledges made in Copenhagen in 2009 are finally delivered and exceeded.” and Debbie Rosen, CONSTRAIN Science and Policy Management.
My hope is that COP28 is the COP in which the financial pledges made in Copenhagen in 2009 are finally delivered and exceeded.
Cop 28 activities
UoL staff and students are paricipating in several COP events and undertaking research at COP28, with many contributing to the daily themes over the two week period. Piers Forster will be leading the discussion on ‘Where is global warming in relation to the long-term, temperature goal? Viktoria Spaiser will be a panellist on Correcting Course to 1.5°C: Positive Tipping Points in the Transition to Net Zero and Rebecca Sarku and Hauke Dahl, will be leading and taking part as panellists in Dubai. Want to know more about the daily events? You can get involved with COP28 virtually.
Our delegation, and the University more broadly, will play an important role in holding parties and stakeholders to account, and in ensuring that negotiated outcomes of COPs are informed by, and align with, the latest evidence.
Why is this year important?
Against a backdrop of the hottest year in human history, COP28 is set to conclude the first global stocktake - ‘a process for countries and stakeholders to see where they’re collectively making progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement – and where they’re not’ (UNFCCC).
The University, as a research institution providing tools, data and expertise that contribute to the global stocktake, takes a visible part in COP28 and support nations in stepping up their ambition and their international cooperation. As a leading UK institution for interdisciplinary climate research we have a strong international reputation for collaborating on national and international scientific assessments and policy-facing reports.
Follow the University of Leeds at COP28
You can see our activity during COP28 by visiting our Leeds at COP28 webpages. You can also follow the University of Leeds on X and follow the Priestley Centre on X.
