UN Climate Talks in Glasgow – CSU students and researchers available to talk about COP26

Colorado State University students and faculty will attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, starting Oct. 31.

The students’ motto, “Voices of Optimism, Agents of Change,” will be showcased during a press conference and other events at the climate talks. The team is working with Michigan Tech, Vanderbilt and other universities and is part of The Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education or YEAH Network, which is supported by the National Science Foundation.

Contact: Mary Guiden, mary.guiden@colostate.edu and (206) 854-3786

Climate Talks veteran and Associate Professor Gillian Bowser will lead the student group and helped prepare them through a class on international negotiations with a focus on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This will be the 11th COP she’ll attend. Bowser focuses on learning more about barriers that under-represented students might perceive about ecological research and implementing programs to overcome those barriers.

Professor Julia Klein also taught an international negotiations for undergraduate students this semester. Her research focuses on understanding how global changes affect pastoral and mountain ecosystems. She leads the Mountain Sentinels Collaborative Network, which seeks to catalyze innovative solutions for global mountain sustainability.

Jacob Genuise, master’s degree student in ecosystem science and sustainability, has taken the lead in overseeing planning for events, including a press conference, at COP26. He studied meteorology and atmospheric science as an undergraduate at the University of Oklahoma before starting his graduate degree at CSU. “Young people really see climate change as a challenge, but also a way to reshape the world and make it more equitable,” he said.

Kaydee Barker, a senior and Honors student at CSU, is studying ecosystem science and sustainability. She is one of the founders of the Livable Future podcast, which aims to educate the public about sustainability and environmental science. She and CSU alumnus Cody Sanford will produce COP26-specific episodes for the podcast. Before starting her studies at CSU, Barker spent five years traveling around the world. This had a profound impact on her, since she said that she saw climate change up close, as she’d never seen it before.

In addition, the following experts at CSU are available for interviews:

Nature’s solutions to removing atmospheric carbon to rebalance it. The University has multiple experts, including Jane Zelikova, executive director of the Soil Carbon Solution Center and Professors Francesca Cotrufo and Keith Paustian. An additional source is Professor Rich Conant, who studies how land use and land management practices impact carbon and nitrogen cycling in agricultural and grassland ecosystems.

Environmental and Natural Resource Sociology, Governance and Rural Development. Associate Professor Stephanie Malin conducts community-based research focusing on the impacts of resource extraction, energy production and environmental de-regulation. Her main interests include environmental justice and health, social mobilization and the socio-environmental effects of market-based economies.

Environmental and Resource Economics, International Environmental Policy. University Distinguished Professor Ed Barbier has consulted for a variety of national, international and non-governmental agencies, including many UN organizations and the World Bank.