EXPERTS ADVISORY

Sixteen University of Michigan students and their faculty adviser will attend the two-week COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The students will observe the negotiations, attend side events and interact with various experts.

This year’s conference runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. U-M has sent student delegations to U.N. climate change conferences since 2009.

Zoe Salamey is a master’s student and a Bohnett Public Service and Leadership Fellow at the Ford School of Public Policy. She serves on the advocacy coordination team of the YOUNGO Climate, Peace, and Security working group and at the city of Detroit’s Office of Sustainability, helping to accelerate the use of renewable energy in municipal operations.

Prior to her graduate studies, Salamey worked within the electrical utility sector on smart grid and technology projects related to renewable energy. She also served on the Sustainable Development Goal 7 Youth Constituency, the energy working group of the United Nations-mandated Major Group for Children and Youth.

At COP28, Salamey will observe conversations about climate financing and how developed countries can contribute to global mitigation efforts.

“Given the failure of the international community to reach its climate commitments, urgent action is necessary to ensure that communities are prepared and protected from the coming effects of climate change,” she said. “These conversations, involving stakeholders large and small, are important opportunities for collective action and equity that center around using our resources to innovate, to solve global challenges, and to ensure that the most vulnerable communities are included and supported.”

Salamey will attend the second week of the two-week conference.

Contact: zpidgeon@umich.edu

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Ananyo Bhattacharya is a doctoral student in the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the College of Engineering and is pursuing a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Center for Entrepreneurship. He completed his training in mechanical engineering in India.

Bhattacharya’s research interests are primarily in space sciences and technology, complex systems and sustainable development. He is working with NASA’s Juno mission to understand mysteries of Jupiter’s aurora and deep atmosphere.

Bhattacharya is a fellow of the Entrepreneurs Leadership Program and has worked with student teams to develop solutions against infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, he has received research fellowships from Los Alamos National Laboratory and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for computational science and planetary exploration.

“I feel that climate change is a global phenomenon, and each one of us is a key stakeholder in this process,” he said. “My background in space sciences and engineering has provided me with important perspectives about challenges with regard to sustainable development. Connecting with professionals from U-M and outside has broadened my scope toward the social and economic aspects. As a young professional equipped with technical skills, it is my personal responsibility to contribute toward solutions and to encourage discussions from a systems-level perspective.

“At COP28, I look forward to connecting with global leaders, and listening to the voices of representatives from local communities. I’m excited to know about the future of climate finance, given that we are moving toward the conclusion of the first global stocktake.”

Bhattacharya will attend the first week of the two-week conference.

Contact: ananyo@umich.edu

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Sarah Dieck Wells is a dual-degree master’s student at the Ford School of Public Policy and School for Environment and Sustainability. While pursuing her graduate studies, she has worked with U-M’s Graham Sustainability Institute to develop and implement community engagement strategies to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency projects at the state and local government levels, and has supported communities aiming to leverage federal funding opportunities to support local sustainability initiatives.

“I am very excited to represent the University of Michigan as a student delegate at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in December,” she said. “In addition to conversations related to climate financing and collaborative strategies to improve global resilience to the impacts of climate change, I am looking forward to hearing how countries respond to the findings from the first Global Stocktake process, which evaluates collective progress toward meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

“The updated contributions and climate policies set forth by nations are critically important to accomplishing these global adaptation and mitigation goals, so I will be watching this aspect of the negotiations closely.”

Dieck will attend the second week of the two-week conference.

Contact: sarahwel@umich.edu

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Shuhaib Nawawi is a doctoral student in resource policy and behavior at the School for Environment and Sustainability. His research explores a reduced complexity building-energy modeling approach for co-optimizing the objectives of occupants and the power grid in a changing climate.

Previously, Nawawi worked as a business development executive for Malaysia’s only Fortune Global 500 company, PETRONAS, where he strategized and implemented decarbonization initiatives via solar and battery storage systems within the companies’ oil and gas facilities. He also was a 2020 Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in energy systems engineering.

At COP28, he hopes to gain a richer perspective on the complexities of international climate decision-making in the energy and built environment sectors.

“The irony of having the most important climate meeting in the petrostate United Arab Emirates chaired by an oil mogul is glaring,” he said. “Given the fossil fuel industry’s history of opposing, rather than aligning with, climate science and mitigation efforts, the concerns and criticism are evident. At COP28, I hope to see an outcome that leverages oil and gas’s capabilities to genuinely decarbonize the world, moving beyond mere greenwashing.”

Nawawi will attend the first week of the two-week conference.

Contact: shuhaib@umich.edu

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Carmen Wagner is a dual-degree master’s student at the Ford School of Public Policy and School for Environment and Sustainability, specializing in environmental justice and environmental policy and planning. Her master’s project at SEAS, working with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, focused on overcoming barriers to disseminating and accessing climate information services in Samoa and Vanuatu. She provided policy recommendations for local governments, NGOs and regional/international development organizations. Wagner is also interested in ensuring a just energy transition, energy efficiency efforts and renewable energy investments internationally.

“Energy systems across the world will need quick, smart and technological transformations toward clean energy to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change. However, we must include frontline communities in decision-making processes and ensure equitable deployment of clean energy,” she said. “This work involves policymakers, engineers, local communities, corporations and many more. At COP28, I look forward to learning more about how countries, policymakers and communities work to ensure a just transition.

“Furthermore, I’m curious to see the impacts of the COP27 Loss and Damage Fund, which provides funds to vulnerable nations impacted by climate change. My master’s project in Vanuatu and Samoa exposed me to the major need for funding, resources and capacity-building in countries most impacted by climate change. I’m interested in whether this help has been provided and what work has been done with these funds.”

Wagner will attend the first week of the two-week conference.

Contact: carmwag@umich.edu

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Alexandra Stavros is a master’s student at the Ford School of Public Policy, specializing in international policy. She is on the board of Climate Blue, a U-M student organization whose mission empowers the local community to become more engaged in climate action and works directly with the delegation attending COP meetings to bring home lessons learned to share with the Ann Arbor and university communities.

“With the impacts of climate change becoming increasingly urgent, policymakers and leaders must keep up with the pressing demands,” she said. “I am especially interested in exploring how solutions and commitments to climate change intersect with pressing security issues across the globe—the national and international risks caused by climate change.

“At COP28, I am excited to gain a deeper understanding of innovative solutions and global collaborations to mitigate and resolve conflict and security dilemmas exacerbated by climate change.”

Stavros will attend the second week of the two-week conference.

Contact: allystav@umich.edu