Trinity students and staff observe COP29

Posted on: 11 November 2024

Trinity Sustainability obtained observer status for the University, and as a result, received ten virtual tickets which were allocated to interested staff and students through an application process. Observer status gives us an opportunity to share what we are doing in Trinity, learn from others and build collaboration and partnership between universities to demonstrate leadership and focus attention on meaningful climate action. 

This year, our goals are to build networks for student engagement, increase support for education, support communities that don’t have the same opportunities to engage, and identify areas of research that may be of interest to Trinity’s academics.

Pictured: Lauren Jones Brennan, Srimoyee Biswas, Johnny Dabrowski, Sinéad McConomy Cooper, Lauren Lahie, Kamil Daniel Akdg, Órla Fitzgerald and Isabel Norman

Here are the students and staff taking part in COP29: 

Riky Pahlepi Saputrsa 

Riky is a student of Global Mental Health and interested in understanding the interconnectedness between climate change and mental wellbeing.  Riky says the opportunity to participate as a virtual delegate at COP29 offers a unique platform to contribute to crucial conversations about the impacts of climate change on global health, particularly mental health, which has often been overlooked in climate discourse. 

Their goal as a virtual delegate at COP29 is to advocate for a stronger integration of mental health considerations within climate policies, aligning with the future objectives of the United Nations.                                                                                        

Srimoyee Biswas

Srimoyee previously represented UN Women at G20 India in 2023.  She says the visible difference these spaces make in enhancing not just issues of diplomacy but also in creating a space for young people to decide what their future looks like has become increasingly evident. Knowing that Trinity has an observer status gives Srimoyee the opportunity to present herself as a potential candidate to add value and meaning to these meetings. 

Her goal for COP 29 is to make key contributions in how nations are accounting for 'inclusivity' as they progress towards more climate-friendly outcomes.

Sinéad McConomy Cooper 

As a Ph.D. student researching the intersection of business organisations and societal impact, she is committed to exploring how enterprises can drive positive change, particularly in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  Attending COP29 as a virtual delegate will provide Sinéad with a unique opportunity to engage with global leaders and thought leaders on climate action and sustainability. 

Her goals are to gain insights into international strategies and innovations to inform her research, collaborate with other delegates, share findings from my work, and explore how business can play a pivotal role in addressing complex global challenges such as climate change. 

Lauren Lahie

As a PhD student in Trinity Business School, Lauren is studying, teaching, and publishing in the field of the UN SDGs.  She’s looking forward to the opportunity to see the dynamics of a high-stakes conference like this unfold in real-time, and gain new insights on the governance, political, economic, and social roles at play in making decisions related to the UNFCCC. 

Lauren’s goal is to use learnings from the multi-stakeholder dialogues, gatherings of knowledge holders, and specialized trainings she has researched for years, to grow as a student, researcher, and champion for sustainability. 

Kamil Daniel Akdg

Kamil is writing his thesis on the Paris agreement articles involving climate and technology law. He has served as legal counsel for non-governmental organisations such as the Blockchain & Climate Institute.  His role involved helping with conflict resolution and humanitarian efforts in conflict zones, ensuring that activities complied with international law. 

His goal during COP is to advocate for the consideration of new elements of harm in international climate law and to advocate for our health agenda via non-political measurement technologies.  

Órla Fitzgerald 

Órla is a final year Environmental Sciences student, with the goal of going into environmental research and academia. She’s particularly interested in nature-based solutions and is eager to learn about advances in this field.  Órla is looking forward to hearing indigenous perspectives during COP, which is considered a vital leverage point in improving social-nature relationships and catalysing the fight against the climate crisis.   

Her goal after COP is to write an article in Evergreen Trinity about the experience of observing COP29 and key points discussed during it. 

Lauren Jones Brennan 

Lauren is the United Nations Youth Delegate for Ireland and is deeply committed to amplifying youth voices in discussions surrounding climate action and sustainable development.  She has spoken on climate issues at the Council of Europe, the UN General Assembly, and the World Food Forum, where she addressed food security and climate migration. 

Her goal is to bring her insights and advocacy efforts to COP29, ensuring that the voices and needs of marginalized communities are prioritized in the collective pursuit of a sustainable and equitable future for all.

Isabel Norman 

Isabel is the climate crisis section editor for the University Times and will use this opportunity to report on a student’s perspective on COP.  She combines her passion for the planet with her love of writing to fight the climate crisis from a humanities perspective. Post-graduation, she aspires to work in the fields of environmental journalism, law, or non-profit work. She adds that attending COP29 virtually is a foundational step for her as a student journalist and a prospective environmental humanist.

Isabel’s goal during COP29 is to put her environmental journalism to good use and provide a window into to COP through publishing an article for the University Times. 

Maryam Yabo 

Maryam is a third-year PhD researcher specialising in Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL).    She has a solid understanding of the complexities of climate policies and their impacts on marginalised communities.  She intends use this experience to enhance her PhD research as she examines the climate negotiations and COP outcomes. 

Her goal during COP29 is to derive meaningful insights to integrate into future publications and research. She’ll share insights from her research on climate migration and just transition.

Staff attending virtually:  

Professor Yvonne Buckley

Yvonne Buckley is the Professor of Zoology at Trinity. She is Co-Chair of the All Island Climate and Biodiversity Research Network, Senior Editor of Journal of Ecology, a member of the National Carbon Budgets Working Group and a member of both the Royal Irish Academy and Academia Europaea. She co-directs Nature+: Trinity Centre for Biodiversity & Sustainable Nature-based Solutions as well as Climate+ Co Centre. Prof Buckley has research interests in determining the future of how we live well on the planet, environmental decision making, plant ecology and quantitative ecology

Professor Karen Wiltshire 

Karen Wiltshire is Professor of Climate Science and an expert in coastal research.  She is a Trinity alumna and has returned from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, where she served as Vice-Director in combination with a professorship in Shelf Sea Ecology at the University of Kiel.

Student Johnny Dabrowski (pictured above) is going to COP29 in Baku in-person and representing Earth Day.org.  Their aim is to urge the parties to include education targets in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).  

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