Establishing a Pathway to Student Engagement in the Climate

Chapter 2

Establishing a Pathway to Student Engagement in the Climate Change Discussion Downloaded by UNIV OF FLORIDA on December 11, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date (Web): October 23, 2017 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2017-1247.ch002

Anthony J. Tomaine* Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States *E-mail: [email protected].

Beginning with the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) in 2010, the ACS has helped select students receive non-governmental organization (NGO) status from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in order to attend the annual Conference of Parties (COP) and provide student outreach on climate change issues. The 2011 International Year of Chemistry (IYC 2011) played an especially important role in the initiation of the COP student-to-student engagement efforts, sparking a climate change discussion among students that continues to this day. This chapter will discuss the project’s foundation and describe the effort that enabled its launch, including the ways participants attend conference sessions, interview and network with other NGO personnel, and interact with government officials. The chapter will conclude with an overview of the project’s success and current outlook.

Introduction Life-defining moments; we never expect them, but we remember them forever. Whether they define our career, personal life, or simply resemble a checkpoint in our past, we look back and know that moment is where the right, or maybe wrong, decision was made. With regards to science and policy, the subject of climate change is seemingly at this defining moment for our world. What we as a society choose to do in this generation will presage the lives of generations to come. The Students on Climate Change (SOCC) (1) project is represented by a © 2017 American Chemical Society Peterman et al.; Climate Change Literacy and Education The Science and Perspectives from the Global Stage Volume 1 ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

group of individuals devoted to climate change literacy and education; our project began as a result of the International Year of Chemistry (IYC 2011) (2).

Downloaded by UNIV OF FLORIDA on December 11, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date (Web): October 23, 2017 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2017-1247.ch002

The International Year of Chemistry In 2008, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution declaring that 2011 be the International Year of Chemistry (3). Its purpose was to create a worldwide celebration of chemistry and its contributions to the global community, using the overarching theme of “Chemistry—Our Life, Our Future.” IYC 2011 had many goals, including increasing the public’s appreciation of chemistry, encouraging interest in chemistry among the youth, and generating enthusiasm for the future, among others. As a subset to these goals, there were actions to emphasize chemistry as a creative science for sustainability, yielding four major, global themes: 1) water in the environment, 2) alternative energy, 3) materials, and 4) health, with each theme to be celebrated quarterly throughout IYC 2011 (4). The American Chemical Society (ACS) declared the United Nations conference of December, 2010 (the 16th Conference of the parties, or COP16 under the UNFCCC) to be a kick-off event for IYC 2011. This major conference is specifically for policy related to climate change and is influenced by the science behind it. Unfortunately, we are scientifically limited in our ability to precisely predict how both human and ecological systems will react to changes in the climate. Nevertheless, it is known throughout the scientific community that past and current assessments of the Earth’s climate, along with potential future climate assessments, indicate that climate change is present, largely due to human behaviors, and is a serious problem if nothing is done to combat this change (4).

ACS Policy on Climate Change To confront the changing climate and attempt to improve its current state, the ACS has created a climate-specific policy statement (4). As the largest scientific society in the world, it strives to advance science, advocate for chemistry, and educate the public through outreach programs, among other initiatives. Additionally, with more than 20 public policy statements, ACS communicates with government officials to promote public policies that address national and global matters (5). In regards to climate change, the ACS policy statement contains four pillars as its foundation: 1) to enhance the understanding of the Earth’s dynamic system at many levels through further development of integrative and interdisciplinary scientific research, 2) reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are a result of human activities, 3) adapt to the new climate we are currently facing (including adaptations to the changes in water supplies, agricultural productivity, severe weather patterns, etc.) and 4) develop a national strategy to promote climate change literacy and education. It is strongly believed that climate change is a serious risk to the Earth and all its species, and must be addressed to prevent the possibility of potentially catastrophic events. 16 Peterman et al.; Climate Change Literacy and Education The Science and Perspectives from the Global Stage Volume 1 ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


In regards to these four pillars of the ACS policy statement, the SOCC group is focused on climate change literacy and education. Our mission, in cooperation with the ACS, is to bridge a connection between the accepted science of climate change, and the social science, risk management and economic issues of our time. The sustainability education we present demonstrates the properties of climate-literate individuals. These characteristics include the understanding of principles essential to the Earth’s climate system, the knowledge to assess scientifically credible information about climate, effective communication about climate and climate change, and the ability to make informed/responsible decisions with regard to actions that may affect climate. As previously stated, IYC 2011 served as a platform for climate change education and hosted a kick-off event by sending two students to COP16 as student-ambassadors of ACS. The COP meetings are supported by the UNFCCC and began in May of 1992 (6). The first COP meeting (COP1) was held in Berlin and established a process to strengthen commitments from developed countries to the UNFCCC. This led to the Kyoto Protocol being adopted at COP3 in 1997 (7). The significance of this document is remarkable, as it is the world’s first commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it did not enter into force until 2005, after detailed rules for the protocol were adopted in 2001 at COP7. For the protocol to enter into force, no fewer than 55 parties to the UNFCCC—who must also account for at least 55% of carbon dioxide emissions—were required to ratify, accept, approve, or accession the protocol (8). After the Kyoto Protocol, the next major development in the international climate change discussion came at COP13 in Bali. As a result of this meeting, the Bali Road Map was developed (9). This outlined a new pathway for the negotiation process, using the five pillars of 1) shared vision, 2) mitigation, 3) adaptation, 4) technology and 5) financing as the foundation for future negotiations. At this moment, international climate policy began to move forward at a determined pace. Subsequent to the Bali Road map was COP14 in Poland. Here, policy that aims to aid developing countries financially with adaptation projects and programs was developed (10). This was followed by the Copenhagen Accord at COP15 where policy relations seemly came to a standstill, leaving many discussions for COP16 in Cancun (2010).

The Birth of SOCC The December 2010 COP16 was the beginning for SOCC. The initiative for the SOCC climate literacy project began in early 2010 when Drs. Greg Foy and Keith Peterman, chemistry professors at York College of Pennsylvania, were recruited to Chair the IYC 2011 national ACS Action Team 8: Incorporating Sustainability into the International Year of Chemistry; the ACS student climate literacy project was conceived by this committee. Foy and Peterman pitched the project idea to the ACS Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI) in August of 2010 at the ACS National Meeting in Boston. After gaining approval for the student project, the professors returned home and mobilized two seniors 17 Peterman et al.; Climate Change Literacy and Education The Science and Perspectives from the Global Stage Volume 1 ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


from YCP to help them plant the SOCC seed in the then upcoming International Year of Chemistry. At this point, my personal experiences gained a “once in a lifetime” chapter that I will never forget. At the start of the Fall 2010 semester, I was called into Dr. Foy’s office. I can honestly say that I was not a student who always did things by the book, but I had no idea why I was being called into his office, as I knew I had done nothing wrong. Upon walking to Dr. Foy’s office, I became increasingly more nervous with every step, anticipating something unexpected and unable to slow my mind, which was racing with thoughts of how the conversation would proceed. However, I would not have to wait very long to understand my nervous thoughts were for nothing. Our impromptu meeting quickly gave me a 180-degree turn of emotions, as I received an invitation to embark on the journey to COP16 and participate in climate change education among my peers. I was elated to hear that I was going to be a part of this project, along with my friend and colleague Leah Block, but the scientist in me quickly took over as I began to see the challenges that would come with this responsibility. From the beginning, it was our hope (among Leah, myself and our professors) that we create a long-term project by laying the foundation quickly and effectively. The challenge was immense, as it was September 2010 and the conference was in December of the same year; we had to move quickly. Between Leah and myself, our background education in climate change policy was minimal, our funding existed only through the ACS startup money, and we needed to obtain credentials for access to the conference. Since our knowledge of climate change history and policy was lacking, we began meeting with our professors to have an open discussion about the important milestones leading up to COP16. Beginning with the Keeling curve and learning the history up through COP15, Leah and I needed to grasp as much as we could in the little time that remained before COP16. Succeeding in due time, our meetings began to take on the dual purpose of increasing our education and planning our next steps in becoming attendees at COP16. Obtaining the necessary financial support for our journey was constantly addressed throughout the process. Generously, CEI provided the startup funds, which allowed us to show other sources that our fundraising campaign was underway. The YCP Physical Sciences Department and the YCP Student Chemistry Society also provided support for our pilot project. However, our efforts still fell short, which led us to asking the YCP Student Senate for backing. After two attempts, Leah and I were finally able to secure a majority of the funding needed for our trip; it was a relief and yet daunting, as reality began to set in.

Gaining UN Accreditation A majority of our efforts now shifted priority towards obtaining accreditation for access to the conference. COP16 would have high-level government officials and representatives present, which made obtaining access to this conference more difficult than many other scientific meetings we attended in the past. By acquiring accreditation, we would be allowed to pass the security checkpoint and access 18 Peterman et al.; Climate Change Literacy and Education The Science and Perspectives from the Global Stage Volume 1 ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


certain areas of the conference but still be excluded from areas where negotiations were taking place. One of our daily tasks at COP16 would be to write a blog post about our everyday endeavors. At the time, Chemical and Engineering News (C&EN) Editor-in-Chief Rudy Baum offered us blog space on his Editor-in-Chief blog (11). With this idea in hand, we applied for press accreditation, using a letter from the Editor-in-Chief himself. Unfortunately, we were rejected, mainly due to the lack of previous press-related publications from Leah and myself. Dejected but not short of ideas, we knew there was another option. The ACS had applied for and received non-governmental organization (NGO) status from the UNFCCC for COP13 in Bali. With this NGO accreditation, the ACS could now send a small group of individuals to COP16 as NGO Observers. Leah and I each had our names submitted to the UNFCCC as official ACS NGO Observers with the help of Ray Garant, ACS Assistant Director for Public Policy, and Carl Maxwell, ACS Office of Public Affairs, Director of Energy and Environment Policy. This UN accreditation opened the door and allowed us to gain access to the conference. We finally had our credentials!

Preparations Toward Becoming an ACS Student Ambassador Between September and November of 2010, we made monthly trips to Washington, D.C. (ACS headquarters), to learn not only how to submit our blog entries but, more importantly, what to blog about. As young students heavily involved in a startup project, there was the requirement and emphasis that we represent the ACS, YCP and ourselves well on the national and international level. Daunted, yet up to the stimulating challenge, Leah and I would be there to bridge the gap between policy, science, and students (who were our target audience). It was our privilege to assess, understand, and report our conference findings, staying unbiased and informative, which would allow for an open discussion about climate change. We would be the first two ACS NGO Student Ambassadors to attend a COP event.

COP16: We Have Arrived With our training complete, our funding established, and our access to the conference approved, we flew to Cancun, Mexico for the second week of COP16. Arriving with little difficulty, we immediately knew that we were in the right place for the conference, because it was advertised at every location of the Cancun airport. Traveling to the hotel, our feelings began to intensify, excited for the journey ahead, but they were also put in check very quickly. The reason for Cancun as the location for COP16, from its previously planned location of Mexico City, was due to an abundance of protests and general unrest. With this, it seemed that the Mexican military was not taking any chances, as they were apparently at every corner on our path to the hotel. After arriving at our resort, that evening we set out to retrieve our credentials from the conference site. Passing heavily armed vehicles and personnel en route 19 Peterman et al.; Climate Change Literacy and Education The Science and Perspectives from the Global Stage Volume 1 ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


to the conference center, it was a different feeling than I had ever experienced before. As mixed emotions spread throughout my thoughts, we arrived and obtained our NGO badges, now ready to take the challenges associated with ACS Student Ambassador to a new level. During the first week of the conference, COP16 President Patricia Espinosa was elected, and third-party meetings [the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA)] occurred, where negotiations were to be completed and reported to ensure progress was being made on establishing policy. The second week, when high-level meetings commenced, began with anticipation, in hopes that further policy progress would take place. Attendance at the conference included state parties (194 total), observer organizations, intergovernmental observers, UN specialized agencies and related organizations, along with NGOs and press. With the conference agenda related strictly to climate change, the goal of COP16 was to adopt and implement decisions necessary to carry out the mandates of the Kyoto Protocol (12). Unique to COP16, sustainability and mitigation were obvious major focus areas, and it was a mission of the Mexican government to provide services that minimized the environmental impact (13). To include a few examples, as we traveled daily from our hotel to the conference center, biodiesel-powered buses were our mode of transportation. A 1.5 Megawatt wind generator was installed to supply energy to the city of Cancun, and a major recycling program was implemented at this conference, eliminating the disposal of many materials.

The Daily Grind As with any conference, there was a daily program. This paper handout (or as we preferred, the online PDF download) was available everyday as the official UNFCCC guide to official meetings, side events and press briefings, and a summary of the previous day’s negotiations. These programs were open to all attendees of the conference and were something we heavily relied on to accomplish our daily tasks. Every day, we were able to attend small meetings and press conferences, communicate with other NGO groups, and interview many different individuals, along with attending plenary sessions. The small meetings might be policy-related or scientific in nature. Additionally, there were general presentations (non-party-associated) and also party-associated presentations where we could get a glimpse of specifics to various countries. Most interestingly, we were able to attend a session at the United States’ meeting room, where there were presentations from the Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of Defense, and the Council for Environmentally Responsible Economies (14). After observing what other countries were achieving to combat climate change, it was refreshing to witness the United States also making attempts at combating this world problem. Press meetings were high-level meetings that we were also able to attend at the conference. One thing to note, whether it was a finance or policy event, it 20 Peterman et al.; Climate Change Literacy and Education The Science and Perspectives from the Global Stage Volume 1 ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


was intimidating being in the same room (sometimes just 20 rows away) from the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon or the President of Mexico (at the time) Felipe Calderon, or in Leah’s experience, having a personal conversation with Christianna Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC (15). During the day’s-end press briefings, President Calderon and COP16 President Patricia Espinosa were a constant, united force. Their mission was to ensure progress was made, and the tone they set for the conference was consistent, asking for small victories each day. As President Calderon once said at the end of his speech, “We need to get the first 10 yards, before we are able to reach our goal” (16). One of the more adventurous aspects of being student ambassadors was interacting with other NGO groups and people; there was an entire section of the conference designated for NGOs to have booth displays (17). Walking around and having a dialogue with other NGOs, from students to professionals, was very inspiring, as everyone was united against the same cause. One of the common questions we asked to these groups was “As students who recognize climate change as a problem, what should we do to spread the message?” A variety of answers always surfaced, but their message was still the same: unite and educate. After attending one of the high-level finance meetings, we thought it would be a great idea to interview a member of the Advisory Group on Climate Financing. After Ban Ki Moon, a member of the advisory group, had left the room, we tried to get an interview with Meles Zenawi (1955-2012), the then Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Unable to get his attention at the room’s exit, Leah and I jockeyed past other reporters in an attempt to hear his opinion about what students can do to combat climate change. Finally, after fighting our way through the crowd and getting as close as possible without raising concern with his bodyguards, we got our chance to speak with him. Graciously, he answered our question with seriousness, stating that the world’s youth will play a large role in climate change policy and that new technologies will aid us in preventing a cataclysmic disaster. After listening intently to this prominent world leader while simultaneously attempting to contain my excitement, a different perspective began to materialize with intense weight; the future may be closer than we expect.

A Beacon of Hope Nevertheless, the most memorable experiences were at plenary sessions, especially the final one. These sessions typically involved many party delegates, press, and observers; hundreds of people in one room listening to leaders of the conference give speeches about what’s to come or what has been done. In the final session, Leah and I were lucky enough to be present at the most anticipated plenary session of the conference. After security closed the doors to the plenary hall because it had reached capacity, anticipation began to rise. With the excitement mounting, we were ready for COP 16 President Espinosa to emerge, but some delegates had—unknowingly to us—been denied access. Understandably unhappy with the decision, they began to intensely bang on the doors until they were allowed access, frightening half the people present inside, as we were clueless as to the happenings outside the ballroom doors. Finally, 21 Peterman et al.; Climate Change Literacy and Education The Science and Perspectives from the Global Stage Volume 1 ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


they were granted access by President Espinosa, and minutes later the session began. As she walked out on the stage, I remember the goosebumps rising on my neck and finally to the rest of my body. However, it was not because I was in the presence of high-level individuals (that feeling was something I was now used to) but because every single person in that room was on their feet, applauding and cheering. COP16 was a success. Never will I forget what President Espinosa had done to create the Cancun Agreements with these delegates; she deserved the ovation that she received. As student ambassadors, our continued mission was not only to assess, learn, and understand our experiences, but to also share the information with our colleagues and students across the world. As we began, the most effective means of communication towards our target audience were not obvious to us. Our main outreach was through our C&E News blog space, and this did generate online discussions. We were also able to use Facebook and additionally host Skype sessions with our classmates at YCP. Once we returned, we were able to create a documentary film, which shared some of our interviews and also displayed what we learned, as students, from the conference (17). Although we did not have access to a lot of the social network applications that are present today, we were able to communicate and create an open discussion about climate change at our institution and beyond. As the first student ambassadors, our goal was achieved, but in reality, it was just an initial step—one of many. The project seed that we planted has now thrived and grown into an organization that we only hoped would happen. The ongoing Students on Climate Change project is comprised of students and professionals, dedicated to raising the level of climate change literacy in the United States. The mission stays the same: to create an open climate change discussion among a wide-ranging audience, focusing on post-secondary education students, while all individuals involved with this project strive to make a difference in their everyday lives (1). From two students attending YCP, SOCC has now encompassed 36 different students from five different countries over the past five COP events (18, 19). As seen in other chapters, student members of the SOCC project discuss specific interpretations of the effects from climate change. The current effects reach a broad set of individuals and groups, but the outcome, if nothing is done, will be the same: a potentially cataclysmic and unpredictable future.

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Establishing a Pathway to Student Engagement in the Climate

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