Expedition 5: From UMaine to the UN: Climate Science and Policy
November 5–December 2, 2018
With collaboration from UMaine Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program, a team led by Anna McGinn and Will Kochtitzky used Extension’s Follow a Researcher® program to virtually bring students to Katowice, Poland for the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24). The conference is the annual meeting of the United Nations (UN) to address global climate action. Students were able to experience the negotiations through blog posts, tweets, live video conferences, and interviews with country negotiators, heads of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other delegates.
“A central piece of our attendance at the COPs is to draw connections between these international efforts and the State of Maine,” says McGinn. “Attending the COPs presents a unique opportunity for researchers in Maine to explore how scientific research feeds into international decision-making on climate change to build relationships with leading policymakers, physical and social scientists, and practitioners from around the world.”
