08/18/2021
By Ruairi O'Mahony
The Department of Political Science, Climate Change Initiative (CCI), and the Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy are happy to announce that UML has been granted preliminary status as an observer organization to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The yearlong application process was propelled by the full support of Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney and the Executive Cabinet, as well as FAHSS Dean Luis Falcon.
This status gives our community the opportunity to send representatives to the annual UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP). The COP serves as the focal point in the UNFCCC process — the primary international effort to negotiate global action on climate change. Once UML’s status is formalized at the upcoming COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, it will join the ranks of universities like Harvard, MIT and Boston University as permanent observer organizations. UML will also be the only campus in the University of Massachusetts system sending credentialed representatives.
Together, Political Science, CCI and the Rist Institute will manage the process of sending UML representatives to the COP. To that end, we invite all interested faculty members and students to apply for a place as a credentialed representative.
Depending on the number of representatives submitted across all observer and participant parties, the COP may impose attendance quotas. In that case, it may be necessary for UML to restrict the number of representatives able to attend with UML credentials. In that case, applications will be evaluated in terms of the significance of COP attendance for the applicant’s proposed purpose.
We envision three general areas of participation: research, teaching, and public awareness/advocacy. Interested individuals should submit this formby noon on August 28.
Further questions can be addressed to Jarrod Hayes, Juliette Rooney-Varga and Ruairi O’Mahony.