
Resilience and Sustainability Collaboratory
Learn all about how the RSC accelerates our capacity to generate and sustain viable futures.
History of Emory at Climate Talks
COP25 - Madrid
The largest Emory student delegation attended COP25 in December 2019. Students from Emory College, Goizueta Business School, Laney Graduate School and Rollins School of Public Health attended and participated in the talks.
COP24 - Krakow
Ten Emory students attended COP24 in Krakow in November 2018
COP23 - Bonn
Twelve Emory students attended COP23 in Bonn, Germany in November of 2017
COP22 - Marrakesh
Nine Emory students participated in the conference and presented climate change research conducted at Emory.
COP 21 - Paris
The first delegation of nine students and two faculty members, Professor Saikawa and Professor Longhofer attended the Paris conference for the full two weeks in December of 2015.
Application for NGO status
The university compiled a list of faculty doing research on climate topics, along with other information that told the story of Emory’s commitment, which was submitted in a letter from President Wagner to the UN in December of 2013. Emory was approved as a Non-Party Stakeholder in 2014 with approval to send 12 Emory representatives each year to the annual Conference of Parties (COP).
The Idea
An idea was germinating in 2013, why wasn’t Emory University one of the 20 or so universities (at the time, today there are more than 50 U.S. universities) participating as observers to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC)? As a university with deep commitments to sustainable practices and climate change related research, it seemed fundamental that Emory faculty and students be able to experience these international meetings first-hand. Professor Stefanie Sarnat in the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health in the Rollins School of Public Health and her PhD student, Cassandra O’Lenick, submitted the necessary application materials.
Organization of Emory Climate Talks
Eri Saikawa, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Emory University and the Director of Emory Climate Talks. Professor Saikawa's research is diverse covering areas of atmospheric chemistry, environmental health, biogeochemistry, climate science, environmental policy/politics. In addition to her work with Emory Climate Talks, she also serves as a Co-Director of the Resilience and Sustainability Collaboratory.
Leah Thomas supports programming at Emory Climate Talks. She has worked at Emory since 2014 in the Department of Environmental Sciences.
Advisory Board
Learn all about how the RSC accelerates our capacity to generate and sustain viable futures.