COP28 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates - December 2023
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Sohan Bellam 26C
SB60 DelegateCOP28, COP29, SB60
Sohan is a sophomore in Emory College of Arts and Sciences studying International Relations and Quantitative Sciences.
On campus, he conducts research in Emory Law School and the Political Science Department, is a competitive team member of the Barkley Forum for Debate, Dialogue and Deliberation and is a Legislator in Student Government Association. Off campus, he interns for the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council, where he has firsthand observed the impact of economic aid and coercive measures on climate change. Sohan is fascinated by the role international organizations and diplomacy in the world order, and hopes to pursue a career in supporting multilateral fora and the defense of democracy through data-driven methods, building a more equitable and sustainable world. Areas of interest at COP28: Human Rights, International Politics, Climate Negotiations, Diplomacy
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Andrew Bui 25C
COP28 Delegate
Andrew Bui is a junior in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences, double majoring in Environmental Science (Social Science & Policy Track) and Economics. He has called Georgia home his entire life, except when he attended high school at a monastery in Arkansas.
Outside class, Andrew is the Co-President of AltKey, Emory's sustainable fashion organization, and the Director of Project Management of Atlas Consulting Group, which works with Fortune 500 clients in the Atlanta metropolitan area. He is passionate about supporting businesses across all sectors to become more sustainable. In his free time, Andrew enjoys dancing classical ballet, playing soccer, and volunteering at the campus gardens.
Areas of interest at COP28: Sustainable Fashion, Green Business, Just Energy Transition, Sustainable Food Systems, Sustainable Finance
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Lucia Buscemi 24C
COP28 Delegate
Lucia is a senior majoring in environmental science and anthropology. They will be heading to Nepal in September as a Fulbright Research Scholar.
They are also a Halle Institute Undergraduate Research Fellow and the Zero Waste and Sustainable Events intern for Emory's Office of Sustainability Initiatives. Areas of interest at COP28: Mitigation strategies to climate change, climate financing, and gender-focused approaches to adaptation
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Alexis German 25C
COP28 Delegate
Alexis is a junior in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Environmental Sciences (Social Science & Policy track) and English. She currently researches plastic burning in the Philippines for the Saikawa Lab.
At Emory, Alexis works as a tutor for the Emory Writing Center, plays on the Emory Gender Expansive and Women's Ultimate frisbee team, and is on the editorial board for the Emory Journal of Law and Society. Additionally, she holds leadership roles in Outdoor Emory and Kappa Kappa Gamma, and she is a peer mentor for the Environmental Science department. After Emory, she hopes to pursue a career in environmental law and science communication, as she is passionate about bridging the communication gap between scientists and lawmakers.
Areas on interest at COP28: Sustainable Food Systems, Environmental Justice, Loss and Damage, Biodiversity, Youth-led Climate Action, Effect of Climate Change on Indigenous Communities
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Yulia Gu 25C
COP28 Delegate
Yulia is a junior at Emory University studying environmental science and community building and social change. On campus, she works on outdoor programming at the Center for Women, lead advocacy events in APIDAA, and is a member of the ENVS DEI Committee.
Yulia's passions lie in climate justice and social impact, and she uses community-centered principles to guide her theory of change. In the future she hopes to drive sustainable development and climate resilience solutions to build an equitable, just, and livable future for herself and generations to come.
Areas of interest at COP28: Loss and damage, frontline communities & climate justice, climate finance, just energy transition
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Catherine Haus 24C
COP28 Delegate
Catherine is an Environmental Sciences: Social/Public Policy Track Major (BS), Quantitative Theory & Methods Minor at Emory. She is a member of the Saikawa Lab, President of Emory American Sign Language Organization, and researching air quality sensors.
She previously interned with NewFields, where she coded to assist with Superfund Site management & hazardous waste cleanup and mapped Brownfields Sites with the Nez Perce Tribe. Her ethnobotanical field research in the Amazon Rainforest piqued her interest in policies that conserve biodiversity.
Areas of interest at COP28: Forest Loss, Sustainable Agriculture, & Urban Resilience
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Anisha Johnson 25C
COP28 Delegate
Anisha is a third-year student at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is majoring in Economics and Environmental Sciences and has a keen interest in the overlap between the two subjects. Specifically, she is passionate about sustainable development and sustainable agriculture.
On campus, she is the president of Plastic Free Emory and is involved in a research lab investigating the impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture in the US. In her spare time, you can find her spending time in the outdoors, listening to podcasts, or baking seasonal treats! She is excited to attend COP28 in her home city, Dubai this year. Areas of interest at COP28: Food/Agricultural Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Waste Reduction
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Ingrid Lustig 24G
COP28 Delegate
Ingrid is a second-year student in the Laney Graduate School Masters of Development Practice program with concentrations in Gender Justice and Program Management. Stemming from her work as an intern with CARE USA's Climate Justice Team, Ingrid is interested in the intersection between climate change and migration.
On campus, Ingrid is a graduate research assistant at the Rollins School of Public Health, where she studies the relationship between women's access to water and their engagement in economic activities.
Areas of interest at COP28: Gender and Inclusion, Recovery and Peace, Water Systems
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Nithya Narayanaswamy 24C, 26PH
COP28 Delegate
Nithya is an aspiring public health professional, currently pursuing a Masters of Public Health (MPH) with a specialization in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies at the Rollins School of Public Health. After her undergraduate studies in Biology and Philosophy, her focus extends to environmental health, sustainability, and the ethical implications of these fields.
Through coordinating Zero Waste Movements at the Post Landfill Action Network and Co-Founding the Plastic Free Emory Project, she has a strong leadership background in sustainability advocacy and programming. Her interest in the public health impacts of environmental pollutants, particularly microplastics and PFAs, aligns with her pursuit of bioethics, emphasizing responsible and sustainable practices in health interventions. Recognized with the Robert M. Hascal Sustainability Innovator Award at Emory, Nithya aspires to merge sustainable environmental practices with humanitarian efforts, aiming to enhance health outcomes in vulnerable communities affected by crises. Areas of interest at COP28: Adaptation, Resilience and Loss & Damage; Human Settlements, Health & Sustainable Lifestyle
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Ayaka Smart 23OX 25C
COP28 Delegate
Ayaka is a member of the Saikawa Lab's Community-Engaged Children's Health Study in the Westside of Atlanta contributing to research efforts. Additionally, she plays for the Emory Gender Expansive and Women's Ultimate Frisbee team.
As a member of the Emory Climate Coalition, Ayaka works to build collaborations advocating for sustainability initiatives and engage with the Emory administration to drive positive change. Ayaka graduated from Emory Oxford, where she held key roles in the Oxford Women's Soccer Team, the Japanese Culture Club, and the Oxford Climate Reality Project.
Following a semester abroad in Tanzania, her focus has transitioned towards advocating for frontline indigenous communities in the Global South as well as supporting wildlife conservation. Area(s) of interest at COP28: climate adaptation initiatives for marginalized communities, just energy transition for Africa, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable fashion.
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Amelia Tamez 24C
COP28 Delegate
Amelia is a BS Environmental Science: Ecology and Conservation, Classical Civilization Minor at Emory. She grew up in Seattle, WA and developed a passion for the outdoors and environmental issues such as water pollution and environmental justice.
She is involved in Emory Residence Life, Bread Coffeehouse, and Honors Research. She conducts her research under the mentorship of Dr. Anthony (Tony) Martin in the paleontological study of trilobite burrows and tracks.
Areas of interest at COP28: Ocean Management, Biodiversity, and Indigenous inclusion of Climate Agreements
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Claire Todaro 22OX 24C
COP28 Delegate
Claire is a senior in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Environmental Science and Political Science. She is from Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Last summer, Claire interned with Pennfuture, an environmental law non-profit, where she assisted with land use and zoning legal issues. This spurred an interest in sustainable development and green urban planning, which is now the subject of her honors thesis under the advisorship of Dr. Michael Rich.
She is involved in efforts to encourage the Emory administration to commit to stronger climate action through the Emory Climate Coalition, and is also a member of the university’s Committee on the Environment. Outside of the environmental sphere, Claire is a captain of the Emory Gender Expansive and Women’s Ultimate team and enjoys baking and thrifting. After Emory, she plans to pursue a career in environmental law.
Areas of interest at COP28: Urban Planning, A Just Energy Transition, Sustainable Food Systems, and Climate Justice
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Rosaleen Xiong 24T
COP28 Delegate
Rosaleen is a third-year Master of Divinity Student in the Candler School of Theology. On campus, she has been involved with the Interfaith Dialogue, Education & Advocacy Society and Sacred Worth. She previously received a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin.
She has used her technical skills as a Data Visualization Intern with the environmental non-profit Climate Cabinet and as a Product Management Fellow with the Office of Sustainability and Climate Action in the City of Long Beach, CA. She currently serves as the Program Fellow for Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, a faith-based environmental justice non-profit.
Areas of interest at COP28: Technology and sustainability, faith and climate, grassroots climate action
SB58: Bonn, Germany - June 2023
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Sophia Lamb 23PH
SB58 Conference Delegate
Sophia graduated from the Rollins School of Public Health in May of 2023. As an MPH student in environmental health at Emory University, she learned about the effects of climate change on aspects such as health, equity and justice, policy, food security, and more.
While her courses included global climate aspects, she took a deeper dive into local effects and solutions to climate change working as a graduate assistant for the Georgia Climate Project (GCP). This position enabled Sophia to work with faculty, staff, and students from over 11 colleges and universities, to share climate-related research, initiatives, and stories within the state of Georgia. She recently assisted GCP in hosting the 2023 Georgia Climate Conference, in which over 500 individuals doing climate work and research came together to discuss how Georgia can minimize its risks and maximize its future. During Sophia’s time at the Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH), she also worked as a graduate assistant for the RSPH Office of Student Affairs. As the Graduate Assistant for Student Leadership, she had the opportunity to produce a community needs assessment on how RSPH student organizations can make their event planning process more sustainable.
At SB58, Sophia hopes to attend sessions and side events, gaining a deeper understanding of how climate change is not only impacting the world at a global scale, but also how it is impacting countries and regions at a more localized scale.
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Caitlin McConaghy 23PH
SB58 Conference Delegate
Caitlin is a recent graduate from the Rollins School of Public Health, where she studied global environmental health with a focus on climate and health. Her interests include climate adaptation and health equity, as well as ecotoxicology, which was the focus of her thesis.
In her career, she hopes to drive sustainable global development by strengthening social and climate vulnerability assessments and delivering community resiliency solutions, with an emphasis on urban coastal areas. Her time at Emory taught her to carefully consider every stakeholder – their priorities, power, and alliances – so that she is prepared to discern the underlying interests driving the SB58 process. She hopes to see a stronger commitment towards fostering collective action for the next COP.
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Joe Owens 23C
SB58 Conference Delegate
Joe graduated in May 2023 from Emory College with a BS in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Social Science & Policy. The courses he has taken at Emory have provided a background in the carbon market, international climate negotiations/policy, and the science behind climate targets. He is looking forward to seeing how climate tech and climate finance can fit into this context.
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Ellie Sulser 23C
SB58 Conference Delegate
Ellie graduated in May 2023 from Emory College with a degree in Environmental Sciences. While at Emory, Ellie pursued a number of environmental policy courses that encouraged her to consider the many ways that institutional change develops at multiple scales, from local to international. In addition to specific topics like solar and wind energy and the role our oceans play in climate change and the climate transition.
Ellie is looking forward to observing the multi-year process of negotiations from one COP and SB to the next. Furthermore, she hopes to learn more about how to translate these high-level conversations and outcomes to domestic audiences.
Outside of the ENVS department, Ellie was a member of the Emory University Chorus and Emory Crew. Looking ahead, she is planning to attend law school to further equip herself for a career in environmental law and policy.
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Sydney Warner 23C
SB58 Conference Delegate
Sydney graduated in May 2023 with a BS degree in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Environmental Health. Her research and studies in the environmental sciences department expanded and broadened her understanding of imminent issues surrounding climate and health such as biodiversity loss, air, water, and soil quality.
With the tools she has acquired as an undergraduate, she is hoping to engage in discussions that emphasize equity, health disparities, and climate resilience for marginalized groups at SB58. She intends to share her findings and lessons with her medical student cohort once she begins classes a few weeks after SB58 concludes. In her classes, extracurriculars, hospital and clinic visits, and in the community, she hopes to advocate for the inclusion and importance of climate/environmental health in medicine.
Meet the Program Director
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Eri Saikawa, PhD
Director of Emory Climate Talks & Faculty Advisor
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.