This week, I had the opportunity to meet with students at the Sustainability Forum, hosted by Sustainable UCL and myself, to discuss your climate concerns, explore ideas, and outline urgent climate action initiatives.
I hosted a panel discussion between students and members of the COP delegating, consisting of UCL academics who are specialists in their fields. Students had the opportunity to critically feedback to the panel through roundtable discussions, covering a range of different themes which will be raised at COP; including the new climate finance goal to fund resources for developing countries, global biodiversity loss, sustainable aviation, food security and building inclusive climate resilient infrastructure to better climate policy-making.
At COP, I’ll be bringing your concerns to the global stage, ensuring that young people’s voices are heard in critical discussions. I’ll be connecting with other youth groups to strengthen our collective impact and forge new partnerships—helping us to drive much-needed action on climate change together.
While the planet faces urgent challenges of rising temperatures and habitat destruction, the forum was a powerful shift from apathy to action. With our commitment to sustainable leadership and the opportunities we’re creating for students, there is hope. The next generation of leaders in climate change and environmental sustainability are here, studying at UCL today. Having heard from students at the forum, and listened to their concerns which will shape my agenda while at COP, I feel hopeful that we can lead the way toward a positive future for our planet.
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I am committed to representing the voice of students of UCL at COP29, and am looking forward to contributing to youth dialogues around climate action.
Goksu Danaci, Students' Union UCL President
The panel was made up of UCL academics, who will attend COP and use scientific evidence to help shape policy recommendations to ensure a positive future for the planet. The delegates were:
- Prof. Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Sciences, and Pro-Vice Provost for the Grand Challenge of the Climate Crisis
- Prof. Priti Parikh, Professor of Infrastructure Engineering and International Development and Director of The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction
- Dr Izzy Bishop, Lecturer (Teaching) in Ecology
- Dr Jonathan Barnes, Research Fellow in climate change adaptation, Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction
- Goksu Danaci, Students' Union UCL President