Any opinions stated herein are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily representative of or endorsed by the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, Climate Policy Lab, The Fletcher School, or Tufts University.
Negotiations on the Mitigation Work Programme went on for days, followed by delegates breaking into an impromptu huddle minutes before the official end of negotiations, only to conclude in an informal setting after the deadline had passed. Being involved in these intergovernmental climate negotiations, and witnessing firsthand both progress and limitations, was one of the highlights of my internship with the UNFCCC.
Read MoreThe inaugural Climate Policy Lab (CPL) Symposium “Mind the Gaps: Integration and Implementation in Climate Policy” started off under the looming threats of rising global average temperatures, slowed momentum on climate action across the world, impasse on international trade, ongoing wars, a potentially increased appetite for fossil fuels, and the upcoming UNFCCC COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Read MoreThis summer, I was fortunate to serve as an intern for the Department of Defense (DoD) at the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands. Interning at INDOPACOM was thus pivotal in exposing me to the US role in current Indo-Pacific affairs, as well as helping me gain a working understanding of how my two fields of study – international environmental policy and international security – play into current US priorities in the region.
Read MoreThis summer, my role as Sustainable Infrastructure Fellow for the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) imparted three related lessons. First, climate change is already a salient and urgent reality at the local level around the world. Second, viable technology exists to prevent the most severe dangers of climate change, but financial innovation is required to scale these existing opportunities. Third, data is 21st century currency.
Read MoreBiodiversity provides many ecosystem services which are often taken for granted from cultural services such as beauty and tourism, to regulating services such as raw materials and food, even including habitat services such as carbon sequestration and the prevention of erosion. Since its establishment in 1992, the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity has worked to conserve global biodiversity, ensure its sustainable use, and share in its benefits, including the transfer of relevant technologies.
This summer, I had the opportunity to further this mission as a Program Support Intern to the Planning, Monitoring, Reporting, and Review (PMRR) Unit of the Secretariat.
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