The University of Waterloo, through the Waterloo Climate Institute, is an official observer to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and participates in the annual Conference of the Parties (COP). Delegations of our top student leaders and researchers are sent, allowing for immersive exposure to global climate change negotiations and world-leading research networks.
2023 COP28 delegation
From November 30th to December 12th, the world will come together in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the climate change negotiations at COP28. This year, the University of Waterloo, through the Waterloo Climate Institute, will participate as an official observer to COP28 by sending an in-person delegation of top student leaders and faculty researchers to bear witness to the negotiations at a pivotal moment in our collective goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
2022 COP27 delegation
The 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) took place from November 6-18, 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt with a view to building on previous successes and paving the way for future ambition. A golden opportunity for all stakeholders to rise to the occasion and tackle effectively the global challenge of climate change facilitated by Egypt on the African continent. The Waterloo Climate Institute sent a total of four delegates; one student and one faculty member each week. Read about the delegates and their experiences.
2021 COP26 delegation
The 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held in Glasgow, U.K., from October 31 to November 12, 2021. The institute sent a virtual delegation of staff and faculty as well as top graduate students Misha Patel, Nazia Tabassum and Sarah Norton. Attending COP26 provided each attendee with an immersive experience in global climate change negotiations and exposure to institutions and organizations from around the world.
Misha Patel, a Masters of Climate Change student at the University of Waterloo, wrote two reflection pieces about her time at COP26: The world is looking at you and Paris is when we committed - Glasgow is when we act.
Sarah Norton, a Ph.D. student in Global Governance studying Global Environment at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, wrote a series of reflections about her time at COP26: Will we see more action during Cop26?
2021 COP26 delegation
On November 5, 2021, the Climate Law & Governance Day 2021 global symposium was held during COP26 in Glasgow and attracted over 1,100 registrants from over 120 countries in-person and online. Here the Waterloo Climate Institute was proud to host an official side-event in the Blue Zone, Business in the Anthropocene: Accelerating sustainability transformations in small businesses, and multiple graduate students and alumni from Waterloo received recognition for their research work. Congratulations to Nesma Hassan, Sarah Norton, Cassandra Hayward, Claire Perttula, and Adwoa Appiah for your successes!
For more information about Climate Law & Governance Day 2021, read Tejas Rao's reflection of activities: At COP26, experts make a commitment to scale-up climate law and governance tenfold by 2024. Tejas is the Secretariat Coordinator, Climate Law & Governance Initiative 2021, and an Associate Fellow with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law.