Haley Coleman is a second year Global Studies and Linguistics major pursuing a BA/MA in International Relations at the University of Chicago. In the past, she has debated and proposed international climate policy in Model United Nations, coordinated international volunteer programs centered around sustainable solutions with GlobeAware, and researched food waste reduction and distribution networks in Seattle as part of an internship at Pike Place Market. Now, she is researching sustainable transportation and food systems in Chicago as a part of a food recovery initiative using bicycles. She hopes that during the COP28 conference, she can develop a global perspective of sustainable systems and learn about prospective and existing global solutions.
“I applied to fly to COP28 for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted to expand my research about sustainable food systems into a global context. Another part of me wanted to affirm my faith in the UN and international diplomacy. COP28 brought over 70,000 people together to discuss climate change, which is the first step in cultivating social pressure to drive larger organizations to reduce emissions.”