COP30 Student Delegate; India Summer Fellow, 2025
Laura Bornhoevd is a second-year undergraduate (College ’28) from the Bay Area, California who is planning to double major in Business Economics and the new Climate and Sustainable Growth Major, with a specialization in Politics, Economics, and Society. Laura was a research assistant for Professor Robin Bartram, coding data from interviews with city officials, landlords, and homeowners in Chicago and New Orleans to understand the implications of older housing on environmental justice and health equity in these cities. Laura’s interests include environmental policy and environmental justice. She is an active member of the Energy and Climate Club at UChicago, which explores current events related to sustainable energy and climate change. In addition to her academic interests, Laura enjoys traveling and speaks multiple languages including German and Spanish, which has deepened her appreciation for global perspectives on sustainability and equity.
In November 2025, Laura traveled to Belém, Brazil with the Institute’s COP30 student delegation.
“As a student majoring in the new Climate and Sustainable Growth Major, on the Politics, Economics, and Society track, a lot of my classes have been focused on international climate agreements and the negotiations that precede them, meaning that the COP process has been a central part of our discussions. The opportunity to attend COP30 has added an invaluable layer of nuance to my understanding of how this process works to create international climate action (or in some cases, a lack thereof). Getting to see the negotiations was an incredible experience, which highlighted the diplomatic tools that Sue Biniaz taught about in my Climate Crossroads: Policy, Diplomacy, and the Global Future class. These tools include things like intentional ambiguity, the location and order of sentences, as well as borrowing from other multilateral agreements. Witnessing how countries work to reach consensus in these negotiations also allowed me to reflect on a recent presentation we did in this class, in which my group assessed whether COP decisions should be made by consensus or a 2/3 majority. Moreover, it was exciting to combine observing negotiations with attending presentations from companies and organizations about what they are doing to promote sustainable action and climate work. Overall, going to COP allowed me to see the major topics of my major first-hand to better understand what happens during the actual negotiations at COP, as well as the work that is being done by NGOs, businesses, and other stakeholders in the climate space.”
Laura previously attended the Institute’s India Summer Fellows Program in Delhi and Ahmedabad, India.
“These past three weeks were packed with incredible experiences! Learning about climate change on a more local level was exciting, as we got to witness firsthand the climate challenges confronting Delhi and Ahmedabad, as well as delving into the solution space to understand how problems like extreme heat and air pollution are being addressed in these cities. I really enjoyed learning about climate change through the perspectives of many different disciplines, from economics to chemistry to public policy. Some of the highlights of this trip were the excursions we did in Ahmedabad, including the Heritage Walk to the old city, the SEWA visit, and our trip to Project Adopt a Queen. I really enjoyed getting to see up-close the work that organizations like SEWA and Project Adopt a Queen are doing and getting to ask questions about the nuances of their work. We were also incredibly lucky to have had such an amazing group of people in this program, and together we explored Delhi and Ahmedabad together in our free time, visiting places like Humayan’s Tomb as well as going go-karting. The India Summer Fellows Program was a wonderful experience and I had a great time learning about both the climate challenges and solutions at the local level in cities like Ahmedabad and Delhi.”