COP Initiative
GEE-21’s COP initiative works towards developing effective policymaking, a strong and thoughtful workforce in public service, and a citizenry familiar with global and local climate change issues. The initiative was led by former GEE-21 board member and United Nations (UN) liaison Anukriti Lirio Hittle. Board member Dr. Gundolf Kohlmeier provided valuable commentary and reflections to key parties. Youth Board members Hailey Campbell and Emily Sarasa attended and contributed to several COP meetings. Their reports highlight active participation in COP events, offering insights into state-level leadership, innovative policies, and advocacy efforts on the global stage.
Featured Work of GEE-21 Members
- Toufiq Siddiq | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, Framework for Analysis: Technology Transfer to address Climate Change, Chapter 1. 2000. Lead author.
- Toufiq Siddiq | Natural Gas Reserves/Total Energy Consumption: A useful new rationale for addressing global climate change concerns, Energy Policy, 30, pp 1145-1149, 2002
- Dr. Gundolf Kohlmaier | CO2 modelling work: “Frankfurt Biosphere Model, part I of 1994” and “Part II of 1997” is a global process oriented model of seasonal and long-term CO2 exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere, collaborative work of 14 graduate students.
- Dr. Gundolf Kohlmaier | Saving the climate with the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. From Fossil Fuels to Renewables: With the oil multinationals to the eco-multinationals! Open Letter to Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, COP28 President-Designate Supplementary reflections on the climate conference COP 28 in Dubai (Nov. 30 to Dec. 12, 2023) Dr. Gundolf Kohlmaier and Dr. Heinz Bingemer, Institute for Atmosphere and Environment, Goethe University, Germany.
- Dr. Gundolf Kohlmaier | English Translation of the German Letter to the Editor (2022) in Forschung Frankfurt, Focus Africa by Gundolf H. Kohlmaier Goethe Universität, Germany
- Anukiti Lirio Hittle | US China Collude to Pollute. 2015. An opinion on what the US and China climate agreements mean for Paris and for carbon cuts, BBC World News.
- Hailey Campbell | COP28: Dear World Leaders, a Message from Youth. 2022.
- Emily Sarasa | Students from Hawaii among thousands to travel to UN Climate Change Conference.
Commentary
- Hawaii’s message at COP26: The world must move beyond Zero Emissions. Civil Beat. November 22, 2021.
- Hawaii still backs Paris Climate Accord even if US doesn’t. Civil Beat. December 2019.
- Our Small State has Big Ambitions when it comes to Climate Change. Civil Beat. January 2019.
- The Promise of Paris and Lessons from Paradise: Hawaii’s Contributions to U.S. Pledges under the Paris Agreement. The Wealth and Well-Being of Nations. Annual Proceedings. Vol X. Beloit College Department of Economics. 2017-2018.
- A Hawai’i Venue and An Arctic Model for a Pacific Climate Resiliency Agreement. Policy Brief. Asia Pacific Bulletin no. 348. East-West Center. Washington, DC. 15 June, 2016.
- Five Years, That’s All We’ve Got: A Prognosis of the Paris Agreement (Commentary). Anukriti Hittle and Alexander Hittle. Mongabay. 19 April, 2016.
- Going Into Paris, the U.S. and China Collude to Gobble Up the Global Carbon Pie. Anukriti Hittle and Alexander Hittle. Huffington Post Commentary. 30 November 2015.
Media Appearances
Beyond Paris – The Science and Implementation
How will the Paris Climate Agreement fare when it comes to implementation? Toufiq Siddiqi and Anukriti Lirio Hittle discuss the next steps for climate change mitigation after COP21 in Paris.
Anukriti Lirio Hittle
- What happened at COP26 Anyway. ThinkTech. Nov. 2021.
- UNFCCC Official Press Briefing. “Toward 2020 and Beyond: Climate Collaboration and Action Among US Sub-National Leaders.” Katowice, Poland. Organizer: The Climate Registry. 10 December 2018.
- Hawaii Public Radio. Climate Change Conference in Paris. The Conversation with Beth-Ann Kozlovich. December 28, 2015. A discussion on what the Paris Agreement means for local action and the role of young people in this process.
- COP25. North American Climate Leaders on Action and Ambition at COP25. The Climate Registry. December 2019.
- COP25. Advance Look at Subnational Action and Expectations for Katowice. Webinar. Organizers: Climate Action Reserve and Climate Registry. 29 November 2018.
- COP24. National Climate Assessment. Organizer: World Resources Institute. Katowice, Poland.10 December 2018.
- COP24. UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland: meetings and statement by Peter LIESE (EPP, DE). Bilateral with European Parliament delegation at COP24. 13 December 2018
Hailey Campbell
- UK takes key role at UN climate talks as pressure mounts to reach finance deal, UK Standard, COP29 Reactions
- UN DESA COP29 Blog
- COP 28: Dear World Leaders: A Message from Youth, December 8th, 2023 – US Center at COP28
- CNBC, 2022. Young people just got a louder voice on climate change — and could soon be shaping policy
Emily Sarasa
Additional Climate Change Publications
- Op-Ed piece. Why Hawaii Needs a Strategy for the Hottest Day Ever. Civil Beat. August 2, 2024. With James McCallen.
- Hawaii Priority Climate Action Plan. [link 1] and [link 2], 2024.
- MCC policy brief. Charting, Navigating and Building Funding Pathways for Midwest Communities. Sept 2024.
- Take the Bus to the Airport, but Don’t Bring Your Luggage. Civil Beat. Hawai‘i. May 28, 2024.
- Investing in Transportation Choices: Recommendations for Safe, Sustainable, Affordable, and Reliable Mobility. Hawai‘i Climate Commission. Dec 2022.
- Final Statement on Decision Making & Investment Guidance to Address the Climate Emergency in Hawai‘i. Commission Statement. Jul 19, 2021.
- Nature-based Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change in Hawai‘i. A Climate Ready Hawai‘i Working Paper. Mar 22, 2021.
- A Resilient Future for Coastal Communities: Federal Policy Recommendations from Solutions in Practice. EESI. Washington, DC. Oct 26, 2020.
- A Hawai’i Venue and An Arctic Model for a Pacific Climate Resiliency Agreement. Policy Brief. Asia Pacific Bulletin no. 348. East-West Center. Washington, DC. 15 June, 2016.
- A Cool Solution to a Hot Topic: Community Hubs can Address Climate Change, Mobility and Resilience in Hawai‘i. Hawai‘i Energy Policy Forum. August 20, 2020.
- Uncloaking the Cost of Carbon: Applications in Hawai‘i. Co-author. March 2, 2021.