COP30 Delegates
This year, five delegates from the Hawaiʻi community are attending COP30, representing a strong commitment to climate justice and international collaboration: four are students from the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law, and the University of Hawai‘i Department of Geography. We also have representation from Care About Climate, a global youth-led nonprofit dedicated to empowering young people in climate advocacy. Together, these delegates bring diverse perspectives rooted in law, policy, and community-based climate action.
The Hawai‘i delegation is supported by the University, and GEE-21 (Global Energy and Environment for the 21st Century), a Hawaiʻi-based organization focused on climate policy, education, and resilience. The delegation is grateful to its partners who helped prepare and support its participation in the COP30, including: Tufts University’s Climate Policy Lab and UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.
Kawena Elkington | LinkedIn
Kawena Elkington is a PhD candidate in Geography and Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, specializing in Indigenous sustainability practices and circular economy frameworks. Her research applies ancestral Hawaiian knowledge to modern sustainability challenges and helped advocate for the establishment of Hawaiʻi’s Circular Economy Task Force. She is attending COP30 as a Climate Fellow of GEE-21 and is committed to advancing community-centered approaches that honor Indigenous wisdom while addressing climate and sustainability goals.
At COP30, Kawena will advocate for the recognition of Indigenous knowledge in transitions to circular systems, emphasizing the Paris Agreement’s commitment to limiting global warming while ensuring just transitions. This framework provides a critical opportunity to integrate Indigenous knowledge and circular economy principles into climate solutions.
Justice Castroverde-Moniz | LinkedIn
Justice Castroverde-Moniz is a JD candidate at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law and an Ulu Lehua Scholar, with interests in environmental law, Indigenous rights, and climate justice. He is dedicated to advancing sustainable and equitable climate solutions for Hawaiʻi and the Pacific by integrating Indigenous knowledge and community perspectives into legal and policy frameworks. As part of Hawaiʻi’s delegation to COP30, Justice aims to contribute to, research, and observe global climate discussions that center frontline communities and uphold the rights of future generations.
At COP30, Justice is interested in attending climate discussions pertaining to coastal communities, coral reef protection, and surface water management.
Anna Maidment | LinkedIn
Anna Maidment is a law student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law, with a background in Natural Resources and Environmental Management and a Graduate Certificate in Ocean Policy. Passionate about shark conservation and animal protection, she aspires to become an environmental lawyer advocating for ocean sustainability and wildlife protection. A former Division I beach volleyball athlete and trained shark free-diving instructor, Anna brings strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to safeguarding marine ecosystems to her work in environmental advocacy.
At COP30, Anna will focus on how environmental law can support nature-based solutions for ocean and animal protection, and how those solutions are embedded in national climate plans. She aims to highlight how laws and policies can work together to protect marine ecosystems and support climate adaptation.
Steven Manso| LinkedIn
Steven Manso is a third-year J.D. candidate Ulu Lehua Scholar at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law, and an Immigration Clinic Assistant at Richardson’s Refugee and Immigration Law Clinic. Steven has written one of Richardson’s blog posts for the World’s Youth for Climate Justice series concerning the climate advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea. Being Guatemalan-Cuban American, Steven is passionate about addressing the impacts climate change has on coastal and island States, and the threat it poses to the preservation of Indigenous cultural practices and traditions rooted in the environment and the enjoyment of these practices by future generations.
At COP30, Steven will focus on the displacement of peoples caused by climate change and contemporary discussions on the climate refugee becoming a formal legal term within international and domestic migration policy, as well as the special implications for small island developing states and territories.
Hailey Campbell | LinkedIn
Hailey Campbell is a recent graduate with experience in climate resilience planning, youth climate policy education, and stakeholder engagement across municipal, NGO, and academic settings. As Executive Director of Care About Climate, she is committed to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and climate justice by fostering intergenerational collaboration, elevating youth voices in policy-making, and building cross-sector partnerships. Since attending COP25 in Madrid, Hailey has been actively engaged in UN climate processes, contributing to the recognition of youth as key stakeholders in the Action for Climate Empowerment Work Programme at COP26, establishing the Loss and Damage Fund, advocating for fossil fuel phase-out, and centering gender just climate solutions. She is also a Youth Board member of GEE-21.
At COP30, Hailey will focus on strengthening the global response to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and addressing the current failure to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach. She will collaborate with frontline youth leaders to ensure their lived realities and priorities shape the outcomes of the conference, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced ambition and accountability that safeguards communities, and sustains cultures and livelihoods on the frontlines of the climate crisis for generations to come. She will also support the development of an ambitious, inclusive Gender Action Plan.