Fifteen students from undergraduate and graduate degree programs across five Duke schools spent the fall semester engaging with international climate change policy and diplomacy practices via Duke’s United Nations Climate Change Negotiations Practicum. Offered by the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, the course provided students with opportunities to learn from thought leaders and policy practitioners via Zoom and in person at Duke in DC.
In November, students traveled to Baku, Azerbaijan, where world leaders convened for the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP29. There they attended events, explored pavilions focused on specific issues and countries, and supported clients including country delegations and non-governmental organizations.
The practicum has a robust track record of helping students launch careers of consequence, with dozens of alumni working in public, private and civil society sectors to advance climate solutions. READ MORE.
Some of the Duke student COP delegation across multiple schools and disciplines who participated in a practicum course and attended COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo courtesy of Dima Zlenko.
The [practicum] introduced me to the challenge of balancing optimism with realism, particularly when addressing the urgent need for climate action in the face of political and economic constraints. – Gary Alvarez Mejia, a master of public policy student at the Sanford School of Public Policy