Thanks in part to the efforts of Boston College Law Professor David Wirth, Boston College has received accreditation to send a delegation of faculty and students from across the University to observe the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in early November.
“This is an opportunity for our students, the professionals of the future, to observe this process in action,” said Wirth, an expert on international environmental law and policy. “It is an opportunity for our faculty to showcase their research to their peers, policy-makers, decision-makers, all collected in one place.”
Observer status entitles the delegation to attend events organized around the negotiations among parties to the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change, but also reflects BC’s academic and research strengths on the issue of climate science and policy, according to Wirth and other faculty at the center of the initiative.
Wirth has also been looking into the possibility of BC being selected to host a panel that would share faculty expertise with the estimated 20,000 people who will attend the conference from Oct. 31 until Nov. 12 or in future years. In particular, he cited the University’s unique focus on the ethical issues inherent to climate change, as well as strengths in public health.
Prominent alumni, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry ’76 and US Senator Edward Markey ’72, were also slated to attend.
Read more at BC News.