Emily Balog '24 with Meghan Gregonis, US Consul General to Dubai, at a roundtable discussion at COP28.
Last fall, I had the privilege to attend the 28th annual Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), a meeting between global political leaders and local constituents and stakeholders from around the world to discuss issues of climate change. COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), was the first time there has been an entire day devoted to the experiences of women and girls due to climate change, and I returned to campus feeling incredibly motivated to catalyze positive change.
I also had the opportunity to meet Meghan Gregonis, U.S. consul general to Dubai. Our conversation provided incredibly valuable insights about the experiences of women in Dubai, which helped inspire my spring 2024 environmental studies thesis, in which I examined the intersection of women’s rights and sustainability in the UAE.
Looking back on my past four years as an environmental geography student at ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ is incredibly humbling. I cannot put into words how grateful I am to my professors for their continued support throughout my undergraduate career. From my January 2022 Sophomore Residential Seminar to Colombia to my fall 2022 study group to South Africa, these experiences shaped my time at ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ and fundamentally changed my worldview for the better.