UBC joins the climate emergency conversation at COP28 in Dubai

Hear what delegates had to say about solutions for a clean-energy future
December 11, 2023

A group of 10 UBC students, faculty and staff travelled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to attend COP28, the 28th Conference of Parties, the annual United Nations climate summit Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.

Global leaders from some 200 countries launched a new environmental justice fund at the conference, and discussed the world’s collective efforts towards net-zero carbon emissions and renewable energy goals, as well as effective solutions to mitigate climate change impacts quickly. A selection committee from UBC Sustainability Hub and the Office of Global Engagement chose the COP delegation, one of the recommendations of the UBC Climate Emergency Task Force to “foster a culture of engagement and advocacy on climate change” through civic engagement.

Find out what motivates the UBC delegates, including Dr. William Cheung, professor, Director of the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and co-author of the IPCC Climate Change 2023 synthesis report, and what each of us can do to make a meaningful impact. Watch the videos:

Dr. William Cheung, a COP28 delegate and Director of the UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, delves into why it is so important to consider ocean biodiversity when taking climate action (Video: Ruitong Zhao, Niki Afsharpour and Natalie Hawryshkewich/UBC)

Social scientist and COP28 delegate Dr. David Tindall says that the technology to deal with climate change is here, and we need to implement it through our social, political, cultural and economic systems (Video: Ruitong Zhao, Niki Afsharpour and Natalie Hawryshkewich/UBC)

UBC undergraduate Dua Naqvi is interested in learning about perspectives of Indigenous and minority groups on the just energy transition at COP28 (Video: Ruitong Zhao, Niki Afsharpour and Natalie Hawryshkewich/UBC)

Read more about UBC and COP28.

Find out more about the UBC Sustainability.


  • News
  • Global Capacity Development
  • Global Partnerships
  • Issues of Global Relevance
  • Partnership Opportunities
  • Students as Global Citizens
  • UBC as a Global Actor

UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. Search A magnifying glass. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.