Applications for UBC's delegation at COP28 have closed and applicants will be notified of their application results in September.

Each year UBC receives a limited number of observer badges for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC COP) negotiation space, known as the Blue Zone. Members of the UBC community have attended COP22-27 as official observers. UBC is aiming to receive at least four badges for each week of COP28 (November 30-December 6, and December 7-12). 

Following one of the recommendations from the Climate Emergency Task Force report, the UBC COP26 and COP27 delegate selection processes were open and transparent competitions for all students, faculty, and staff. Applicants were asked to outline how they would use this opportunity to advance a sustainable and just society, how they might accelerate climate actions, and how their unique expertise and perspective could benefit the climate change COP process.

For the past two years, a selection committee agreed on observer delegates from submitted applications based on the number of observer badges available. Eight delegates, a mix of students, faculty and staff, attended each year. You can learn more about the experiences of the COP26 delegates through these webinars and media appearances, and about the COP27 observer delegates through the local, national, and international coverage of COP27.

 

an OPEN COMPETITION

The Sustainability Hub is pleased to announce details of a competition for COP28 passes open to all current UBC students, faculty, post-docs, and staff. UBC will apply for badges for each week of the event (November 30-December 6, and December 7-12).

Applications open on June 1 and close on July 14 at 23:59pm PST. 

The annual UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) brings together countries, civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to accelerate action on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Parties include 197 nations and territories that have signed on to and are responsible for monitoring and reviewing the implementation of the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is the parent agreement to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the 2015 Paris Agreement. 

During the conference, delegates representing nation states and the EU will convene to discuss what actions are needed to address climate change and to negotiate national and global emissions reductions. UBC delegates will observe these negotiations and engage with the many side events taking place at the conference. More information about COP28 can be found on the official webpage.

APPLy

*Applications are now open. Apply for your chance to receive one of UBC’s badges to attend COP28, observe global negotiations, and be in a key space of global climate action. Questions? Email ubc.atCOP@ubc.ca for more info and/or find out what's involved in planning your journey to COP28 before you apply. Please also see application judging criteria below. 

 

Judging Criteria

Our panel of judges will use a scoring rubric to assess each entry, consisting of the following criteria:

  • Context. Does the application show a detailed understanding of climate change and COP proceedings? Does the application show an understanding of the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, and have actionable ideas to promote them?
     
  • Motivation and commitment. Does the application convey a commitment to actively witness COP proceedings? Does the application show alignment between attending COP and current work or study goals? 
     
  • Engagement. Is there a plan in the application to share learnings with others in the UBC community? Will these learnings reach a large amount of people and/or group(s) that are typically underrepresented in COP negotiations?