Guest Editorial: Thanksgiving in Paris?

Guest Editorial: Thanksgiving in Paris?

John C. Capece, Ph.D., Executive Director
Alpha Epsilon Lambda, the National Honor Society of Graduate and Professional School Students

At this time last year, students from across the nation were making plans to attend the People's Climate March. More than 50,000 university students marched with 350,000 others to motivate leaders at the UN climate change summit in New York City. But this summit was simply a dress-rehearsal for the UN's 2015 climate change conference that convenes November 30 in Paris.

It is in Paris at COP21 (the 21st annual meeting of the "Conference of Parties"), where the diplomatic heavy lifting will happen as nations wrap up negotiations and sign what many hope will be a historic agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Since 2005 students have gathered for a parallel annual UN event, the Conference of Youth (COY). This year students of France are organizing COY11, the 11th and largest ever such forum. Within the COY11 exhibition hall, Alpha Epsilon Lambda, the US national honor society of graduate and professional school students, is hosting the Paris Climate Change Symposium (www.CampusClimateCorps.com). The Symposium will allow many more US graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in COY11 and to present their research on climate change topics.

The COY11 and Paris Climate Change Symposium are scheduled, conveniently, for the U.S. Thanksgiving break. More than 3,000 students from around the world are expected to attend COY11, with several hundred Americans. It will be THE place to be for student activists and climate change researchers.

Stepping up to confront the threat of catastrophic climate change is the overarching challenge for this generation of university students. Their next step should be one towards Paris.