All eyes will be on Copenhagen this month, and Mt. Lebanon resident Christa Owens will be there covering the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) as a new media reporter.
The Pittsburgh native was selected by the
Sierra Student Coalition to serve as a youth delegate to COP 15. A political science major at Carleton College in Minnesota, Owens is one of 18 college-aged students in the delegation traveling to Denmark next week along with Sierra Club volunteers and staff.
I really was an "unlikely environmentalist" until I got to college, she admits. Her participation with Model UN at Mt. Lebanon High School and in college led her to internships with Powershift and 3 Rivers Bioneers in Pittsburgh where she learned about the opportunity to participate.
"I'm really interested in environmental issues now," she explains. "It seemed like an amazing opportunity to combine something I was really interested in with issues in the real world. This is a historic moment in the struggle to solve the international climate crisis and I'm honored to be a small part of it."
With the Kyoto Protocol set to expire in 2012, and many countries including the U.S. still at odds with the terms, Owens is hopeful that President Barack Obama will make good on his campaign promise to take a lead on the environment.
The SSC delegates will participate in the plenary sessions and workshops. As a member of the new media working group, Owens will be using blogs, Twitter and Facebook to document the delegation's activities.
"We're also spreading the word that we need to pass a strong, internationally binding treaty. At the very least, we want to see a clear road map for next year. It's our job to hold the leaders accountable."
Follow the delegation's trip to Copenhagen from Dec. 7 to 18 through the
SSC blog.
Writer:
Debra Diamond SmitSource: Christa Owens
Photograph courtesy of Christa OwenSign up to receive Pop City each week!