Allison Chatrchyan

Climate Change Education and Stakeholder Engagement Director, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Allison Chatrchyan is a climate research associate at Cornell University and an adjunct professor of international environmental law. She has led the Cornell observer delegation to the annual UN Climate Conferences since COP21 in Paris. Her research is focused on assessing climate change impacts and adaptation strategies and policies and negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Chatrchyan says:

“The UNFCCC process has weathered US-non-participation before, and the global community will carry on without the United States. The USA was never a Party to the Kyoto Protocol, so before the Paris Agreement, the US participated as an observer to the COP but did not have a formal say in negotiations.

“There is nearly universal participation in the UNFCCC. The United States joins Iran, Libya, and Yemen in its non-participation in the Paris Agreement—an ignominious stain on the Trump Administration and the nation itself.

“Non-participation will hurt our economy as a leader in green innovation, as the rest of the world invests in renewable energy, and moves beyond fossil fuels.”

Patrick Beary

Cornell Atkinson Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships

Patrick Beary is the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. He helps create partnerships and consortia that take sustainability ideas from academia and turn them into real-world impact.

Beary says:

“While international negotiations such as COP30 remain a cornerstone for global climate diplomacy, it’s important to recognize that progress is also being driven right now at multiple jurisdictional level - from national and regional governments to cities and communities. 

“Networks like C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group illustrate how mayors and urban governments are stepping in to implement measurable emissions reductions, advance resilience and build equitable solutions for their residents. In that sense, the absence of one delegation should not dim the momentum or the urgency of climate action. Climate solutions are multi-layered, global and diverse in their points of execution and impact.”

Semida Silveira

Professor of Practice, Systems Engineering, Cornell Engineering

Semida Silveira is a professor of practice in the systems engineering program. She will be attending COP30 next week and her research focuses on capacity building to implement the climate agenda, opportunities to link zero-carbon shipping with sanitation in large port cities, and clean cooking.

Silveira says:

“The US is a major GHG emitter and, thus, its absence from climate negotiations will have an impact and, worse, may inspire others. Adverse climate policies in the US make achieving the targets of the Paris Agreement more difficult and will require more from other nations.  But the absence of federal support for climate action in the US should not be equated with inaction. There is significant momentum in states, cities, companies, and universities, players that remain committed to low-carbon policies and technologies, and the deployment of renewable energy in the US.”

“At COP30, other nations must take leadership if the world is not to lose momentum. Renewable technologies and low-carbon solutions have become mainstream, and this is promising. In Latin America, 65% of electricity comes from renewables. Emerging economies are showing the world that a low-carbon future is possible. The world is moving away from fossil fuels – carbon markets are evolving and will accelerate that process. Meanwhile, industries in the US will learn to navigate the new policy landscape and ensure that the US is not left behind in the fossil era, not least because they are global and want to be part of this transition.”