Climate change impacts the lives of people around the world and harms the environment. As a result, a range of nations, organizations, and people met in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in order to discuss possible solutions to address climate change. The conference took place November 6-18. Different world leaders spoke about climate change and its impact on their respective countries.  Junior Julia Peet  attended this year’s conference as an intern for S.L.O.C.A.T a “Partnership on Sustainable, Low, Carbon Transport” where Peet’s father works.  Peet has created an independent study that focuses on youth and climate change to learn about the ways in which young people are addressing climate change, and she is furthering her research at COP27. Peet has described that the conference has several pavilions which are areas in the conference that have specialized focuses. For example, Peet has been spending time in the children’s pavilion listening to what youth have to say about the environment and ways to improve it.

At Parker Climate Science and Environmental Studies Class is taught by Upper School science teacher Xiao Zhang and Upper School history teacher Andrew Bigelow. The class aims to teach both the science and social studies aspects of the climate crisis through case studies and interactive call to action projects at the end of the semester. This is one of the ways in which Parker educates their students about the climate crisis. Bigelow is also Peet’s faculty advisor for her independent study. 

After Peet created her independent study, Bigelow highlighted her efforts leading up to the conference: “She gave me a whole list of books she was going to read over the summer, and films she was going to watch, what she’s been doing all fall, and websites she checks out. Her whole idea is to get herself prepped and ready for COP27 in Egypt,” Bigelow said. When Peet was in Egypt, she called in on Zoom with the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Class. “I asked her if she would mind zooming in just to tell us what she saw, what she observed, workshops she’s gone to, what you can see, what you can’t see,” Bigelow said. Peet’s father also spoke with the Climate Change and Environmental Justice class to explain what he will be doing at the climate conference. At the end of the semester, Peet’s final project for her independent study is a series of podcasts to educate the Parker Community. 

Parker has an environmental committee in order to create change within the Parker community in regards to climate action. One of the heads of the committee, junior Pau Maset, highlighted the importance of COP27. “ I think it’s very important to bring as many countries together as possible to create solutions and act on those solutions in terms of climate change,” Maset said.