A Front Row Seat to the Climate Negotiations!

By Cindy Isenhour 

Welcome to the University of Maine COP28 Blog! 

Please follow along for first-hand and real-time insights into the climate negotiations taking place in Dubai, November 30th – December 12th, 2023.  

Over the next two weeks, members of our delegation will be following key negotiation streams including discussions linked to fossil fuel “phase down” or “phase out”, the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake, as well as how the international community might finance the new loss and damage fund. 

Please keep an eye out for new posts each day!  

The University of Maine and Maine Law delegates attend the negotiations to: 1) learn more about international climate governance; 2) conduct research related to the negotiations; and occasionally 3) to contribute to the process through speaking engagements based on expertise.    

This year’s delegation includes three faculty and five graduate students, each with unique interests and perspectives on the process.  They include: 

1. Dr. Cindy Isenhour – Professor of Anthropology and Climate Change, University of Maine.  FOCUS: how to equitably allocate the remaining carbon budget among parties in the interest of the right to development. 
2. Dr. NIck Micinsky – Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Maine.  FOCUS: climate migration and adaptation policy, particularly in the African Group of Nations. 
3. Dr. Anthony Moffa – Associate Professor of Environmental Law, University of Maine School of Law.  FOCUS: non-party stakeholder participation, loss and damage, torte law and climate litigation. 
4. Charity Zimmerman – Graduate Student, School of Policy & International Affairs/Economics.  FOCUS: climate adaptation finance, agriculture and water. 
5. Ashley Brown – Graduate Student, School of Policy and International Affairs. FOCUS: least developed countries negotiation strategies, climate justice, equity. 
6. Natalie Nowatzke – JD Candidate, Maine Law.  FOCUS: loss and damage, the arctic, global stocktake. 
7. Bryant Wolff – Law Student, Maine Law.  FOCUS: loss and damage, long-term climate finance, global stocktake. 
8. Geetanjali Talpade – Law Student, Maine Law.  FOCUS: woman and gender constituency, the gender platform, mitigation. 

We look forward to sharing our experiences and perspectives with you!