American students are going to the U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen Dec. 3 to 18 to advocate for strong international clean energy reforms. They will join around 90 world leaders including President Barack Obama, who said he will commit the United States to greatly cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Holly Jones, a senior from the University of Iowa, has been chosen to go to Denmark along with one youth delegate from each Midwestern state.

“We are letting the world leaders know that we’re youth, and we’re here, and we’re stepping up,” said Jones, a history and geoscience major with an emphasis on environment studies.

April Hillman, a sophomore at the University of Vermont, will make the trip with several of her peers and UVM faculty. Hillman is going with a delegation of 25 young Americans organized by youth group SustainUS to go to Denmark for the conference.

This is familiar turf for Hillman; she’s been to a U.N. conference before, this past summer when she pressured German politicians to commit to strong clean energy policy in Copenhagen.

These student attendees intend to show that young people care about the planet’s future.

“They need to see the faces of the young people who will be living with the consequences for the rest of our lives," says Hillman.

Augustana College student Jamie Horter says she and her cohorts may even get to speak on the floor during one of the U.N. sessions.

The Iowa United Nations Association will send another 30 delegates later in the conference with university funding. IUNA student, Ryan Drysdale, discussed the critical importance of acting on climate change now. “People a lot of times just think global warming and icebergs and polar bears,” he said. “So many people don’t see the impact climate change can have on health.”

“The science is in,” Jones said. “It’s been shown we are running out of time. We either get together and work to reduce carbon emissions, or we will have to face the consequences.”


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