MSU experts on COP30 climate change conference 

The United Nations’ annual climate summit, the 30th meeting of the Conference of the Parties, or COP30, will convene in Belem, Brazil, beginning Monday, Nov. 10 through Friday, Nov. 21, to discuss the global response to climate change. Among the key priorities of COP30 are securing a new goal on climate finance, ensuring every country has the means to take much stronger climate action, slashing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilient communities. Several Michigan State University experts are available to discuss the conference and climate change topics.

Environment and engineering:

Yadu Pokhrel is a Red Cedar Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in MSU’s College of Engineering. Pokhrel is an expert on climate and human-induced changes in the water cycle and their impacts on water, agricultural, social and environmental systems.

Contact: ypokhrel@egr.msu.edu

“Climate change is intensifying floods, droughts and heat waves, putting immense pressure on our water and food systems. To ensure reliable water and food supplies for a growing population, we must invest in research and science-informed adaptation strategies that help societies predict and manage these escalating risks.”

Phoebe Lehmann Zarnetske, professor of spatial and community ecology in the College of Natural Science, can discuss climate change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as potential climate intervention impacts on ecology.

Contact: plz@msu.edu

“As researchers in the U.S. face massive federal funding cuts to science, the future of research on climate change impacts is uncertain — and that’s a big concern. From the ability to understand the effects of climate change on species’ migrations and survival to forecasting climate change impacts on agriculture and human health, research is necessary to provide timely information and generate accurate predictions. Funding cuts equate to loss of jobs, data, research and innovation, hindering scientific advancement and increasing uncertainty in the very predictions that scientists make.” 

David Skole, professor of global ecology, climate change and Earth observations in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, can discuss the relationship between forests, land use change, the global carbon cycle and how that can help us better understand global climate change and identify mitigation and adaptation solutions.

Contact: skole@msu.edu

“There’s no uncertainty that human activity has increased greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, driving global warming. My research shows we can accurately monitor these changes using Earth observation satellites, which measure carbon in the atmosphere and forests to track emissions, removals and deforestation. These data provide solid, science-based evidence that climate change is real and caused by humans — and that forest restoration projects are essential for removing excess carbon to reach net-zero goals.

“Unfortunately, U.S. leadership in this area is at risk as funding for NASA, NOAA and USGS programs faces cuts. MSU remains a global leader in satellite remote sensing, using high-resolution imaging, AI and carbon modeling to literally count and measure trees. This work is vital to COP30 negotiations, verifying forest conservation and restoration, and informing international climate policy.”

Wolfgang Bauer is a University Distinguished Professor in the College of Natural Science. Bauer is an expert in climate change and renewable energies.

Contact: bauerw@msu.edu

“We humans add billions of tons of greenhouse gases to our atmosphere each year by burning fossil fuels. Because of this, Earth is getting hotter, but we can still do something about it before it becomes catastrophic. Right now, we spend $7 trillion a year on fossil fuels in the world. If we stopped using fossil fuels and converted to all renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, in five to six years, we would get our money back.”

Communication:

Maria Knight Lapinski is a jointly appointed professor in the Department of Communication and AgBioResearch. She also directs MSU’s Health and Risk Communication Center: Healthy People-Healthy Planet, an interdisciplinary research, teaching and public engagement network of more than 50 faculty. Lapinski’s research connects global health and environmental issues, cultural dynamics and communication science. Her work examines how people influence one another and how communication campaigns can shape the decisions people make. Her team is interested in finding the best ways to promote energy and water conservation as well as reduce the spread of communicable diseases.

Contact: lapinsk3@msu.edu

“We all have a role to play in protecting the ecosystem around us, and communication about climate change plays an important part in this. It is in our best interest — ultimately, a healthy ecosystem will make us all healthier. The things that people do that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect their local environment, like reducing energy use and driving their cars less are, in part, shaped by information from people around us. Our research shows that highlighting the behaviors of others around us and talking about positive social norms can have impacts on people's decisions to reduce energy use.”

John Besley, the Ellis N. Brandt Professor of Public Relations in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, studies public opinion about science and scientists’ opinions about the public. Besley studies how people’s perceptions about science and technology communicators can impact human health and the environment. He also examines how scientists’ perceptions about communication shape the choices they make when they share their research.

Contact: jbesley@msu.edu

“The scientific community needs to find a way to better organize itself around shared communication goals. From my two decades of studying science and risk communication, I know that changing behavior is hard. Building sustained trust is hard. We can’t rely on individual scientists with compelling messages. We need to work together.”

Bruno Takahashi is the Brandt Endowed Professor of Environmental Communication at MSU with a joint appointment in the School of Journalism and MSU AgBioResearch. Takahashi is also the research director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and is affiliated with the Health and Risk Communication Center, the Environmental Science and Policy Program, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at MSU.

Contact: btakahas@msu.edu

“Climate summits, such as the COP30 in Brazil, tend to significantly increase climate news coverage around the world for short periods of time. I study news coverage of environmental issues, including climate change: It’s been shown that media will highlight potential catastrophic scenarios as well as the conference’s focus on implementation of climate commitments and issues of climate justice between rich and poor countries. In the United States, news organizations are primarily covering the government shutdown and tariffs imposed by the administration, while climate change is sidelined considering that the U.S. has again withdrawn from the Paris Agreement.”

Kelly Salchow MacArthur is a professor of graphic design at MSU, affiliate faculty of both MSU’s Water Alliance and the Environmental Science and Policy Program, and a collaborator with Ann Arbor’s A2Zero Plan. Salchow MacArthur’s creative research supports environmental awareness, advocacy and action through the integration of graphic design elements — type, image, material, dimensionality and technology.

Contact: salchow@msu.edu

“Climate data and information can be daunting and somewhat abstract. Yet environmental progress relies on both individual and collective action. Graphic design can clearly visualize important messages for the public, serving as a catalyst between science and society. Whether through apps, posters, advertisements or information design, visual communication portrays big ideas and has the capacity to instigate change. When engaged in environmental community outreach projects, I tell participants that we can each contribute to the greater good through our daily choices and by using our individual skills and talents. In my case, this is through graphic design practice and education.”