CFANS graduate students attend COP30 United Nations Climate Summit

November 25, 2025
Environment & Sustainability
Water & Climate
Healthy Planet
Interdisciplinary Science
Kowsar Mohamed (left) and Sutirtha Lahiri (right)
Kowsar D. Mohamed (left) and Sutirtha Lahiri (right)

Two CFANS doctoral students, Sutirtha Lahiri and Kowsar D. Mohamed, took part in the University of Minnesota delegation at the COP30 United Nations Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil.

  • Sutirtha Lahiri, a PhD student in Conservation Science, focused on how neglected ecosystems are being advocated for within the complex global climate discussions, seeking to identify the barriers and pathways for their recognition.

  • Kowsar D. Mohamed, a third-year PhD student in Natural Resources Science & Management, attended to connect the global climate negotiations with Minnesota's watershed and resilience work.

Reflecting on her experience, Mohamed emphasized the need for co-created solutions, stating, "Belém reminded me that climate solutions must be co-created, with science, with communities, and with those living closest to climate risk."

"I leave my first COP grounded in both possibility and realism. Climate decisions remain stuck in the nuances of text... I carry this tension into my scholarly work, considering how these global dynamics intersect with the watershed systems I study in Minnesota," said Mohamed.

The graduate students' participation underscores CFANS' commitment to ensuring that global climate action is informed by and translated into local, equitable solutions.