Student organizations hold first Climate Change Symposium since COVID-19 pandemic –

During her presentation, DelVecchia said that streams are lucrative for understanding where current greenhouse gases are being stored, since they were previously overlooked. With her new research, more can be done to address emissions, she said.  

After faculty talks, there was also a panel discussion on what tools and powers citizens have to combat climate change, featuring Gittman, law professor Don Hornstein and David Neal, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. 

Jadon Wellum, a junior studying environmental science and the vice president of SEEDS at UNC, said that SEEDS took inspiration from the UNC Cleantech Summit — a two-day event in March that focused on clean energy — and other conferences that students and faculty have attended. 

“A lot of our speakers talk about the future and our generation,” Wellum said. “I just want to re-emphasize what they said about it, because I think it is up to us — our generation — to solve this issue that we face now.”

V Edwards, a sophomore majoring in environmental studies, said she found out about the event through the social media of various sustainability-related organizations such as SEEDS and the Sustainable Business Club. 

She said she was excited because some of her previous professors were attending or speaking, as well as being able to network with other students and professionals. 

“The coastal resilience talks — that’s really interesting to me,” Edwards said. “Literally what [Gittman] just talked about, like finding the interconnection between engineering and ecology and trying to find solutions to the problem of rising sea levels.” 

In the afternoon session of the symposium, lunch from The Purple Bowl was provided, and students had the chance to present their research.

“I think especially with the political climate right now, it’s really important to dig into community,” Layman said. “It’s really inspiring to see all the undergrads that are working on climate policy.”

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com