Denmark, August 2024
Denmark, August 2024
This August, seven other students and I traveled to Odense, DK, for a two-week-long course hosted by Southern Denmark University. Ten days of cycling the tree-lined bicycle paths to and from SDU offered an experience akin to that in Davis in December, with the threat of torrential rain around every corner. Our group of UCD students was divided into seven groups and tasked with reviewing climate action planning efforts in our chosen cities. Ultimately, we produced a short presentation with our recommendations for improving climate action planning based on the context of each city and its looming climate hazards.
After the summer school, Nikunj and I traveled to Aarhus, which is along the eastern Jutland coast. This city was absolutely beautiful! We explored the downtown, swam in the harbor, rented electric scooters, and tasted the local cuisines. After two days in Aarhus, we took a train inland to Silkeborg, a lacustrine city in the middle of Jutland. Here we took full advantage of the abundant waterways and spent an afternoon along the downtown lake and kayaking the river systems.
On the 19th, we met up with the rest of the group and headed to Lemvig, a small town along the west coast of Jutland. Our group stayed at a beautiful BnB that featured some lovely goats, chickens, and our own personal wind turbine! Our stay in Lemvig was necessary to attend the Danish National Climate Summit (Det Nationale Klima topmøde), a conference dedicated to bringing together many interdisciplinary Danish professionals working on climate action. Although much of the discussion was in Danish, our group was still able to tour a local power-to-X plant (ammonia-based) and pyrolysis operation. This was such a unique experience and really solidified the linkages between local resource abundance (e.g. wind) and energy solutions. Personally, I found this to be my favorite part of the trip!
Our travels to Denmark ended on the 23rd, when the entire group traveled together back to Copenhagen. We stayed at a hostel downtown and spent one final day together before parting ways. This trip was truly a wonderful experience, and I am happy to say that I have made memories that will stick with me for a lifetime!
Cape Town, South Africa Climate Action Planning
Plagued by the legacy of Apartheid, Cape Town must adapt to a changing climate by putting social equity considerations at the forefront. Doing so is no easy feat, as the city's weak economy and governmental distrust hinder progress on climate resilience planning. Our team proposes some initial steps to remedy this issue and take strides in climate action planning. Focusing on the impacts of droughts and extreme weather events, we suggest how Cape Town can rebuild its community connections and foster meaningful participation in local climate action endeavors.
As part of this project, I led the research and planning processes. I was the only native English speaker in my group, so I took on the majority of the writing roles. This was an opportunistic experience for me to learn about a new city and build relationships with students in different disciplines!
"Mpumalanga? How do you pronounce Mpumalanga? Muhmpoo... uhhhhhh... pumba longa? My puma longa, South Africa."
Here is a link to the presentation we created!: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1brQimHtNad-mCnBqRG8265S5LrNpd6EJyNrmmf-OTSA/edit?usp=sharing