From March 28 to April 1, the UC Davis Humphrey Fellowship Program hosted a climate change communications workshop for Humphrey fellows as UC Davis welcomed 30 Humphrey fellows representing 27 countries from 11 Humphrey host campuses throughout the United States, positioning them to lead compelling conversations about this important topic in their workplaces and home communities around the world.

A joint effort between UC Davis and the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Humphrey Enhancement Workshop on Climate Change brought together experts to present on climate change science and policy, justice and reparations, and water and irrigation tools to facilitate leadership development and multicultural cooperation around shared global climate challenges, a hallmark of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

According to Kelsi Ward, chief of the Humphrey Fellowship Program at the U.S. State Department, the workshop provided fellows with direct engagement on pressing climate change issues affecting all corners of the world.

“This enhancement workshop included Humphrey fellows from a broad range of professional backgrounds, laying the groundwork for continued collaboration and cross-sector solutions to the climate crisis,” she says.

“We know that over 60 percent of Humphrey alumni return home and work in government in some capacity—and over 45 percent have contributed to national policies. This workshop helped address key climate issues that will position a global network of fellows to integrate climate-conscious perspectives into their work.”

The workshop also featured a full day of programming by 2016–17 UC Davis Humphrey Fellowship Program alumna Itzel Morales, the climate leader engagement director for the Climate Reality Project America Latina in Mexico.

Presentations covered how the state of California has succeeded in climate change policy, research and practice, and how to connect and apply this information to their home countries. By the end of the workshop, fellows gained new communications tools for engaging with a variety of constituents, ranging from government officials to local communities and the public.

Throughout the highly interactive five-day workshop, fellows learned foundational concepts behind climate change science—including strategies for mitigation and adaptation—and how institutions and governments can prepare for and communicate climate change science and impacts in a variety of critical fields. They also applied what they learned through action. During the workshop, participants ran a mock climate negotiation and brainstormed creative ways to lobby for various causes.

At the end of the enhancement workshop, fellows presented action plans that outlined their top takeaways from the workshop and next steps for working on climate change communication, education and policy in their home countries.

Ana Lucía Ortega, a 2021–22 UC Davis Humphrey fellow who specializes in public finance and energy regulation, said that the goal of her action plan is to create a solar entrepreneur strategy for women in her home country of Colombia, in addition to contributing to the protection of her country’s natural biodiversity.

In addition to Ortega—an industrial engineer with more than 13 years of experience working in the public sector in energy and financial matters—three other UC Davis Humphrey fellows attended the workshop: Sytekon “Caspar” Tarty, who is focused on sustainable agriculture practices for rural development and national growth in Liberia; Meysam Vadiati, who specializes in hydrogeological modeling and groundwater modeling in Iran; and Sergey Vassilyev, who has ample experience implementing investment projects and corporate transactions in oil, gas, renewable energy, mining and industrial waste reprocessing in Kazakhstan.

The practice of communicating about climate change doesn’t stop after this critical enhancement workshop. Since the workshop, one participant has begun creating videos on TikTok to address issues and promote solutions, and others maintain an active WhatsApp group as they continue the discussion and share information about a variety of climate issues and consider together how to improve them.

Since 1986, UC Davis has hosted more than 300 Humphrey fellows from more than 100 different countries. Alongside their leadership projects, Humphrey fellows at UC Davis participate in a number of community events, from volunteering with solar energy organizations and at community dinners to providing course lectures and engaging with seminars on campus and in the community.

About Global Affairs at UC Davis

Global Affairs brings the world to UC Davis, welcoming more than 10,000 international students, scholars and leaders, and hosting programs that inspire global curiosity, understanding and engagement. Compelled by the valuable outcomes of thinking globally, we make transformative opportunities a reality by supporting the thousands of students and faculty learning and researching globally—and by facilitating collaborations that tackle the world’s most pressing challenges through more than 150 global partnerships.

Putting our vision of a UC Davis community that engages, thrives, and leads in this interconnected world into action, Global Affairs is in pursuit of an ambitious goal: Global Education for All.

About the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

An initiative of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program was founded in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter to honor the late senator and vice president, Hubert H. Humphrey, an advocate of international connections and understanding.