The Tec student who spoke about climate change at COP30 in Brazil

María Fernanda Rodríguez, a student from the Monterrey campus, shared her vision for youth participation in sustainability issues during the 30th UN Conference of the Parties (COP30) on Climate Change.

She did this on the panel Education for Empowerment: Shaping the Next Generation of Climate Innovators.

“One thing that defined this experience was witnessing the growing participation of young people and universities in climate dialogue forums. 

“Without a doubt, such forums represent a real opportunity for local-level initiatives to go beyond the campus and be discussed in international settings,” she explained.

María Fernanda was the only student representative on the Tec’s national delegation, and she took part in one of the three youth panels that took place during the first week of COP.

COP30 took place in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21.

Tec de Monterrey participated in the event as the only Mexican university accredited by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“Beyond the student or academic sphere, COP30 was a space where I was able to learn many things about social and political interests in climate change issues,” said the student, who also forms part of the FETEC Executive Committee.

María Fernanda has also volunteered with organizations such as Greenpeace Mexico, Amnesty International Mexico, Climate Reality Project, and the International Organization for Migration.

“Participating as a speaker allowed me to share the initiatives that students are working on at the Monterrey campus”.

Sharing a vision of sustainability

María Fernanda’s journey to COP30 began as a result of her work as director of the FETEC Sustainability Secretariat, a position in which she promotes connection between student groups and Ruta Azul, the Tec’s environmental strategy.

“Being part of the Tec delegation that traveled to Brazil was not an easy process; I submitted as part of a nationwide application and more than 40 students responded,” she explained.

This process included presenting proposals focused on the impact each student would have when returning to their campus.

“One of my main goals is to bring the information from these international forums to the student community.

“Participating as a speaker allowed me to share the initiatives that students are working on at the Monterrey campus with a community of international young people,” she mentioned.

She mentioned that the initiatives she shared included the Nuevo León Climate Summit, as well as proposals focused on air quality.

“Many of these projects emerged almost from scratch. This is because the Sustainability Secretariat is very new. However, it also means that there are opportunities to develop initiatives with real impact,” she added.

“Beyond the student or academic sphere, COP30 was a space where I was able to learn many things about social and political interests".

Aiming for community impact

Maria Fernanda’s interest in sustainability came from her family, who sparked her curiosity about the environmental impact of her community at an early age.

“As my parents work on issues closely related to the environment, I have been very involved in the subject ever since I was a child.

“In high school, my passion became more noticeable when I started participating in the Model United Nations, an experience that allowed me to understand the direct connection between social justice and the environment,” she recalled.

The double major in Law and International Relations has been part of the International Relations Student Society and was president of the Ecology student group.

READ MORE: