From fighting coal at the University to negotiating for climate change in South Africa, Heather Hatzenbuhler has become a sort of environmental ambassador.

While at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference as a student delegate, the environment economics and management major had the opportunity to interact with students, leaders and representatives from all over the world including, Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

But her passion for environmental change began her freshman year when she seized an opportunity to intern with the Sierra Club organizing a campaign to close UGA’s coal-fired boiler.

With no prior experience working on campaigns, Hatzenbuhler successfully organized a press conference in front of the plant, hosted a coal documentary screening and choreographed a flash-mob in the Tate Plaza — all in one semester.

The connection between the University and the United Nations is tightened by an University student's efforts to raise awareness for environmental issues in South Africa. Courtesy Maria Osman

The momentum and success of Hatzenbuhler’s efforts was overwhelming, garnering local and even national attention from the media. As Hatzenbuhler’s internship ended, she realized in order to establish a framework for the campaign to continue, a leader was needed.

Hatzenbuhler founded the UGA chapter of the Sierra Student Coalition and began organizing the UGA Beyond Coal Campaign, an effort that stands for a clean and just energy future, according to the campaign’s website.

Hatzenbuhler said the campaign is concerned for the health of the community and the future of the University and state.

“UGA sets the pace for the entire region, as the flagship research institution and by continuing to burn coal on campus we are sending the message that the South is lagging behind the rest of the country (again),” she wrote in an email interview. “We have the opportunity to use the wealth of knowledge and resources to become a clean energy mecca and lead our country in the production of clean energy technologies like solar, tidal, and geothermal.”

Last semester, more than 215 calls were made to the University President’s office urging him to set a date to retire to the coal-fired plant. In addition, the Student Government Association passed a resolution supporting this cause.

The campaign’s efforts secured a meeting with Tim Burgess, vice president for finance and administration, to discuss a solution. The outcome of this meeting is still undetermined at this time.

For Hatzenbuhler, international environmental policy is important because the effects of climate change are not isolated to political boundaries. She said the effects of climate change will be felt by certain countries sooner then others.

“We need a legally binding commitment from global leaders to actively reduce the harms we are causing to Earth,” she wrote. “Wealthy developed nations like the United States must take responsibility for their large contribution to this problem, and use the capacity we have as a country to curtail our pollution.”

The United Nations conference that Hatzenbuhler attended invited negotiators from more than 190 countries for two weeks of intense discussion about climate change. The ultimate goal was to establish a legally binding, global climate change treaty.

And it was achieved. Elaborations on the Cancun Agreements, which are steps towards avoiding dangerous anthropogenic influence in the environment, a second 5-year commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, and the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, an agreement that will hopefully bring all countries under the same legal regime by 2020 were all accomplished.

But though Hatzenbuhler was humbled to participate at the conference, a part of her was extremely dissatisfied.

“Throughout the conference, I was made aware of my second-class status as a member of civil society,” she said.

Hatzenbuhler said although the Secretary General emphasized the role and important work of the general public, civil society delegates were prohibited from most negotiations.

“The fact that ‘civil’ society was forced to parade around in obnoxious shirts or do silly dances in order to plead for their concerns was almost insulting,” she said. “If heads of state were required to build a human pyramid or chant and cheer every time they wanted to insert a word into the text, the UN could sell tickets to these conferences and fund global sustainable development with the proceed.”

Despite these setbacks, participators such as Hatzenbuhler worked 18-hour days leading up to the negotiations. Looking back, Hatzenbuhler said she understands the importance of her presence.

She said that the UNFCC is the only United Nations body that recognizes civil society as a constituency and gives the least developed nations equal status with developed ones.

“Frustrations aside, the structure of the UNFCCC is exceptional, and global youth will continue to knock (and dance and sing) at the back door, carrying the message of over half the world’s population, demanding that we are heard and considered,” she said. “After all, we are the ones that will have to live with the consequences of these agreements.”