“Dear world leaders, many people are blind to the climate crisis...” is the title of VU Amsterdam’s collection of stories about the climate. As world leaders gather at the UN climate summit in Dubai, the university’s community is making its voice heard. Today, it’s launching the COP28 story collection, comprising 22 stories about climate change. In doing so, the community is calling on politicians, policymakers and organisations to take action.
In light of the UN climate conference in Dubai between 30 November and 12 December, community members from within and outside the university – including students, employees, scientists, climate activists, professional writers and an indigenous author – joined forces. During two workshops by the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute (ASI), participants wrote their personal climate stories for the attention of world leaders, under the guidance of associate professor Sjoerd Kluiving. From true stories to fiction and from cartoons to an AI-generated piece, the VU Amsterdam community is also trying to encourage climate action beyond its walls and national borders through various creative means.
Read the stories or check out vu.nl/cop28.