Last December 2019, Adriana González, Doctoral researcher at the Department of Engineering, was once again designated as the Costa Rican Negotiator for the area of Technology at the “COP25 Chile” (Conference of the Parties for the United Nations Framework for the Convention of Climate Change) in Madrid, Spain. With her international experience in climate change, Adriana hopes to strengthen an innovative European interregional project called ENERGE, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
During the COP25, Adriana González was required to represent the Costa Rica’s position on science and technology-related topics through the negotiations and side events. Adriana was also Coordinator of the Technology Negotiations for the AILAC (The Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean): a group of eight countries that share interests and positions on climate change.
The main outcomes from the COP25 negotiations were the approval of a new Gender Action Plan, and the promising negotiations on the San Jose Principles – based on work that started at the “pre-COP” – which will continue at COP26.
For more information about the COP25 Chile: https://unfccc.int/cop25
A solid background for the benefit of the ENERGE project
Adriana González aims to leverage her international experience in climate change for enhancing the ENERGE project (Energising Education to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions). She will thus collaborate with researchers in similar fields around the world, attract potential new partners to support the University of Luxembourg, and publicise the ENERGE project’s energy efficiency initiatives and direct-impact local projects both at a national and international level.
The innovative European interregional project ENERGE aims at using low-cost interventions to achieve a minimum 15% reduction in total energy consumption by 2022 at 12 demonstration site secondary schools in North-West Europe.
The project will use targeted interventions through a web-based platform and sensors that will help measure, analyse and visualise energy consumption in school buildings.
ENERGE will also positively engage each of the 12 demonstration schools by enabling school communities to take an active role to achieve ENERGE objectives. Each demonstration school will indeed create its ENERGE School Committee represented its ecosystem (management, teachers, students and maintenance staff). They will contribute to the development and refinement of digital tools that analyse the factors leading to a healthy and comfortable indoor environment.
Adriana González will also be offering a series of lectures at the University of Luxembourg during the summer semester 2020 about Costa Rica and its specific public policies in the field of climate change, as well as lectures on the topic of the relationships between climate change and gender. She is also available to give lectures on these topics to other faculties of the university.