A Campbell River man who recently completed a master’s degree in Glasgow is part of a B.C. delegation participating in the UN climate summit in the Scottish city this month.
Kyle Fawkes did his master of laws degree in Global Environmental Law and Governance with the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, funded by a $15,000 Rotary District 5020 Ambassadorial scholarship and a $15,000 Rotary International Global Grant scholarship.
Due to the pandemic, he completed much of the program virtually from Victoria, waking in the early-morning hours for classes scheduled in the U.K.’s afternoon.
Fawkes moved to Glasgow in August to complete the program and help prepare for the COP26 climate summit, which kicked off Sunday.
Walking through the streets of Glasgow, he said he hears a constant drum of helicopters overhead and the streets are filled with police as world leaders converge.
During the first week of the summit, Fawkes is helping to organize public events in Glasgow on a variety of climate-change topics, from the impact on island communities to conflicts that involve climate change.
The 27-year-old is working with the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance and contributing to a delegation run by the B.C. Council for International Cooperation.
The B.C. delegation plans to meet with federal and provincial environment ministers to advocate for Canada to commit to quickly phasing out fossil-fuel subsidies, which amounted to $18 billion in 2020 from the federal government to the oil and gas sector.
“I think it’s problematic because this is taxpayer money that’s being used to promote the fossil-fuel industry and [it’s] not a sustainable way of transitioning, necessarily, those workers or energy production side of things into a greener, more sustainable light. It’s the continuation of fossil fuel extraction,” said Fawkes, who plans to move to London to work as a crisis media manager in a maritime communications firm.
Fawkes grew up in Campbell River, graduating from Timberline Secondary School in 2012. While he was tuned into climate issues from a young age, he said it wasn’t until he went to Quest University Canada in Squamish that his interest in and appreciation for B.C.’s natural environment grew.
He focused his studies on trying to help West Coast fisheries predict plankton blooms, which are necessary for salmon feeding and have become increasingly erratic due to climate change.
After graduating, Fawkes took an internship in the East African country of Malawi, where he helped with research looking at how fish farms could quickly grow fish to feed rural communities.
He became involved with the B.C. Council for International Cooperation two years ago, after finishing a master’s in applied coastal and marine management in Ireland. He’ll be attending the UN Ocean Conference with the council next June.
The COP26 summit opened in Glasgow Sunday, launching two weeks of diplomatic negotiations by nearly 200 countries on how to tackle climate change.
— With files from The Canadian Press
>Vancouver Island post-secondary students who want to continue their studies abroad are encouraged to apply for the Rotary District scholarship. Applications are open until Jan. 15. More information is available at the district’s website at ud5020.com/help-us-find-our-next-district-5020-scholars.
