The Adirondack Region will have its voice heard for the next two weeks as three individuals from the area are attending a United Nations conference on climate change in Paris.
Jen Kretser, Gina Fiorile, and Shannon Bartholomew; photo provided by The Wild Center
Jen Kretser, Gina Fiorile, and Shannon Bartholomew will be representing the Adirondacks at the U.N’s 21st Conference of Parties or COP21. Leaders from almost 150 countries will be in attendance from November 30 – December 11 as organizers seek to reach an agreement on a global climate pact regarding the reduction of greenhouse emissions.
Kretser is the director of programs at Tupper Lake’s The Wild Center and is the lead organizer of its annual Adirondack Youth Climate Summit, Fiorile is a Wild Center intern who has received national recognition for her commitment to environmental causes, and Bartholomew is a Saranac Lake High School biology teacher who also sits on the Youth Climate Summit steering committee.
“This is an incredible opportunity to play a role in a process that we hope will generate real action on climate change,” said Kretser in a statement from The Wild Center. “We’re representing mountain communities. Our livelihoods and lifestyles are dependent on cold, snowy winters. It’s very important for us to connect with other communities that are in the same position, and to make sure negotiators understand there are real consequences, in real places, if we don’t address this.”
