The Climate Studies IBPOC Student Support Fund is pleased to announce our 2025 recipients: undergraduate students Sumaiyah Choudry, Aliya Hirji, Akifuzzaman Labib and Bimo Wibowo. These exceptional students are being recognized for their dedicated work on climate change initiatives and their lived experience tackling challenges facing their communities.
This fund aims to support underrepresented communities working at UBC in areas related to climate change and action, while Indigenous, Black and racialized people have been disproportionately impacted by the climate emergency. An initiative between UBC’s Departments of Geography and Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS), providing funding to these students enlivens Geography’s Climate Action Plan and shines light on the students’ impactful work.
“This year’s recipients are each engaging in climate action in unique and impactful ways. Congratulations to Sumaiyah, Aliya, Bimo, and Labib for their work so far. We hope this award is able to help them continue their efforts.”
Sumaiyah Choudry is an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation with a major in Science and Management. Her studies are grounded in understanding how conservation practices can meaningfully respond to the climate emergency, through both mitigation and adaptation to the rapidly changing environments.
As a student researcher in the Boreal Arctic Biogeochemistry Lab under Dr. Kenzie Kuhn in the Department of Geography, she contributes to research examining methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes from northern lakes in British Columbia. She assists with measuring GHG samples using a LICOR analyzer and help assess how aquatic vegetation influences these emissions which helps inform our understanding of carbon feedbacks in a warming world. Through this experience, she has developed a deep interest in northern ecosystem processes, particularly soil-carbon dynamics, and she hopes to continue this research through a master’s program.
Sumaiyah processing samples from an ongoing growth chamber experiment.
Beyond research, she is actively engaged in community-based environmental stewardship. She has volunteered with the Camosun Bog Restoration Project, helping restore degraded peatland ecosystems, and with the UBC Indigenous Garden, where she has had the opportunity to learn about traditional ecological knowledge and land care practices. She also volunteers at the UBC Greenhouse, assisting with plant maintenance and learning from ongoing research trials.
“As a South Asian student, I am mindful of the limited representation of racialized voices in climate research. This awareness drives me to bring diverse perspectives into scientific spaces and to engage with Indigenous and marginalized communities often overlooked in environmental decision-making. I aspire to contribute to research that bridges science and justice that is grounded in collaboration, respect, and inclusivity, to help shape equitable responses to the climate emergency.” states Sumaiyah.
Aliya Hirji is a community organizer and a final-year student in the UBC–Sciences Po Dual Degree, completing degrees in Political Humanities and Environment and Sustainability. Since age 14, she has worked on a range of climate justice and human rights campaigns, from fossil fuel and weapons divestment to welfare policy. Aliya organizes Canadians to challenge the complicity of their governments, corporations, and financial system in injustices at home and around the world. They are currently a campaign coordinator at the youth-led climate justice non-profit Shake Up The Establishment, a senior advisory council member for the environmental and human rights investigation non-profit Global Witness, and are challenging pension investments in fossil fuel expansion as a plaintiff in Hirji et al v Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. At UBC, they coordinate the CPCIL Collaborative Research Network, which plans and delivers research events and knowledge-sharing initiatives for parks and protected areas across BC and Canada. In recent years, Aliya has been recognized as one of Canada’s top 30 under 30 sustainability leaders and has presented her research at interdisciplinary conferences worldwide. Their work is driven by a deep commitment to building reciprocal relationships with one another and with our environments.
“The work that I love is often unpaid, and to fund my dual Bachelor of Arts degrees at Sciences Po and UBC, I currently work multiple jobs. Receiving this fund would allow me to dedicate more time to my volunteer work in Vancouver at Shake Up The Establishment, where I host policy consultations for racialized youth for the Canadian government, organize events and rallies addressing the intersectional climate injustices IBPOC people face, and build a solidarity coalition of racial, economic, and climate justice organizers.” shares Aliya.
Akifuzzaman Labib is a fourth-year student at UBC, specializing in Entrepreneurship and Marketing, with a deep passion for using business innovation to drive environmental restoration and climate justice. Originally from Bangladesh, he is the Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of CarboBon, the country’s first digital carbon credit company. Through CarboBon, Labib is working to build Bangladesh’s foundational carbon credit infrastructure by connecting local carbon reduction projects – such as forest conservation, renewable energy initiatives, and community-driven conservation efforts – with global climate finance markets.
Labib’s work at CarboBon focuses on developing a transparent digital platform that enables grassroots organizations and local communities to measure, report, and trade carbon credits, allowing them to access climate finance that has traditionally been out of reach. The company’s pioneering work on the first Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system in Bangladesh ensures that environmental projects are measurable, verifiable, and financially rewarding. In doing so, CarboBon empowers communities protecting vital ecosystems like forests, mangroves, and wetlands, helping them receive fair compensation for their efforts.
Labib’s climate action work is also closely tied to his broader vision of sustainable, scalable change. As a founder of a start-up in Bangladesh, he is developing financial infrastructure to support the adoption of sustainable practices in local communities, leveraging carbon credits and biochar systems to reduce carbon emissions and conserve vital ecosystems. He believes that bridging the gap between economic incentives and environmental sustainability is key to achieving long-term climate justice.
“By bridging the gap between economic incentives and environmental sustainability, I hope to create long-term, scalable change. I am honored to be selected for the 2025-2026 Climate Studies IBPOC Student Support Fund and look forward to continuing my work in creating community-driven solutions for a greener future.” imparts Labib.
Bimo Wibowo is currently in his fourth-year majoring in Environment & Sustainability, minoring in GIS & GC and completing a Certificate in Climate Studies & Action. The realities of climate change tend to begin in the landscape he grew up in. In Java, Indonesia, where he comes from, seasonal floods, heat waves, and shifting coastlines were not abstract ideas but part of everyday life. They shaped how people built their homes, how they worked, and how they imagined their futures. Those early experiences, along with traditional Javanese teachings about balance and care for the land, continue to guide how Bimo understands climate change and our responsibilities to the places we call ‘home.’
At UBC, his work moves between field observation, data, and community engagement. As a Climate Impact Project Assistant in the Climate and Coastal Ecosystems Laboratory under the Geography Professor, Dr. Simon Donner, he contributes to a global coral-bleaching dataset to understand how warming waters affect reef ecosystems. His earlier work with the UBC Biogeomorphology Lab and Northwest Hydraulic Consultants expanded his skill set in the fields of hydrology, geomorphology, and management of water resources, and he intends to utilize these skills in the Jakarta area, where climate influences are also increasing in intensity.
Apart from his work in conducting research, Bimo engages actively with climate advocacy and awareness. As a Residence Advisor at UBC for his third year running, he coordinates a number of climate sustainability-related programs that encourage residents to make a practical difference in their own living experiences.
In the lab at UBC IRES with Prof. Simon Donner, Virginie Bornarel (Postdoc), and Bimo Wibowo.
His long-term vision involves bringing science, policy, and traditional learning together to implement climate resilience in environments such as Indonesia and Vancouver, where fast-paced changes are taking place in the environment.
“This support would not just aid my studies, it would allow me to transform research into action, knowledge into justice, and ideas into solutions. It would carry the lessons of resilience and harmony from my childhood in Indonesia into the communities I serve in Vancouver and beyond. With this recognition, I could amplify marginalized voices, connect science with policy and culture, and inspire others to act. This fund would be a catalyst, bridging my roots, my research, and the future I strive to help build: just, sustainable, and full of possibility.” expresses Bimo.
With bright lights like Sumaiyah, Aliya, Bimo, and Labib in our midst, we remain hopeful the work being done by our UBC research community will pave the way for innovative and just climate solutions. Join us in congratulating these four young scholars on their remarkable leadership and accomplishments in the climate justice field.
