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Del.icio.usEarly Wednesday evening, youth from around the world took the stage to speak a simple truth to the delegates at Bali. In a press conference convened in conjunction with UNICEF, youth spoke about the effects of climate change on their homes, the need for action, and the formation of a global youth movement.
Continue reading "International Youth Hook Up with UNICEF for Trend Setting Press Conference"
Digg | Del.icio.usby Zach Swank, a SustainUS youth delegate
Today the high-level segment of the conference began with statements that contained the energy and leadership that has been missing throughout the conference. After almost a week and a half of insincere commitment to the purpose of these negotiations by many of the leading country delegations, it was incredibly heartening to hear these uplifting words. After all of the science and press about climate change this year, one has to wonder exactly what it will take to finally have all delegations approach the negotiations with the intention of agreeing to the commitments needed to avoid the worst affects of climate change. Petty and short sighted national interests are simply no longer a legitimate excuse to hide behind.
Digg | Del.icio.usby Whit Jones, SustainUS Youth Delegate
In the halls of the UN Climate Negotiations, there is a new presence felt. A growing, cohesive group of youth is storming the negotiating sessions, holding daily creative demonstrations, and meeting face-to-face with their government delegations. They are here to provide a face to the future, to speak for future generations, and to plan for the future of their movement. We've made formal interventions in the negotiations, hosted "mock swimming lesions" to emphasize the urgency of the situation, and are actively broadcasting a fresh perspective of the conference through photo and video.
The youth are carving out a space of their own here at the UN. In the true spirit of global cooperation and collaboration, daily meetings are held for regions, continents, and global youth. The meetings are held to plan for both activities here and in the coming years. Since we are not afforded office space, many of these gatherings are held underneath a staircase, in an area affectionately known as "The Bunker." It is a source of incredible energy and enthusiasm, and the hub of all things New Media. Youth are email blasting their home networks, blogging, uploading to YouTube, all to tell their own story. It is a story of frustration and enduring vigilance; but it is also a story of hope that if youth continue to emerge as leaders, we can set an example for the global community and lead the way to a scientifically-credible and just global agreement.
Each day of this conference, I have been amazed by new youth organizations, networks, and activities around the world. We are working to make our communities sustainable, organizing at the grassroots, and building stronger, more robust movements. We recognize that climate change is the issue of our generation, and we intend to take our future into our own hands. We'll be forging new partnerships across boundaries, and working strategically together, so that we can create a powerful global youth climate movement that cannot be ignored.
Digg | Del.icio.usby Kartikeya Singh, SustainUS Youth Delegate
Trees, believe it or not, remain at the center of the emissions debate. What most do not realize is that aside from industrialized nations' contribution to global GHG emissions from industrial activities and transportation, deforestation from developing countries also plays a major role. In fact, approximately 20% of the global GHG emissions are a result of deforestation. It should come as no surprise then that one of the major things on the negotiation table at this year's COP is REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). It aims to provide incentives for developing countries to cut emissions by preserving forests or having better forest management practices -- all of this in an effort to bring down emissions from this source and to ensure that there are sufficient forests remaining for the uptake of carbon dioxide (aside from other crucial global ecological services).
Some disagreement surrounds REDD's purported effects. For example, REDD may offer incentives to countries like Indonesia to protect their rapidly degrading forests, but for countries like Tanzania and India, where forest protection is working well, REDD provides little further incentive. Second, industrialized nations, though in support of the REDD scheme, see it as a threat to their "hard earned" CDM projects (energy infrastructure) in developing countries. In their view, implementing REDD would flood the market with carbon credits, some which cost more (infrastructure projects) than others (preservation of forests). Let us also remember that this is an old story that has resurfaced. Regardless, action on REDD might be one of the FEW things that comes out of these discussions.
In Indonesia, approximately 70 million hectares of tropical forests remain from the 90 million that existed in the mid to late 20th century. Here the government is concerned with the commitment from developed countries on providing assistance to the countries who refrain from cutting forests. All of this brings into question the right of these countries to utilize their forest resources. In the past, such a scheme has been seen as a ploy by developing countries as yet another way for the developed countries to infringe on their rights to develop. Should nations in the global South be asked to keep their forests standing for the sole purpose of soaking up the carbon released from the global North? Perhaps at last, the face of the debate may have changed -- but only if the North commits to concrete assistance and fewer unjustifiable demands.
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