Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Role of Youth

It has been five days since I was last at COP 21 in Paris, and honestly, I cannot stop thinking about it.  I had such an amazing time that I wish I could go back!  One of the things I have been pondering as I finish my last week of classes is what my role as a youth delegate and observer was.  What was the purpose of me going to COP 21?  If I wanted to learn about climate change and the different impacts and adaptation strategies, I could have looked at the news and searched the internet.  So why did I feel so strongly about going to Paris?

The answer I have devised is that it is important for young adults and youths to attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change so we can understand how significant the problem is, and how enormous the solutions must be.  Climate change is a global problem that every country needs to try to tackle, and not to just leave it for one or two to care about.  Because it is a global problem, there need to be global solutions.  Nations need to come together and agree to reduce emissions and invest in renewable technologies, while helping their neighbors and allies around the globe.  Everyone must work together as one, not as 195 diverse countries.

As an observer at COP 21, I was not allowed to be a part of the negotiation process, and sometimes could not observe the different negotiation sessions.  This was a little frustrating because I came to Paris with the intention of watching the negotiations and seeing how the different countries would compromise and work out the problems that would arise.  Many young people argue that they do not have a voice.  I disagree with them.  I think we have a voice; it is just not for COP 21.  The role of youth is to take what we learn at the conference and bring it home to share with our families, friends, classmates, professors, employers, neighbors, cities, etc.  It is our job to spread the word of climate change and how we can fix it.  We cannot participate in the negotiations because of who we are; we are young people who are mostly in college and are still pursuing our education to get a degree.  We are young activists and researchers who want to see a change within the world, but we do not have the correct credentials to be a part of the official process.  I think the fact that we are not directly involved is very important.  This gives us the opportunity to watch the delegations and the individuals in charge of our countries to see what approaches and solutions work and what does not.  This gives us the chance to learn from their successes and failures so when it becomes our turn to sit at the table and negotiate, we have an experience to draw upon.  We need to be diligent observers so in 30-50 years when we start seeing the effects of climate change and a warmer world, we already have the foundation for solutions and how to interact with each other instead of only thinking of ourselves.


Being a youth at COP 21 is probably the best situation because nothing depends on us. We can soak it all in and gain a lot of knowledge so when the time comes, we are ready when it does depend all on us. 

6 comments:

  1. Watch out Laura. These meetings can be addictive!

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  2. Ms. Figueres did comment on the importance of youth being at the COP. In her view, nothing of what we experience at the COP (negotiations, advocacy, etc.) can be learned from a book. She believes that the young people need to learn by experience, as they will be the ones taking over in not so many years.

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  3. Ms. Figueres did comment on the importance of youth being at the COP. In her view, nothing of what we experience at the COP (negotiations, advocacy, etc.) can be learned from a book. She believes that the young people need to learn by experience, as they will be the ones taking over in not so many years.

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  4. Laura,
    It's great to see that you're putting forth such great efforts and documenting your experiences along the way. However, I urge you to read elsewhere on the history of climate change. This is something that cannot be stopped. It will happen. It has happened many, many times before. What changes are occurring may, or may not, be due to anthropogenic actions. Please don't let your position be diluted by politics or whatever agenda the UN and ICCC have. The only thing that I think we all can be sure of is that humans can and will adapt to whatever change occurs. Mike '99, current meteorologist

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    1. Not sure what the ICCC is, but if you mean the IPCC, then this represents a global group of experts reviewing the peer-reviewed literature/science on climate change. I think that this expertise and their consensus is certainly something to pay attention to. Some humans, those with money, means and power may be able to adapt, but billions of the world's poorest will not. And if the natural world doesn't fare well, what will adaptation for the few mean?

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  5. I applaud your statement that your role is to 'take what we learn at the conference and bring it home to share with our families, friends, classmates, professors, employers, neighbors, cities, … to spread the word of climate change and how we can fix it.'
    I invite you and other interested students to explore how you can make a difference by active efforts to develop meaningful dialogue and action.

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