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A group of young environmental campaigners from the UK, Sweden, Indonesia and the Philippines is set to lobby world leaders at the UN climate change conference in Bali in December (UNFCCC conference 3-14 December 2007*)
The four teenagers, all winners of national competitions, want to raise awareness of how climate change and other environmental issues are affecting their lives and call for action from political leaders to prevent future catastrophe. The visit is part of the new Children in a Changing Climate (CCC) Programme that is committed to helping children claim their right to a voice within the climate change negotiations. The Bali conference is the first stage in this process where CCC partners are supporting these four children to observe the negotiations, challenge ministers and help design a process whereby thousands of their peers worldwide can get their voices heard during the forthcoming Copenhagen climate conference in 2009. The children are being accompanied on the trip by representatives of CCC partners including children’s charity Plan International and UK bodies the National Children’s Bureau and the Institute for Development Studies. Thomas Bielby, 16, from Middlesborough, was selected by a panel of children based on a DVD he made on climate change. He held a town-wide questionnaire to gather the views of other children and young people on what adults, schools, pupils and the government can do to tackle climate change. “I am really looking forward to sharing ideas with children and young people from other countries on how to tackle climate change and natural disasters. It will be exciting to meet officials from different countries and see how they plan to include children’s voices in their climate change strategies,” said Thomas. Thomas is being joined by Hanna Sundwall, 16, from Stockholm, Sweden who will speak about environment friendly lifestyles; Hezel Candelario, 15, from Masbate Island in the Philippines, explaining environmental degradation affecting her community; and Eni Andri Yani, 17, from central Java, Indonesia, who wants to raise awareness of catastrophic mudslides caused by illegal logging. The increase in erratic weather patterns across the globe attributed to climate change is impacting children now, but also means their future will be more uncertain. “Young people often suffer most in environmental disasters, yet their voices are too often ignored,” says Nick Hall, disaster reduction manager at Plan UK. “Their views and experiences of environmental issues are important because they will be picking up the bill for our ‘burn now, pay later’ attitude to fossil fuels.” “Our research shows that children have a unique perspective on the challenges posed by climate change,” said Tom Mitchell, Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies. “The decisions made in Bali on providing financial assistance to developing countries to adapt to climate change will be crucial to the futures of children across the world. It is right that they are given the chance to understand the processes and form strategies of their own,” said Tom. This year’s UN Convention on Climate Change conference will host crucial discussions about agreeing a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, the legally binding framework on greenhouse gas emissions. The conference will also give the teenagers invaluable experience of global decision-making as they shadow their country delegates, participate in side events and give a presentation at a conference venue. Lucy Read from the UK National Children’s Bureau will be accompanying the UK youth delegate Thomas Brielby. “This is a rare opportunity for children to come together from around the world to share their ideas and opinions on tackling climate change. It is important that children in the UK gain a global perspective on climate change, and appreciate the impact of their actions on others across the globe. Background information Background to the ‘Children in a Changing Climate’ (CCC) programme Plan International works in disaster zones across the developing world to make sure that children have a say in the struggles to prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters such as floods, cyclones and landslides. Plan’s extensive experience working with children in disaster zones is expanding into the climate change arena with the knowledge that climate change is set to bring a greater number of catastrophes – hitting the poorest people the hardest. The CCC programme will research the impacts of increasing numbers and intensity of disasters, changes to livelihoods in drought and flood-prone areas, and new patterns of migration on children’s futures. The programme will also research children’s rights to climate change adaptation. The UK National Children’s Bureau is also engaging young people in the UK with an interest in challenging climate change in the CCC programme. All three organisations believe children have the power to create change in their communities and in international policy making. Accordingly they must be given a voice in decision-making at every level. The CCC programme is connecting young people from across the globe to share understanding of climate change and the impacts it is having on the world’s poorest people, so that they can develop a strategy to make their voices heard.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 2002. The Convention has the goal of preventing “dangerous” human interference with the climate system. The Kyoto Protocol, an addition to the treaty, introduced binding targets on emissions reductions for all parties to the protocol, and came into force in 2005. The 13th annual Conference of Parties and Meeting of Parties (COP/MOP 13) of UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol will take place on the Indonesian island of Bali from 3-14 December 2007. For more information see www.unfccc.int
The visit to the UNFCC Conference in Bali is being coordinated by Plan International in cooperation with the UK National Children’s Board (NCB) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) as part of a programme investigating the role children can play in reducing risks from disasters and adapting to climate change.
Understanding how children’s futures are likely to be affected in the face of increasing climate related disasters is the focus of new research by Plan in partnership with the Institute of Development Studies.