Children of the World Act Against Climate Change

The children of the world have called on leaders and politicians to quell the surge of climate change in a large-scale statement expressed on Thursday 20th August 2009.  The gathering was touted as unprecedented in terms of depth and scope, and the ages of those involved ranged from 10 to 24.  Around 700 young people representing multiple nations participated in all, and they met up as a result of work by UNEP, the United Nations’ Environment Program.

The climate change youth conference was held in South Korea – a country whose volume of greenhouse gas emissions is starting to rank it alongside the world’s heaviest polluters – and it took place in advance of a key UN climate change summit meeting scheduled for December 2009, at which 190 nations will be present.

“We young people - 3 billion of the world population - are very concerned and frustrated that our governments are not doing enough to combat climate change ... we feel that radical and holistic measures are needed urgently from us all”, those present in South Korea stated.

“We are the generation of tomorrow”, one young person, Anne Walraven, was quoted by UNEP as having stated.  She continued: “The decisions that are made today will define our future and the world we have to live in.

“So we young people of the world urge governments to commit to a strong post-Kyoto climate regime.  It is our lives we are talking about.”

Climate Change for Children

The same statement called for measures to be brought in or expanded that highlight climate change for children, such as making it figure more prominently within educational systems, and for low-emission fuels to be drawn upon to a greater extent.  “Make engaging environmental education mandatory in schools and universities and promote community environmental awareness - an informed public is a powerful public”, it stressed.

Finally, it spoke out to so-termed ordinary people, those who can make a difference by favouring public transport over private cars, uniting to encourage businesses to become greener, and urging governments to adopt new environmentally friendly measures and other climate change tactics.

Future, similar meetings are on the cards, in line with the UN’s ‘Seal the Deal!’ directive.