During the UNFCCC Intercessional we’ve noticed that a lot of our fellow youth know a lot about this process and we thought why not share their expertise with everyone?
So today we have Harriet, an experienced youth in the UNFCCC process from the UK. Read about why she cares about the process and a pretty good case for why you should too.
Harriet, United Kingdom Youth
What is your biggest interest at the negotiations?
Article 6
What is that?
The part of the convention about climate change education, training, public participation, awareness, and public access to information.
Why should young people care about this?
For young people that come to these conferences, the whole means in which they can participate is outlined in Article 6. Especially for young people that are still in education, they should especially be engaged. This is one place where young people can really contribute their expertise. For me, Article 6 is the whole solution to the convention. We need political will, for this the public needs to want a strong deal, but they need to be aware in order to push for it.
What do you want to see in Lima?
In Lima I want to see more opportunities for civil society constituencies to more actively and meaningfully participate.
What would you like to say young people at home who aren’t necessarily interested in the climate negotiations?
Think about how you would feel if your house was flooding or you didn’t have enough to eat because of repeated droughts affecting your food security…would you want to do something about it? These things are already happening around the world. This is the world’s combined political effort to reduce these things from happening…don’t you want to have a say in that?
Final words?
A lot of young people here in Bonn are new to the conference. Everyone should make an effort to speak to them as they are so inspiring. They are learning about the process, making their first interventions, asking insightful questions etc. Many youth use their own free time and money to come here because they want to make a difference. If they have a positive experience they can carry this with them for their whole life, if they feel frustrated and that they aren’t taken seriously then it can be really discouraging. Youth bring new ideas and creative energy to the process, but empowering youth has benefits which stretch far beyond the UNFCCC bubble.