Towards the COP27 Climate Change Summit in Sharm El Sheikh
Youth Are Ringing the Alarm Bell and Getting Ready with Act Alliance
Photo: Halfpoint/Shutterstock.com
The environment is at risk and humanity is suffering due to the effects of climate change! It is a bitter truth that we cannot conceal as long as it became a lived reality threatening the future of our generations who may inherit an uninhabitable world. However, some hopes were witnessed the past years, as voices were raised, especially with youth calling on governments and international concerned parties to work hard and faster to save people's lives and achieve the required and urgent change. But is anyone listening to all these young voices?
In fact, states’ presidents, diplomats, experts, and environmental activists meet each year in an international awaited environmental event which is the COP Climate Change Summit. It is the Conference of the Parties which aims at discussing urgent climate issues and taking all possible measures for a safer and more sustainable future. This year, the COP27’s activities will be held in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh, starting on Sunday 6th of November and ending on Friday 18th of November. The summit will include many activities and sessions tackling the voices of people yearning to live in a healthiest environment, and focusing on various sectors of life.
This is at the level of the official parties, but where are youth amidst all these international meetings? Are they present in the COP27’s activities to raise their concerns? How can they work for the environmental protection and awareness? Answers to these questions were discussed with the Climate Justice Committee of the international ACT Alliance in which the Middle East Council of Churches is an essential member, especially to work for the Middle Eastern issues.
Emma Berglund, member of the ACT youth team, explains for the MECC website, that COP27’s activities include a youth pre-meeting and many projects in which the youth committee will participate online and in person in Sharm El Sheikh.
Emma Berglund, member of the ACT youth team
COY27: Pre-meeting Strengthening the Role of Youth
First of all, Emma stressed that youth have a crucial role at COP27, especially since they will be directly affected by the summit’s outcomes, policies and decisions. It is true that youth today do not have much experience and technical expertise in environmental issues, but they are fully aware, through their acquired environmental knowledge and experiences, of the climate change’s risk and its repercussions on human life worldwide. As well as, young people often think beyond political and economic constraints and work with a solution-based mindset.
The COY17 Youth pre-meeting will be organized by The Official Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC - YOUNGO, and will be held in Egypt between 2 and 4 November 2022, few days before COP27 starts.
According to Berglund, the COY pre-meeting will be a space of capacity building, experiences exchanging and skills building for youth going to the COP, as well as discussing the youth position paper that will be presented as the "voice of the youth" in the later negotiations.
From its end, the ACT Alliance Climate Justice Committee seeks to source out within the broader Ecumenical youth network who will be attending COY so that it can also benefit from the learnings and discussions taking place between youth, in preparation for the first week of COP27.
Therefore, the committee will highlight some of the meetings’ outcomes in a live session which will be held on Monday 7 November 2022, as part of a series of sessions that it will be implemented in parallel with the Climate Change Summit’s activities.
Towards COP27: Many Youth Activities with Act Alliance
Emma adds that ACT Alliance is working in several ways with youth in planning and during COP27, for example by involving the Youth COP in planning and coordination meetings before COP27 as well as for support and encouraging the ACT Youth Climate Caravan which is completely run by the youth themselves. What are the role and goals of the Caravan? And what are its activities?
In fact, the ACT Youth Climate Caravan aims to raise awareness on the intersectional impacts and challenges caused by the climate crisis, with regard to gender, migration, conflict, and young people, among others, across different regions. As well as, to strengthen the ecumenical youth voice in the discourse on climate solutions, and to showcase international youth solidarity within the ecumenical network regarding the climate crisis.
The activities of the ACT Youth Climate Caravan will include a follow-up to the COP27 meetings, sharing stories and reflections relating to what is happening on the ACT social media pages (Twitter and Instagram). In addition to sharing stories from the Ecumenical youth who have submitted pictures, videos and content relating to climate justice, calls to action and their own stories of how climate change is affecting their communities. ACT will be also hosting four ACT Youth Live Sessions on twitter, with young people from both "inside" and "outside" the COP27 meeting with reflections on various topics relating to youth and climate.
With Youth Towards a Better Future
Photo: MikeDotta/Shutterstock.com
Finally, and according to Emma Berglund, youth can often feel worthless, or that their actions have little impact, as many of the vital decisions for environmental protection are being made by governments and influenced by large corporations. However, major changes will only be possible if governments as well as corporations share their responsibilities towards changing policies and upholding international agreements, such as the Paris Agreement. Individuals and young people can also make a difference, through small actions as well as larger initiatives. Noting that building awareness and engagement through climate change education among children and youth is an important step.
On the other hand, and while youth might feel powerless towards the big decisions being taken for them on a global or national level, it is necessary to work on changing consumer choices, such as buying less plastic… and thus building awareness and changing habits on reusing and recycling which have also an impact.
As youth, as well as Christians, strength can be found in our call to be stewards of Lord's creation and our nature, so we do not have the right to exploit or take advantage of it, because it is borrowed to us to nurture and protect.
Communication and Public Relations Department