Involving Youth at COP21

On November 30th, 2015, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will begin in Paris, France, in hopes of adopting an internationally binding agreement to reduce carbon emissions. The two-week climate summit brings together leaders and working groups from 196 countries that form the supreme decision-making body of the Convention.

The primary purpose of the COP21 conference is for these intergovernmental bodies to develop the language of a new universal climate change agreement, deliberate scientific and technological evidence, and review the effective implementation of a potential treaty. However, beyond the walls of the conference rooms there will be much more to this global event. 

Side events at the COP hold great importance to these meetings. Past events have helped bring important issues such as deforestation and women’s rights onto the conference agenda. This year, the Climate Generations area will be open to the public, providing visitors an opportunity to get involved and experience the wide reach of global climate change issues that relate to environmental health, human rights, and, in the wake of last week’s attacks on the city of Paris, international peace and solidarity.

The UN conference will be preceded on November 28th and 19th, 2015, by a Global Climate March that plans to mobilize thousands of global climate activists in a peaceful demonstration. The gathering will not be unique to Paris as similar events are planned in cities all over the world calling for climate justice and an end to carbon pollution.

A key purpose of these peripheral activities is the involvement of children and young people, who have been an important part of the UN climate discussions since COP5 in Bonn, Germany. As the Paris Climate Summit progresses, youth-led events will allow a broad range of opportunities for youth to get involved and take action on climate change. 

Among these events will be the Young and Future Generations Day, described as a non-stop celebration of youth and participation, taking place on December 3rd.  Youth delegates from around the world will engage in interviews at the Climate Change Studio with professional journalists and key players from the intergovernmental climate change arena. More information can be found on the UN Youth Portal. 

While the conference proceedings will ultimately focus on what many consider the most important international climate agreement of our time, the side events expose a bigger theme of education, solidarity and global awareness on climate change and other larger human issues. This will be a key factor in maintaining momentum long after COP21, whether an agreement is formed or not.

It is clear that this conference in Paris is much more than a meeting on climate science and negotiation. This is a chance to put a spotlight on the many issues that we face in todays world. Nicolas Haeringer, a 350.org campaign leader in Paris explained this sentiment in an email to campaigners: “We need global solidarity more than ever right now, and that is, really, is what this movement is all about. Even as climate change fans the flames of conflict in many parts of the world -- through drought, displacement, and other compounding factors -- a global movement that transcends borders and cultural differences is rising up to confront this common existential threat.”

We cannot predict the outcome of the COP21 conference but it is clear that the importance of these meetings go beyond the threat to our environment; the Paris Climate Summit will hold even greater importance, one of international peace and solidarity.