Climate: When Young People Speak Out
He will be attending “COP 22,” which will take place in Marrakesh in November. For David Resillas, a representative of a student association atUM a delegate for Youngo[1], it is now essential to ensure that the voice of the world’s youth is better heard in climate negotiations.
The next annual climate change conference, “COP22,” will be held from November 7 to 18, 2016, in Marrakesh, under the auspices of the United Nations. But before this major event, there was an intermediate step: the pre-COP22, which took place through May 26 in Bonn, Germany. The main objective of this “intersessional meeting” was to focus on implementing the Paris Agreement. Among the “climate negotiators” present in Bonn was David Resillas, 25, representing the Youngo movement.[1] and a member of the REFEDD Board of Directors[2]. This student at IAE Montpellier is also the co-founder of EDDA[3], a student association at the University of Montpellier.
What were the key issues at the Bonn meeting?
Maintaining the momentum of COP21, staying the course, and clarifying the path forward. The Paris Climate Agreement has been adopted by 195 countries, and the ratification process is underway: France has just ratified the Paris Agreement. In Bonn, alongside this process, the aim was to ensure that commitments are fulfilled, to set the roadmap, and also to discuss new issues that may have emerged. At this major forum, where various coalitions and lobbying groups made their voices heard, the Youngo organization came to represent youth associations from around the world, focusing on two main themes: education and intergenerational equity.
What is the message from the young people at Youngo?
My generation is going to bear the brunt of climate change. The effects of global warming are already here, and they will only intensify. If we don’t take steps to reduce emissions, adapt, and raise awareness, it will be up to us to manage the crisis! This generation is therefore a victim in the making; yet it still has no say in the matter. We have concrete and innovative proposals to offer, and we want to be heard more clearly: people my age have new ideas to put forward. Today’s decision-makers are highly qualified, but their approach to action remains largely the same as it was 50 years ago. We need a paradigm shift: sustainable development is the key to overcoming the climate crisis. It’s a concept my generation is deeply committed to.
How do you plan to influence the negotiations?
Young people are still largely underrepresented in these discussions. But the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is fully aware that, in order to tackle these global challenges, young people have something valuable to offer: their creativity, their energy, and their passion. The YOUNGO* delegates, of whom I am one, are here to give voice to young people. We are not professionals but students, coming from the world of civil society organizations. We therefore bring a free and impartial perspective to the discussions: we are not bound by any professional constraints or economic interests. This is a strength: our voice carries all the more weight.
What are your next concrete steps?
This will primarily involve expanding the UN National Youth Delegate Program. The program is already in place, but it needs to be better structured. The first task for these young delegates will be to meet with young people in their countries: to raise awareness among youth, encourage them to get more actively involved, and take careful note of their expectations and the projects they propose. We will propose that these young delegates be integrated into the negotiating teams and be able to influence the debates through voting rights. We must therefore convince the UN. But we must also convince Member States: participation in the youth delegate program remains highly uneven across countries.
Key Points
- Young people aged 15 to 24 account for about 18% of the current global population, making them the largest cohort of young people in history.
- The text adopted on December 12, 2015 (the Paris Agreement) aims to limit the rise in global temperatures to below 2°C by the end of the century.
[1] Youngo brings together youth organizations from around the world under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN body responsible for climate negotiations.
[2] REFEDD is a network of student associations that carry out sustainable development projects in areas such as food, biodiversity, climate, waste, etc. REFEDD is a non-profit organization under the French Law of 1901.
[3] Students for Sustainable Development (Associative).