Vibrant viewers, welcome to Planet Earth: Our Loving Home. In honor of
Universal Children’s Day this week, we will present a two-part series
featuring the perspectives of child and youth environmental leaders
from around the world on climate change and their proposed solutions to
this greatest challenge of our times.
S3 (f): We need the
governments to sign a global climate treaty that is ambitious, fair and
binding. It’s not enough just to sign any deal at all. It also has to
be a good deal that safeguards the survival of all countries and
peoples for the future.
HOST: In 2003 the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) initiated the Tunza Youth Strategy as a
means of collaborating with the younger generation to help accomplish
its important environmental work.
『Tunza』 in Swahili means 『to
treat with care or affection.』 This past August, the city of Daejeon,
South Korea hosted the week-long United Nations Environment Programme
Tunza International Children and Youth Conference, which featured 800
participants, ages 10 to 24, from over 100 countries with thousands
more participating online.
The goal of the Conference was for
the attendees to create a plan for promoting action on climate change
and to develop a statement to send to the world leaders attending the
Copenhagen climate summit this December. The event has been called the
largest ever youth gathering on the issue of climate change in history.
Jamali (m): Vegetarianism reduces energy consumption.
HOST:
Those under 25 years of age form almost half of the world’s current
population, numbering almost 3 billion. This is the generation that
will be inheriting the planet in the years to come. With
climate-related disasters and other consequences of global warming ever
increasing by the day, it is children who are the most at risk.
Satinder Bindra, Director of the Division of Communications and Public
Information for the United Nations Environment Programme shares his
thoughts.
For more details on the UNEP Tunza International Children and Youth Conference,
please visit
www.UNEP.org/Tunza