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Ms. Ng Guan Ing, Assistant Director, National Youth Council, Singapore, addresses the workshop

Ms. Ng Guan Ing, Assistant Director, National Youth Council, Singapore, addresses the workshop

Asia Regional Training Workshop on Youth and Climate Change

31 March 2008

17 young leaders participated in a 3-day workshop aimed at providing an overview of the emerging challenges of climate change and how to mitigate its effects

A regional workshop on ‘Youth and Climate Change was held at Singapore Environmental Institute (SEI) Singapore, from 24 – 28 March 2008. The workshop was organised in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Singapore and with the technical support by the SEI, and Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI), India.

17 young leaders from the Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka participated in this 3-day workshop. This workshop aimed at providing youth leaders an overview of the emerging challenges of climate change and how the effects can be mitigated through various strategies. Besides policy implementation and the adoption of innovative environmental technologies, the workshop also touched upon how environmental civic movements, which includes the pro-active engagement of youth groups can disseminate climate change and environmental protection messages to their communities. Participants were exposed to action projects that address natural resource conservation and adoption of environmental technologies to address the issue of waste management.

Ms. Ng Guan Ing, Assistant Director, National Youth Council, Singapore, while extending a welcome to the gathering expressed her gratitude towards SEI and the CYP for organising an important and timely event for the current generation to think and act.

Following her speech, the inaugural address was made by Mr. Ong Eng Kian, Director, Singapore Environment Institute. In his address he highlighted increased evidence of climate change and its consequences and deliberated on the changes in the environment surrounding us. Quoting the study of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) he indicated that 1990s were the warmest decade, and 1998 the warmest year. He further elaborated that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased many folds. He also indicated that the average surface temperature is also projected to increase by 1 to 6 degrees. He thus called action from young people to act in protecting and conserving the natural resources while adopting an eco friendly life.

Mr. Raj K. Mishra, Regional Director, CYP-Asia Centre addressed the gathering by thanking the NYC Singapore for organising this event and the SEI and TERI for their technical support. He called upon the youth to act now to and to be the power of change as future leaders of the nation and world. He encouraged them to help shape/transform the mindsets of the population-at-large to adopt more climate-friendly lifestyles.

Ms. Ranjana Saikia, Fellow at the Tata Energy Research Institute, Ms. Hasliza Ahmed, Head of International Affairs, National Youth Council, and Ms. Vimala Periaynnanpillai, Programme Manager , CYP-Asia Centre a were present at the inauguration.

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