Young people add their voices to climate change dialogue

Young people from across Commonwealth Asia met earlier this month in Dehradun, India, to add their voices to the global dialogue on climate change.

Thirty-two young people from Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore and Sri Lanka participated in a Commonwealth Youth Programme workshop to enhance their knowledge about climate change, its impact, the challenges of adaptation and mitigation, and the skills required to cope with the problem.

After the meeting, they made clear proposals on what could be done in their respective countries. Some of their novel ideas included forming eco-clubs, youth groups and exchange programmes as well as the introduction of climate change as a subject in the educational curriculum.

The workshop on the ‘Role of Youth in Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change for Sustainable Livelihood’ was organised by the Commonwealth Youth Programme Asia Centre in collaboration with the Department of Youth Affairs, India, the Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST), the Forest Research Institute of India and the Energy Research Institute.

In his inaugural address, Dr Ramesh Pokharial ‘Nishank’, Cabinet Minister for Science and Technology of the State Government, stressed the importance of involving youth in tackling the problem. “I hope the workshop will have multiplier effects and the youngsters participating in it will act as resource persons and spread the knowledge they gain,” he said.

Dr Rajendra Dobhal, Director, UCOST, told the participants that climate change was causing the deaths of around 150,000 people every year - which will double by 2020. He said that women, children and the poor will bear the major impact of its adverse conditions.

The six-day workshop involved interactive technical sessions conducted by experts on subjects such as the impact of climate change on ecology and environment, agriculture and livelihood, glaciers and disasters. The programme also included poster competitions, country presentations, case studies and field visits.

Raj Mishra, Regional Director, Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Asia Centre, reiterated the Commonwealth’s commitment to environment protection and said the Commonwealth was one of the first international organisations to raise the issue of climate change, and had more recently come up with an action plan of its own.

Commenting on the workshop, Vaidehi Hemant Shah, a participant from Singapore, said: “The best part was the variety of topics covered, and some of the lectures were very relevant and interesting. We also learnt about the perspectives of the other countries on the issue and, in the process made some very good friends.”

Sifat from Bangladesh captured the mood of the workshop when she said: “We have come out naturally motivated to change our lifestyles at an individual level to set an example for others to follow.”

Jagdish Kishwan, Director-General of the Indian Council for Forest Research and Education, was the chief guest in the valedictory function on 18 October 2008 and gave away certificates to the participants. Dr H S Kaparwan, a member of the eminent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, delivered the keynote address on ‘Protection of the Ozone Layer and Global Atmosphere’.

Key Links:

• Commonwealth Youth Programme
• Sustainability