Fight for Climate Justice at COP17 Climate Change Negotiations

Jessie Dennis    |   Policy Director   |   Project Survival International Team    |     New Zealand    |   7th December 2011   |

Right now, in Durban, South Africa, thousands of people are gathered with all the ideas and cooperation and commitment needed to solve climate change in a fair and just way. People from all over the world have come together, ready to take action for our earth and our future.

In other news, there’s a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP17 climate conference going on. But lets stay out of the halls of the conference center for a moment.

On Saturday 3rd December, a global day of action took place to demand real and just solutions to climate change and in Durban an estimated 12,000 people took to the streets. The messages on banners and placards were as diverse as the cultures and people there. People had been pouring into Durban for the previous few days. 400 rural women, who traveled by bus to take part, and to hold a Rural Women’s Assembly to talk about how rural women will be effected by climate change, and how they are part of the solution. Hundreds of rural farmers, activists from all over the world, union groups, youth groups, organizations and delegations from all over the earth. Then there are thousands upon thousands who, like me, would love to be present and represented but who couldn’t due to lack of resources.

Activists shout slogans during a protest to demand action to combat global warming in Durban Photo: AFP/GETTY

Yesterday La Via Campesina marched in Durban, demanding the rights of small scale farmers be respected and declaring once again that it is those same small scale farmers of the global south who are cooling the planet through sustainable agriculture.

Many of the marchers have been involved, in the past week, in Occupy COP17; a alternative space in Durban for civil society groups, modeled in structure and process on the Occupy protests taking place all over the world. Many of the protesters demand are misrepresented in mainstream media. They are not there asking for a good deal, many are there protesting against the conference; against anti-democratic processes and for a genuinely democratic response to climate change.

Occupy COP17 General Assembly. Picture: Creative Commons, Adopt a Negotiator, 2011

Global youth are always a force to be reckoned with at COP, and again youth have been getting stuck in, organizing events and actions inside COP; against forest loopholes, tar sands and REDD+, and FOR inter-generational justice. As always, the curtailment of freedom of expression inside the conference is pretty concerning, with a peaceful and small demonstrations (necessarily small, due to UN restrictions) being harassed for holding up banners, or giving out flyers. Youth, as always, have not been letting these restrictions stopping them having their voice heard, and many are supporting the ‘outside’ civil society events as well as those on the inside.

Mokgadi Seemola, an African youth, delivers a very powerful testimony to UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, party members and observers during the Intergenerational Inquiry organized for the Young & Future Generations Day on December 1, 2011 at COP17. Videography by Lauren Ressler, Editing by Angela Wiley.

Inside the Conference of Parties (COP), voices of courage and sanity can be heard. ALBA countries, a group of leftist South American countries including Venezuela and Ecuador, a handful of African states, the ‘Least Developed countries’ and members of AOSIS (Alliance of Small Island States) are holding firm on demands for scientifically based emission cuts, and resisting the urge to make concessions that would see their people suffer for their own self interest.

It may well be true that, as former Bolivian Ambassador to the UN Pablo Solon said at last week’s Wolpe Memorial Lecture, “COP17 will be remembered as a place of premeditated genocide and ecocide.” For those who are fearlessly demanding climate justice in Durban this week, I hope, from thousands of miles away, that it will also be remembered as a place of inspiration, genuine change, the building of a movement and courage by the 99%.

Related Posts:

• Durban COP17: You want the good news first or the bad news?

Durban COP17: You want the good news first or the bad news?

Jessie Dennis    |   Policy Director   |   Project Survival International Team    |     New Zealand    |    1st December 2011   |

We will start with the bad news. Let’s not beat around the bush. Three days into the COP17 climate negotiations in Durban, South Africa, and things are looking, well, pretty darn bleak. For those whose survival depends on the outcome, we cannot downplay the dire situation in which we find ourselves in Durban. Why am I so somber, you ask?

As COP negotiations started, civil society groups made opening demands of a global climate deal based on the science; a pathway to achieving the emissions reductions needed to limit temperature rises to 1.5%. For most civil society groups, and for most Developing Countries and Small Island States, this means a number of things are needed in Durban. Here’s the very modest wish-list:

1) A commitment to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, which is due to expire at the end of 2012. At this point, the Kyoto protocol is all the world has in the way of a binding deal to reduce emissions for developed countries. The Kyoto protocol is deeply flawed, some would say to a point which renders it useless, but most still agree that securing a second commitment phase is the only way to ensure developed countries do not back out of their previous commitments altogether.

2) Increased ambition, progress and cooperation for securing a global climate deal which will replace Kyoto or work alongside it, and bring in other non-annex1 parties. This deal must be binding and it must take into account the historical responsibility of developed countries for greenhouse gases. The market mechanisms which are riddled with loopholes which are included in the Kyoto Protocol must be, depending on who you talk to, removed completely or reformed extensively to remove loopholes. Ideally this would have been agreed upon two years ago in Copenhagen. Many civil society groups are now left hoping, optimistically, that it could be achieved by 2015; the date when emissions must globally peak according to scientific reports by the intergovernmental panel on climate change.

3) A fair, equitable and quick implementation of the Green Climate Fund. The Green Climate Fund must be governed by the COP itself, and be financed publicly, not by the private sector. At present, the involvement of the World Bank and the private sector in the governance and funding of the Green Climate Fund is causing significant concern, as it leaves the fund open to corruption, and makes transparency and accessibility for those in need of the funds difficult.

A view of the dais during the opening plenary of COP17 in Durban on 28th November 2011. Photo Credit: International Institute of Sustainable Development

In the first three days of COP, the Kyoto Protocol appears to be on a lifeline, with many predicting it will be history by the end of COP17. This process started in Cancun a year ago, with Japan formally backing out of the Protocol, and Russia and Canada signaling their intention to. On day one of COP17 in Durban, Canada announced it would withdraw formally from the Protocol. Other developed nations which were previously still signally support for the second commitment phase are now showing signs they will follow suit and drop out, such as the European Union nations.

Ambition for the deal to replace Kyoto has taken a massive drop too, according to statements made by developed nations saying they don’t expect a deal to be reached before 2020. This attitude seems to be being pushed by the US, whose head of delegation Jonathon Pershing stated, to the outrage of many, that reaching a deal in 2020 would leave many options open for still keeping temperature rise below 2 degrees, which the US has committed to in both the Copenhagen and Cancun talks.

In Finance, a text around the governance and plan of implementation is being tabled this week. Civil society is somewhat divided here, with some saying we need to adopt it quickly so that progress can be made, and others saying that the involvement of the world bank, lack of transparency in governance and high involvement of the private sector makes the current proposal unacceptable.

The least developing countries, small island states, and civil society are now in a position of accepting the crumbs being offered by rich states in order to make any kind of progress, if you can call it that, or demand more before engaging in talks which would secure a global deal: More ambition, more transparency and commitment by developed countries. With the US leading a path of falling ambition and reneging on existing commitments, some developing countries, such as India, are adopting a harder line of negotiation. ‘If they won’t play ball, why should we?’ appears to be a new mantra for some developing states. China, Brazil and India have now joined the chorus of countries saying no deal will be reached before 2020. But it is the behavior and attitude of the richest countries of the global north which have lead us to this point. It is those nations with the most power which, like bullies in a playground, are so used to getting their way that any kind of compromise is simply unacceptable to them. A new report It is the poorest of nations who are now left more isolated, as they continue to demand a science based approach, while the negotiations stray further and further away from this.

So what’s the good news? There is plenty of courage and hope to be found in Durban. Some of it is inside the negotiating rooms, and a lot of it is outside, in the streets. I will be focusing on these acts of courage and hope and the groups and individuals who are in Durban speaking truth to overwhelming power in my next blog. So don’t lose hope in the meantime, we can’t afford to.

 Climate Change: A Ticking Time Bomb

Maurice Erasito   |   Project Survival Pacific International Team  |     Fiji     |    31st October 2011   |

Bula (greetings in Fijian) everyone.

I have just joined the Project Survival Pacific International Team as a Policy and Networking Consultant.

This is the first time I have joined a group of like minded people passionate about our environment and I am looking forward to doing all I can to contribute towards the great work the team has already been doing for some time.  I try to live life as green as possible and have been a self practicing environmentalist for some time. I use only energy saving lights, converted my hot water system from using power from the grid to solar power. I even have a compost heap in the back yard.

Going back home to Rotuma in Fiji after more than 20 years I noticed huge changes in the environment. The sea seemed to come more inland and some places more evident then others. Much of the surfaces in the sea near the sandy beaches were not floored by the lovely white sand but by coral. Abandoned homes as people resettle inland afraid of a potential Tsunami with more Tsunami threats in the past three years than in the past 100 years.

However, Rotuma is not as nearly bad as some of our Pacific neighbors. A little more then 10 hours away by boat we have Tuvalu and a little further is Kiribati. Two neighbors who suffer far worse as a result of rising sea levels due to Climate Change.

I feel as if we are living on a ticking time bomb, and time is already running out. That is why I have put my hands up to be part of Project Survival Pacific. I look forward to doing all I can to support Project Survival Pacific achieve as much as possible all its objectives.

Related Posts:

• KIRIBATI – A Climate Change Reality
• Pacific Climate Impacts – Vanuatu

Mark Boe    |    Project Survival Pacific International Team    |      Vanuatu     |      5th October 2011

The small island developing states of the South Pacific have been described to be at the  “global front line” in the struggle to adapt to climate change. Some of these island states are more vulnerable than others. Whilst climate change clearly poses an acute danger to low-lying atoll nations such as Tuvalu and Kiribati, whose long-term viability may be, threatened, its consequences for larger and more mountainous island countries are less clear. Here, I consider the impact of climate change on one such country – my country of birth, my home – the Republic of Vanuatu and this is my story!

Pacific Climate Impacts – Vanuatu

Vanuatu comprises of a chain of high volcanic islands in the south-western Pacific with a total land area of 12,190 km². The climate is tropical and generally wet, though there are marked seasonal and regional differences in rainfall. Vanuatu’s relatively sparse population of 224,564 is composed mainly of indigenous Melanesians, 80% of whom are rural and lead isolated, traditional lives. Vanuatu is classified by the United Nations as a Least Developed Country due to its high economic vulnerability. The country is highly prone to natural disasters such as cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions and like most small island states it has a very narrow economic base. Over 65% of its people rely on subsistence agriculture, while the remainder depend on a few key industries, of which the most valuable is tourism. Staple foods include yam, taro and banana while the main cash crops are coconuts, kava (grog) and cocoa. Forestry, fishing and the raising of livestock are also important sources of income.

As time passes by, I see the changes occurring to the community and the environment. Climatic changes are so complex that the Vanuatu people & I are new to it and its occurring faster than expected. Moving around to my neighbouring islands they are facing the same issues & impacts of climate change. We’ve faced drought, failing agricultural yields, more cyclones, heavy rainfalls, soil erosion, flooding and storms. This has lead to increased health problems such as malaria because of the increased population of mosquitoes.

I live on the island of Maewo Island located in the Penama Province in the Northern part of Vanuatu. This area contains mountains mostly at the central parts of the island and the coastlines are covered with few black and white sandy beaches and white and black corals. Most villages located on the western coast have amazingly beautiful water falls.

Returning to my home island after spending over two years studying at schools on the other islands, I can see climate change at the door steps. Road being damaged by rain falls, long drought causing cracks in the ground, soil erosion, floods, small gardens close by fail to produce any yield due to infertile soil from unstable climatic conditions. Our food crops, cash crops and other plants are washed away, failing yield & rotting of crops. Water taros, which we depend mostly on for food, rot during drought. Fruit trees delay in bearing fruits; chickens and piglets dying because of heat waves, change growth rates; ecosystem being spoil and soil become infertile due to heavy rainfalls that result in soil erosion as well flood. Our parents and the people in the villages are angry because their hard work are being wasted.

Climate Change on Mark’s island.   Picture: Mark Boe

Although life seemed relaxing on the islands, things were not right deep down in the hearts & minds of the people. It was the time that I realized that we are vulnerable to climate change after all theses years hearing it from the radio but not really able to comprehend the concept till this moment in my life.

We depend heavily on our natural resources. So when droughts, floods, unexpected rainfalls, extreme cyclones caused as a result of climate change make our resources scare, it drastically affects the quality of our traditional lifestyle. More severe climate disasters are being predicted. Life in Vanuatu will become worse and we , the people of the Pacific, will more be struggling more than we are right now for our survival.

Climate change is worsening the difficulties we Pacific islanders face everyday. We need your big countries with big factories and industries to reduce the extent of exploiting this earth. We need your big factories in your big countries to reduce your carbon emissions that science says are responsible for climate change.

For us in the Pacific, adaptation is now essential and we require national and international support to do it successfully. Will you just continue to increase the carbon emission into the atmosphere and let us small island country suffers the consequences of climate change or will you act to help sustain the lives of all living creatures on this planet, including us humans? Please reconsider our lives and do something about your emissions.

We love our country and our lives are worth more than your emission producing companies. We have not lost hope yet. We know that we all can move this world towards sustainability. So please help us safe our lives, our islands, our culture, our identity and all that we stand for…..IT IS A MATTER OF OUR SURVIVAL !!

Related Posts:

• KIRIBATI – A Climate Change Reality

Solutions4Survival: Looking for Climate Solutions

|  Devanik Saha  |   12th September, 2011 | Project Survival

Project Survival Media (PSM) is a global youth journalism network dedicated to broadcasting stories of survival and ingenuity in the face of climate change. Earlier, PSM worked with 93 youth journalists in the lead up to the landmark UN Climate conference in Copenhagen in December of 2009.

This year they have launched a new media series called “Solutions4Survival” (S4S) which deals with a frightening new reality: the climate crisis is already underway, and our governments are failing to rise to the challenge. As our planet’s natural systems become increasingly unstable, people around the world are looking for ways to adapt.

Team India is the first among 15 teams to be launched as part of this initiative. The team consists of 6 people from various diverse backgrounds led by Ekta Jaju. They recently traveled to villages in South Parganas, West Bengal documenting solutions of climate change mitigation and adaptation

I was fortunate to be a part of the team as well and it was really amazing to see how solar energy has transformed the lives of communities in those areas and despite of solar products being expensive, people have understood the long term impact value of it and made huge investments into buying that. We interviewed some business entrepreneurs who proudly told us that solar energy has helped them increase their profits and sales by up to 70-80% which was quite overwhelming to hear.

The documentary is currently being compiled and is anticipated to be released around mid-October.

Project Survival Media aims to cover many such stories and interview people affected by climate change and how equitable solutions have made an impact in their lives. Apart from small scale solar power, they would also cover stories on various issues of water, sustainable transportation, women empowerment & urbanization that are usually left out in the mainstream media.

The goal for S4S isn’t just the spread of information – it’s also the spread of inspiration.

Devanik Saha is the Engagement Coordinator for Team India, Project Survival Media. Project Survival Media is a partner of Project Survival Pacific, both emerging from the same ‘survival’ notion by the youths attending the United Nations climate change meeting in 2008. More updates on the Solutions4Survival project can be found on the Project Survival Media website and you can also follow them on Facebook or subscribe to their newsletter here.

Tarateiti Uriam Timiti, our 20 year old member from Kiribati shares her story about how climate change has affected her life in Kiribati and why she decided to join Project Survival Pacific.

Having grown up and living in a place where one can see the lagoon and the ocean side from the same point is a very unique and enjoyable experience.  Life is all but the sea; people depend on the sea for food, income, medicine, artifacts and many more.  Because I lived all my life in this unique place, I find it very strange to hear stories that there are people in larger countries who have never seen the ocean before in their entire lives. Having heard these stories as a little girl, I often wonder how such people could survive without the sea. Then I looked at myself and realized how lucky I was to live in such a beautiful place with white beach to play on and calm seas to swim in with friends, enjoying the sea breeze and the saltiness of the ocean.

However, all the luxurious and peacefulness of this place would not last forever. A time will come when there is nothing but the deep blue ocean in place of my island. How sad it is to hear this prediction coming true especially for someone like me who is very adapted and in love with this place. How would you feel if your loved ones suddenly die or disappear?

It is time to believe and act on the famous two words – “Climate Change”.  If you have no idea or do not believe that the impact of Climate change is really happening, then let me tell you an interesting story from a real life experience.

Thirteen years ago, I used to walk back home from my Primary school which is about a mile away. I usually walked through a nearby school along the way. I remember there were classrooms which were very close to the beach. Now that I have all grown up, I can see no trace of these buildings and the shoreline has moved inward.Also at that time, there used to be an agricultural site which was about 50meters away from the sea. I remembered my mother taking me for a tour to this place and it intrigued me so much to see a place full of green. Seeing all the cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbages, flowers of different colours was like paradise as I had never seen a place full of life before.

Photo: Salt Water encroaches inland into peoples houses & schools in Kiribati

My family and I then moved to Fiji and only returned to Kiribati 5 years later. I desired to see this place again upon my return.  As I passed it I saw that the building was still there, but all the green had vanished and was replaced by brown.  This is all due to the increased sea-level which invaded this agricultural site during high tide increasing the soil salinity and making it difficult to grow crops there. In some places when it is high tide the sea surrounds the houses and for this reason people had to build homes on stands. With sea- level rise, water issue is getting worse. Since people highly depend on well for water, the freshness of the well-water is increasingly affected by the seawater seeping the soil inland & increasing its salinity. Life is indeed difficult and frustrating for Kiribati people.

What can be done about this? There is more YOU can do than WE can. The people in small island countries are only finding ways to adapt & minimize the impacts of Climate Change by planting more mangroves, building stronger seawalls and educating the youth but YOU can help us by lowering your emissions of Carbon dioxide from your large unsustainable factories. That is why I decided to join Project Survival Pacific with a hope to save my beloved country Kiribati before it is TOO LATE!!!!

Related Posts:

• Pacific Climate Impacts – Vanuatu

Pacific and Mexican Youth Working in Partnership on Climate Change

Krishneil Narayan (Project Survival Pacific) and Pedro Damián (Mexican Youth Climate Coalition)

The youth from the Pacific Islands and Mexico are not letting the distance between their countries come in the way of their efforts to address the climate change. Pacific based Project Survival Pacific and Mexico based Mexican Youth Climate Coalition (Coalición Mexicana de Jóvenes Frente al Cambio Climático) have come together to work in partnership on climate change projects.

The idea of forming a Mexican Youth Climate Coalition (MexYCC) was conceptualized during the 6^th Conference of Youth (COY 6) and the United Nation COP16 climate change negotiations in Cancun, Mexico during December of 2010. A bunch of Mexican youth attending COY 6 and COP16 were inspired by the strength & solidarity of the many youth groups from around the world that makes up the International Youth Climate Movement and saw that there was a need for a similar youth movement in Mexico that would focus specifically on climate change and its impacts.

It was during COY 6 and COP16 that these Mexican youths first came to know about the work of Project Survival Pacific (PSP) and were motivated by its efforts in raising awareness about climate change in Pacific region.

Project Survival Pacific’s core foundations are based upon the notion of ‘survival’ – the survival of this planet and all things inside it against the impacts of severe climate change. In early 2011, Mexican Youth Climate Coalition approached Project Survival Pacific to help build a youth climate movement in Mexico and to help spread this ‘survival’ message.

MexYCC created teams of youth who work on campaigns like running educational & awareness workshops in schools, communities, public forums & local conferences focusing on climate change and also advocating about the impacts of climate change in the Pacific. In partnership with PSP, they have developed a Project Survival Mexico as one of their campaign projects which aims to show the people that climate change is real; that we can already see major effects of climate change faced by people living in island countries – sea level rise & flooding – and what 1 meter of sea level rise combined with shortages in food & fresh water supplies as predicted by the science could mean to the people living in Mexico.

Addressing and adjusting to the challenge of climate change is certain to be a defining feature of the future of today’s youth. It is therefore critical that young people educate themselves, get connected and become more actively involved in combating this threat with a unified global effort.  While the developing nations are the least responsible for accelerating climate change, initiatives such this indicate that youth from developing countries are already working together in an effort to make a global movement that is more connected and effective than ever in addressing climate change impacts.

Note: For more information on Mexican Youth Climate Coalition email mexycc@hotmail.com.

Romita Datt        27th June, 2011

The first day of the Pasifika Youth Climate Leadership Workshop 2011 kicked off today in Sigatoka, in Fiji, with the attendance of 50 youths from 13 Pacific nations. The official opening began with a sevusevu (kava) ceremony by the Fijian hosts, as well as a welcoming address to the Pacific delegates.

Making her opening address to the delegates, UNICEF’s Policy & Advocacy Advisor Samantha Coco-Klein said “what we are dealing with now is the greatest challenge for our generation and also for the generation to come”

“The story of the Pacific people is one of the greatest stories of humankind. How your ancestors came and settled in these far flung islands in the blue continent; what would have driven them, that hope, bravery, and determination to set out into the great unknown and have hope that they would find a homeland at the end of that journey” said Samantha.

“So it is fitting that as humanity starts again in this greatest challenge, it is the people of the Pacific who are leading the way. It is going to take bravery, hope and a lot of determination to keep on going. We have two epic challenges ahead: one is to work on mitigation & slow emissions down and secondly, it is important to tell the story of the Pacific people, the struggles faced by them over and over and over again so that again determination plays an important role in the long term work ahead” said Samantha.

At the end of the opening, we shared our background stories with others, that is, who we are; what inspired us to become climate change activists and our experiences with climate change issues. This was really inspiring, emotional and motivational for me. One of the girls from Christchurch in New Zealand – originally from Samoa – told how her sad story of how she decided to something about climate change when her 14 family members were killed in Samoa’s tsunami. Another delegate from Brazil shared that she threw her degree in engineering away when she worked in a steel company in Rio de Janeiro which destroyed large amount of forests in her hometown.

The afternoon involved brainstorming sessions on Climate Change solutions, questions and answers sessions on the climate knowledge and science, lessons on public narratives, Running Workshops 101; breakout sessions and a presentation by David Smith from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

I am really excited about tomorrow’s program where I will be giving a presentation on ‘Youth at UN Climate Change Negotiations’ and sharing my experiences and the work of Project Survival Pacific at the United Nations COP Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen and Cancun with all the leadership workshop participants.

I am also joined by PSP Alumni members Christina Ora from Solomon Islands and Rebecca Asigau from Papua New Guinea, both of whom were PSP youth delegates to the United Nations COP15 climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009. Also present at this workshop is Pacific Calling Partnership’s Clair Anterea from Kiribati who we got acquainted with during UN COP16 climate negotiations in Cancun last year.  It has been great catching up with them and sharing this amazing leadership experience together.

Signing out with loads of green hopes and Pacific love

Note: Participants at Pacific Youth Climate Leadership Program are from 13 Pacific countries including the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Kiribati, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and the host country Fiji.

Krishneil started the day at a meeting with the South African Minister for Environment and Water Edna Molewa, where he proposed with the new YOUNGO Focal Point Jean Paul Afana, that as the hosts of COP17, South Africa assist in organising next years’ Conference of Youth (COY). The Minister seemed keen on the idea and we will definitely work on fostering this partnership in 2011.

Krish then went on to assist the observers briefing with the chair of the AWG-LCA and the UN Secretary General’s brief on climate financing where Ban Ki-Moon released a report demonstrating that it’s possible to finance the $100 billion in the Copenhagen Accord entirely from public funds.

Krish, Romita and I then attended a press briefing with the Pacific Leaders from Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Tuvalu where the leaders emphasised the impact that climate change is already having on their island states. Krish and Romita then met several of the Presidents after the meeting.

Pen had a busy day facilitating the outsiders working group, attending meetings at Kilmaforum including one with the CEO of Greenpeace Kumi Naidoo who gave a very inspiring speech. She also worked on media blogs, press releases and articles, as well as having a meeting on the PSP video. Additionally, she worked with AYD on a database to share youth resources and on the 1.5 degrees campaign.

Lu wrote a letter for SustainUS and a blog for Unfairplay. She then headed to a stakeholder meeting with the New Zealand (NZ) negotiators and the head of the Kyoto Protocol working group.  She asked lots of hard questions including how NZ can say they have such a strong moral stance on Human Rights when they ignore the plight of their pacific neighbours on climate change. Go girl! This was followed by an interview with One Climate TV.

Romita spent much of the day at the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) plenary, which I also partially attended.  This included speeches by numerous Presidents and Ministers, including the President of Kiribati who emphasised the importance of dialog between nations being affected by climate change, as well as with youth, whose future is being negotiated. He also associated himself with the AOSIS statement and the statement made yesterday by the President of Nauru on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS). The President of Nauru emphasised the impact that climate change is already having on the islands and stated “when you ask us to compromise, you are asking us to choose how many islands we will lose. This is not a choice we are prepared to make.”

Romita also watched the statements from Samoa and FSM amongst others, as well as attending the meeting on Climate Finance with Krish, a closed meeting on Climate Funding, then the Pacific Leaders press conference with Krish and I, followed by a closed AOSIS meeting.

As for me, my day began at the YOUNGO Spokes-council, after which I attended some of the Presidential speeches at CMP with Romita before rushing off to a Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) meeting with a group of other Australian NGOs to discuss the progress of the negotiations. I then attended the Australian delegations’ NGO briefing with Minister Greg Combet, after which AYCC had a private meeting with Combet and I presented him with a t-shirt with a quote from Christina Ora of the Solomon Islands who was 17 when she addressed the COP plenary last year. “You have been negotiating all my life. You can not tell me that you need more time.”

Then it was back to COP for a few more Presidential speeches and the Pacific leaders Press briefing with Krish and Romita and dinner.

We then joined Luana and Pen for a dinner in a combined Project Survival Pacific (PSP), Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) and New Zealand Youth Delegation (NZYD) and the Philippine youth dinner to celebrate our amazing partnerships in 2010.

So it was a busy day but productive day for all. I think it is really important to have the pacific youth here to let these negotiators know that they’re being watched by those whose future they will determine. Issues such as choosing a 1.5 degree target rather than 2 degrees will dramatically affect the islands and they need to be held accountable for this. It’s essential that countries stop looking out for their own interests and think of the collective outcome, as climate change is something which will affects everyone. The Pacific, who is one of the least responsible for the problem, is unfortunately one of the first effected and stands to loose the most. Their home, their culture and identity are at stake.

Lets hope the negotiators hear the plight of our pacific youth.

The End

Cancun Messe. UN COP16 Climate Change Negotiations          2^nd December, 2010       1:30pm – 2:30pm

Good Afternoon

From Poznan to Mexico, the global youth have asked all countries to commit to a global climate treaty that ‘safeguards the survival of all countries and peoples of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations including those in the Small Island States and the Least Developed Countries, who are also the least responsible for causing the problem.

I come from the Pacific Islands where we are already battling with the harsh impacts of climate change. We youth in the Pacific are very concerned about our future in those islands and instead of sitting around debating on the technicalities & texts in square brackets like our lovely politicians did in Copenhagen last year, we are actually “Getting to Work”.

The youth leaders in the Pacific have collaborated with each other and with our respective government departments, regional NGO’s, and Diplomatic missions to start community based climate adaptation programs. An amazing example is the ‘Pacific Climate Leadership Program’, the first of such program in the Pacific region that I co-founded with youths from Fiji early this year.

Climate change needs a collective solution, thus through our collaborations with the pacific stakeholders we are now able to provide leadership trainings not only to youths but also women and men from all ages who go on to manage community based adaptation programs that we start with them now in 6 Pacific Island countries.

What are Youth expectations from this negotiation process?

• A fair & just agreement that incorporates 1.5degrees or less as a target
• A move towards a zero emissions pathway
• Fast track of new and additional funds that is separate from existing development assistance.
• A safe future that is able to ensure the needs of the generations to come
• Inclusion of youth involvement in the process and ensuring that the youth voices are not excluded from this very important process.

Today, as we mark Young & Future Generations Day here at COP16, we youth of the world we again call for a sustainable future in which sustained global cooperation safeguards our planet from the perils of climate change. I’d like to say that the youth, still have faith in this process; we are going to continue working with this process and we are not going to give up on it.

We will keep engaging with you to find solutions to climate change using all the means we can. After-all we are the youth and you are deciding our present as well as our future.

Gracias