It’s Getting Hot In Here

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali has ended with a deal signed recognizing that deep cuts in CO2 emissions are needed, a plan to tackle deforestation, and measures to assist developing countries in dealing with climate change. But there are no mandatory emission targets included in this agreement – targets which are needed in order to avert the most devastating impacts of climate change. Al Gore’s powerful speech reminded us of the increasing rate of change in our natural ecosystems. Scientists now predict that the summer Arctic ice could be gone within 5 to 7 years – decades ahead of the worst case scenarios spelled out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. By not taking the lead, countries like Canada, the US and Japan are bringing the rest of the world down with them. Canada’s refusal to act is a crime of unprecedented proportions in the history of human civilization. But Canadian youth demonstrated in Bali that they are not prepared to let their government squander our chance of a better future.

Continue reading ‘This Will Follow You Home: Reflections from the Canadian Youth Experience in Bali’

[Photo Courtesy of Robert vanWaarden]

The international youth outreach team at the UN climate change conference pulled off another amazing event to highlight the need for deep emission cuts and a strong Bali Mandate. They gathered in front of the Bali International Conference Centre at lunch with bathing suits, snorkel gear, flutter wings and a tiny blow-up pool in tow. Collective collaboration helped to make it a success – some youth delegates brought information on our event for media, some brought posters showing areas that will soon be inundated if immediate action is not taken, and others developed a catchy song. Together youth sang:

Swimming, swimming, we don’t want to drown.

We despise sea-level rise, so bring emissions down.

Front stroke, side stroke, and fancy diving too.

Don’t you wish that we could have a big Bali break-through.

Continue reading ‘BaliBuzz: Swimming Lessons for a World with Rising Sea Levels’