Conference of Youth (COY) – With Hopes Afloat and Passions Ignited!

The past two days at the COP have had one of the deepest impacts on all of us Indian youth. Yesterday, we had two very inspiring speeches from an Australian youth delegate and Deepa Gupta (IYCN). Both these speeches motivated us to keep the struggle for climate justice going and to not give up. Away from the bickering and the polemics sometimes we loose focus on the larger picture. But both these individuals talked off basic human values which we needed to stay true to. Just like many of the grassroot movements that I have seen and been a part of, the power of the people- the power of youth once again inspired me and sent the blood racing.

It is truly inspiring to see the hundreds of youth conglomerate from across the world trying their best to understand each other’s perspectives and arrive at a common solution towards climate change, as one person rightly pointed out ‘If climate change had not happened so many beautiful people (youth from almost every country of the world!) might have never come together’. And yet there is unity in the diversity. The diversity is maintained the most by groups routed to the ground and people proud of their cultural heritages. Many of the Global South youth delegates turned up with flags and in traditional costumes celebrating their cultures!, somehow I feel that itself is a statement to say that we want a solution which is global but routed in the local and ensuring principles of inter –national justice and equality. Some of the African youth and, their connections with the Earth and ecosystems has been truly touching.

On the second day of COY, once again we had a very inspiring speaker, the Greenpeace Executive Director- Kumi Naidoo, who told us about the story of how one his childhood friends who had the deepest impact on his life, once asked him: ‘What do you think could be the biggest contribution you could make for humanity’ and he said- ‘Give your life for it’ but his friend said ‘That is wrong, my friend, the correct answer should be ‘To give the rest of your life!’. Solutions to climate change don’t stop at this Conference and all of us are well aware of that, however from this time forth many youth have pledged to work towards lasting and innovative solutions.

What needs however to be true to (in our finding solutions) is to remember the people we represent- the children, the youth, the underprivileged from many villages, coastal, drought prone etc areas, who fight with the multifarious impacts of climate change every day when they have to traverse longer distances to find water and sacrifice meals so that CO2 emitters enjoy more luxuries. Would we be able to impact their lives, will their stories be any better tomorrow, will we be able to make life any better for them!

It is not that these things have not been thought of by the older generation, but as one wise man rightly pointed out ‘sometimes experience contaminates us’. This is why Mr. Naidoo appealed to the youth by saying : ‘We need your voice, We need your energy and We need your leadership!’

‘The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible — and achieve it, generation after generation’ - Pearl S. Buck