Two years ago at the UN Climate negotiations in Bali, Indonesia, I happened to have the opportunity to attend as a member of the US youth delegation (because I was studying in the US). Upon arriving at the negotiations and after countless hours spent submitting our policy proposals to the UN Convention I realized that there is a growing and vibrant youth movement dedicated to the cause. These youth are actively trying to influence the negotiations. I became conscious of the fact that there were not any Indian youth in this growing international youth caucus present on the sidelines of the conference. I decided to introduce myself to the Indian Government negotiators as a “youth representative.” I was met with a cold and blank stare and then asked, “youth? Shouldn’t they have the same view as their elders?” I knew then that my life would never be the same again.

To be fair, I respect my elders and I know that there are many out there who are on the “far side of fifty” (age 50 that is) who have worked hard to make the world a better place. Generations have come and gone and nearly all of them have had a defining issue to tackle. My generation, labeled the “silent generation” by Thomas Friedman, is caught behind our computers and on facebook, having struggled to come to terms with the seemingly perfect world with an uncertain future of which we are not in control. Many in the climate movement are aware of the political deadlock between developed and developing nations over the issue of climate equity and historical emissions and responsibilities. Though we claim to be talking climate for the sake of future generations, nothing that we are doing is actually putting future generations in a better environment than that enjoyed by generations passed. So let’s get serious about generational equity because those in control sure aren’t.

While the climate crisis looms, we are currently consumed by a financial crisis that has gripped the planet. Just as financial institutions played with the public’s money, we are playing with the global commons that is our climate. We already know the impacts of unabated borrowing of money that does not exist. Can we play the same game with the lives of future generations as we borrow for our unsustainable growth today?

Global leaders are meeting at the summit in Pittsburgh and on the agenda is rebuilding the planet’s economy and hopefully, cooling down the planet. Let us turn this economic crisis into an opportunity of global proportions and usher a new era of genuine, sustainable development. I come from a young country—75% youth–that is facing many challenges. My own ancestral home in the desert sands of western Rajasthan only received electricity a year ago—electricity promised to my grandfather 25 years ago. Yet it is a land bursting with opportunity. Sure enough there is an army of youth in India that are ready to take that stand and that are dreaming of a clean, green country – one which will take this opportunity to build a green economy and support the growth of a green jobs movement. With 500 million people still in the dark, there are millions to be trained in sustainable energy enterprises alone. Let us not forget that this is a country that has half a million engineers graduating annually—a potentially potent force to engineer the country into the paragon of sustainable development.

While youth are 48% of the global population they are not an official part of the negotiation process at the international level. Though many of us are silent, many more are launching revolutions to transform our local communities. I was transformed by my experience in Bali and knew that in the labyrinth process of the negotiations all sense of urgency—of our future—is lost. This hopelessness was transcended through the creation of the Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) which has grown in waves and caught the attention of young people, civil society, companies and the same government that questioned the role of youth on the topic two years ago. Similarly youth movements for the cause are rising across the planet—daring governments to break the deadlock. We envision a future which ensures the survival of all peoples and all nations. The debate is old and it is time for some fresh air. A bail-out for the planet is a bailout we will not regret.

We the African youth, under the auspices of the Africa Youth Initiative on Climate Change, present this statement to the 3rd Special Session of AMCEN on Climate Change.

Deeply concerned by the havoc wrecked by climate change and variability on African Societies with the consequent exacerbation of poverty, food insecurity, deterioration of health and a general decline of the continent’s welfare, African youth of unprecedented numbers are and have vowed to continually work on adapting to it, mitigating its effects and seeking a fair, just, equitable and sustainable solution. Across Africa, youth are organized and networked across their political, socio-cultural and geographical borders to concertedly work towards making a positive change. They are also clamouring for substantive involvement and engagement in policy and decision making processes at the national, regional and international fronts.

Riding on our success and in the spirit of intergenerational equity we call upon our African Governments to acknowledge the space of the African Youth in the Climate Change discourse at all levels

Conscious of the importance of the ‘Seal the Deal’ COP 15 as a hallmark towards Post Kyoto era, we now, more than ever, implore our Governments, as a duty to their sons and daughters, to heed our call, we the custodians of your posterity, and take decisive steps at the international negotiations to salvage our continent and historians will judge you rightly, as men and women, who rose to the occasion and redeemed our common aboard from the precipice of climatic destruction.

Reiterating the agreements in the AMCEN 12th session that Africa must
speak with one voice in advancing the continent’s interest in
negotiations for the climate regime beyond 2012;

We African Youth therefore:

Express our gratitude for being involved in this process during this conference. However, we decry the poor youth representation at the international level. To illustrate this, we cite COP 14 in
Poznan which had, commendably, over 500 youth participants. Sadly, only 5 of this youth were from Africa despite the continent’s high stakes in the Climate Change Debate. Consequently, our voice was barely heard. We, therefore, urge our Governments to support a youth delegation to Copenhagen to enable us present our regional message more resoundingly, thus complementing your efforts. In the same breath, we wish to encourage with enthusiasm the inclusion of the youth in the official African Governments’ delegations. As a gesture of your sincerity to the youth of Africa, may it be found fit to appoint youth representatives in your national delegations

Applaud the formation of the African High Level Expert Panel on Climate Change, the Regional Network for Adaptation in Africa and CLIMEDEV-Africa. While at it, we take this early opportunity to unequivocally state the need and hope for youth representation in these initiatives drawn from the existing pool of highly skilled, competent and motivated youth

Salute you all for your efforts in combating Climate Change and fronting the African Climate Agenda. However, we wish to acknowledge the looming expertise gap in the not so distant future. Our active engagement will thus avert such a crisis by affording us an opportunity for grooming, knowledge and experience acquisition as well as ensuring continuity and improvement of Climate Change Programmes in Africa. It will also promote the uptake of appropriate development technologies by the youth, enhance technology transfer and cement initiated North-South linkages among the youth that will be carried into the future.

Acknowledge the great potential of Climate Change Programmes in creating employment and call upon African Governments, CLIMEDEV-Africa and other Iniatiatives to tap into and support our innovativeness, creativity, vigour and enthusiasm to initiate youth oriented and youth driven Climate Change Projects

Strongly urge our respective Governments to adopt sustainable lifestyles at individual levels, formulate and enforce national Climate Change policies and promote both formal and non-formal climate change education for all

Young people are important stakeholder in environmental and sustainable development decision making processes. We are consumers, producers, victims and beneficiaries. We are sisters, brothers, daughters and sons. We are the ones who will live in a world shaped by your decisions. Let us now work together for our common future.

Please join us.

Thank you

Protecting Our Future:

Chinese, Indian, and United States Youth United for a Strong Climate Agreement

We stand at a historic moment in our response to climate change. World leaders will meet in Copenhagen this year to reach an agreement on a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our countries’ economies represent past, present, or future significant source of the emissions threatening our planet. While there is potential for strong partnerships between our nations, our leaders are constrained by vested interests in their desire to protect their people, blaming each other’s lack of commitment as a reason not to contribute to a global solution that could benefit us all. Youth recognize that we each have a common but differentiated responsibility to contribute to solutions to the climate crisis. We are united in our belief that global emissions reductions must begin. There is no time to lose.

As youth, we will be alive in 2050 to experience the success or failure of our leaders’ effort. We are direct stakeholders to this process. We have come together to state our vision for the opportunities that our countries must take advantage of to help mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as the support that each ought to receive to effectively participate in a shared solution to the climate crisis. We are the inheriting generation of today’s decisions about climate change, and our future is in the hands of our governments’ negotiators. At the same time, we recognize that our future is also our own responsibility. We are ready to make the long-term commitments we outline here, not just ask others to do it for us. We are speaking up for our future. As youth, we are united in our belief that joint action to reduce climate change is a singular opportunity to enable sustainable development in communities throughout the world. We recognize this historic opportunity as a unique chance to celebrate our interdependence and realize mutual benefit by effectively and collaboratively responding to climate change.

Although separated by distance and language, and without the money, power, or time that our leaders possess, we have succeeded in agreeing on a vision for cooperation amongst our countries. If youth can share a vision for a secure future and a healthy planet, we hope that our governments can cross the same barriers that we have crossed, and work together on a mutually beneficial agreement for the protection of our climate, our nations, our generation, and generations to come. Divided, we will surely all suffer. United to prevent the inequities of the future, our nations can succeed and prosper.

Agreed Principles

• Emissions Reductions
  • As the largest historical emitter and one of the top two emitters today, youth agree that the United States must take the lead in reducing its emissions below levels that will give us more than a 50% chance of stabilizing carbon dioxide equivalents below 350 parts per million, the safe upper limit in our atmosphere according to the latest science. This means more than 40% reductions from 1990 levels by 2020, and more than 80% reductions by 2050.
  • As the world’s largest emitter, and with quickly growing emissions, youth support a commitment from China for more than 50% reductions of carbon intensity and 60% reductions in energy intensity from 2005 levels by 2020, and establishing appropriate mitigation policies that would begin reducing its emissions, and increase the scale of its emissions reductions, as its share of world emissions continues to increase.
  • Although not one of the largest contributors to emissions today, India’s growing emissions will soon make it a large contributor to future climate change. Youth understand the issues of equity inherent in India making commitments to emissions reductions when developed countries fail to do so. However, in a scenario where developed countries at least maintain their previous emissions reduction commitments, and take on progressive new and long-term emissions reduction targets based on 1990 levels, youth believe that India also has a strong role to play without constraining its development path. Youth support a commitment from India to stop the growth in its emissions as soon as possible, with other developing countries reducing their emissions from “business-as-usual” levels.
• Technology Transfer
  • The wealthiest nation on the planet, youth agree that developed countries like the United States must help enable emissions reductions in poorer, less well equipped nations. The United States should seize the opportunity to invest in the future of its own youth by helping to reduce emissions around the world. The U.S. should be prepared to invest jointly in research and development projects that will ultimately prevent countries’ lock-in to a high carbon development pathway. This will benefit the U.S. by avoiding expensive and damaging climate impacts. Nations partnering in technology transfer must work to provide institutions, infrastructure, intellectual property sharing, and human capacity that will allow them to put these technologies into action.
  • As a large receiver of technical and financial support for mitigation, China should be ready to spend increasing shares of its own growing wealth on emissions reductions. As it begins to succeed in reducing its emissions, China must closely collaborate with the United States on joint mitigation projects, and both nations should begin to pass on their results to less developed countries.
  • As India is one of the largest partners in technology transfer in our vision, we see it implementing large scale technological solutions to decarbonize its economy. We envision that technology transfer will not happen through technology created in one country and simply shipped to another. We envision intellectual property sharing by all countries, removing trade barriers on clean technology to allow easy and cost-effective technology transfer. We see the U.S. playing an active role in capacity building in India through funding R&D, education, and training of people to produce and deploy clean technology. We see India participating in joint ventures with China and the U.S. to create the clean technology required for low carbon development.

• Adaptation
  • The United States must also contribute, as part of its funding toward the climate change agreement, to supporting some of the adaptation needs of other nations to the climate change damages that the United States’ own emissions have partially caused. Adaptation funding is necessary to ensure a commitment by other nations to reduce their emissions, and this global agreement will ultimately benefit the U.S. by reducing the climate damages that the U.S. already experiences, and will increasingly experience if no agreement is reached.
  • China and other emerging economies should also take up appropriate responsibility to help less developed nations with adaptation.
  • Adaptation is a primary reason for India to take leadership domestically, regardless of what happens internationally, because India has already been, and will continue to be, severely impacted by climate change. Although India should be a recipient of adaptation support, it should also take appropriate action to mitigate and minimize its emissions – emissions that will increase its own need for adaptation efforts.

In 2050, I’ll be 77, and given the pace of the climate talks in Bonn these two weeks, I’ll likely spend most of my retirement either under water or on fire.

If finalized in the next climate agreement, the weak targets offered so far by developed countries virtually ensures that greenhouse gas concentrations (and sea levels) will rise to levels well beyond what science says are safe limits to ensure the survival of peoples and nations. Over 100 youth from 6 continents (the Antarctic youth called in sick) participated in the Bonn negotiations, watching our leaders draft an increasingly costly and damaging climate for us to live through.

Daily at the negotiations, youth have shown our governments how vulnerable our generation will be to the warming and climate change they are creating with their short-sighted proposals. We literally brought two camels and tons of sand to the negotiation entrance to highlight the drought and desertification many of our countries increasingly experience. We rapped and rhymed about the threatened survival of nations and developed countries’ weak financing proposals. Youth tracked key negotiators to remind them the next generation is watching, and blogged to their peers in multiple languages.

We supported indigenous rights and opposed deforestation and forest degradation. Global North and Global South youth played an UNfair (sic) game of football (the Americans insisted on playing soccer) to highlight the unequal negotiating position of developing countries. They also worked to raise money for their developing country members to participate with them in the Copenhagen talks. Fifty Chinese, Indian, and United States youth wrote the 1st collaborative statement (in two languages so far) by youth from these three countries on a shared vision for our nations’ roles and opportunities in cooperating on an agreement.

In the end, it is clear that negotiators have largely ignored the perilous position they have put their children in, and ignored the science as well. Japan’s 8% reduction from 1990 levels in 2020, and Russia’s, Switzerland’s, and New Zealand’s lack of any specific targets raises the chance youth will grow up suffering through climate tipping points and accelerated warming. These “commitments” put an incredible burden on our countries’ future leaders to create post-2020 cuts necessary to reach 2050 reductions.

Despite continued leadership by President Obama, and skilled diplomacy by lead Bonn negotiator Dr. Jonathan Pershing, industry lobbyists have ensured that weak domestic legislation will prevent the U.S. from honestly offering strong international commitments in Copenhagen. At best, the American Clean Energy and Security Act as written would let the U.S. achieve a 3% reduction in 2020 and create only a fraction of the clean energy jobs Americans desperately need. At worst, 1% is likely given offsets and other loopholes.

[JR:  The 3% reduction is compared to 1990 levels, as the link makes clear.  I assumed, given how this paragraph is written, that Kyle also meant 1% reductions compared to 1990 levels.  If not, I'll let him clarify.   I can't see a plausible scenario where ACES as currently written, coupled with Obama's other clean energy and GHG-reduction investments and mandates, doesn't take us to 1990 levels or below by 2020 (see here).]

While Bonn failed to deliver the protections to peoples, species, and generations youth know are needed, they renewed our commitment to redefining what is pragmatic and possible. Delegates should expect to hear from us again soon.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

What?

Badlav 2009: Be the Change! is a week-long climate camp to be held in the nation’s capital, Delhi. We aim to have hundreds of young people come from across the country to:
Be trained on skills of organizing, running projects, lobbying, direct action, presentations, and facilitation.
Participate in eye opening discussions of equity, theories of change, water, energy, agriculture etc.
To enjoy concerts, cultural performances, film festivals, Green Jobs fair and many other opportunities to have fun and learn!

When?

July 18th to July 24th

Who?

Being organised by Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) for you and hundreds of youth from across India.

Where?

Lodhi Institutional Area, Delhi

Why?

Have you ever looked at the dirty dying rivers, floods, breathed in the pollution, see people on the streets living with diseases and in poverty, and just wondered – how can we change this? Do we wish to witness incidences like Cyclone Aila in West Bangal more frequently? Are we ready to handle the increased number of climate refugees? Our basic requirement like food and shelter is at risk. Have you ever thought that our politicians are corrupt, our businesses are corrupt, our system is corrupt and that it is too hard to make a change? Have you ever thought why doesn’t anyone care about our country, our planet, our future?
Think again.

Yes there is corruption. Yes there is pollution, poverty and disease. Yes it may seem like the people around us don’t care – but what about you? Have you tried stopping the corruption, pollution, poverty and disease? Have you stood up and told the world that you care about your country, planet and future? Even if no one around you seems to be doing the right thing – remember you can. In the words of Gandhiji “Be the Change you want to see in the world”. Every action counts and your contribution can certainly make a difference.
At the end of this year in Copenhagen an international treaty will be signed, committing the world to trying to stop dangerous climate change at the UN climate negotiations. However a lot of the world holds little hope that it will be a good treaty that will protect our future. The interest of the Indian people and majority of the developing world are not being listened to.

What do we do? Do we sit back and let the countries of the world sign away our future stability?

No. We don’t. We take action.

Anu Radha Verma
Campaigns Coordinator
Indian Youth Climate Network
anuradha@iycn.in
+91 989 108 4960

Anurag Maloo
Outreaching & Mobilising Coordinator
Badlaav 2009 Indian Youth Summit on Climate Change
anu.maloo.it@gmail.com
+91 971 806 6013

Tejeswar Parida
Outreaching & Mobilising Coordinator
Badlaav 2009 Indian Youth Summit on Climate Change
tejeswarparida@gmail.com
+91 999 997 4473

Snigdha Kar
Outreaching & Mobilising Coordinator
Badlaav 2009 Indian Youth Summit on Climate Change
karsnigdha25@gmail.com
+91 981 874 5466

Badlaav 2009 Indian Youth Summit on Climate Change
http://www.badlaav.co.cc

The UN has reinstated Det Norske Veritas (DNV) as an authorised verifier of emission reduction projects within the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) offset scheme, after the company moved to improve its processes for validating and verifying projects.

In a shock move late last year, the executive board of the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) suspended DNV from accrediting new projects as eligible for the scheme, after spot checks carried out in early November revealed flaws in its auditing processes and found that one individual who had signed off reports on five separate projects had not actually surveyed them.

The company – which has accredited almost half the CDM-certified emission reduction projects worldwide – said it had subsequently tightened auditing processes and has now been reinstated as an official verifier of projects for the CDM, as well as those projects applying to enter the UN’s Joint Implementation (JI) scheme or attain the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS).

“We took the spot check findings very seriously, and we have allocated our best resources to correct them,” said DNV’s chief executive Henrik O Madsen. ” Through these actions we have now further formalised and thus improved the documentation of our processes for validation and verification of CDM projects. Today we are better able than ever to carry out this work.”

The company said that despite being suspended from officially accrediting new emission reduction projects as CDM compliant, it had continued to carry out verification work on projects and as a result only a small number of developments would have faced delays gaining accreditation as a result of the suspension.

“We have been in close contact with our customers all the way and are grateful that our customers have shown patience with us during this time,” said Madsen.

DNV had originally protested at the suspension, arguing that it was a ” strong reaction” to issues with its verification processes.

But offset industry experts said at the time that the UN was under pressure to crack down on projects that had been allowed to sell carbon credits without adequately proving that they were delivering real reductions in emissions.

European Union Position On Multilateral Climate Change Negotiations

The European Commission (EC) announced a set of proposals today (28 Jan 2009) for a global agreement on climate change. These contain several recommendations which cause concern as they may go against the current approach followed by the developing countries in the international negotiations.

2. At this stage, these are proposals only of the European Commission which will be sent to the political bodies – the European Council and the European Parliament. The final shape of the EU position would be known after approval of the proposals by these two bodies.

3. A significant aspect of these proposals is the recommendation for “potential innovative sources of international funding based on the polluter pays principle and the ability to pay”. The proposal further goes on to say that the “EU Member States could also use part of their future revenues from auctioning allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System to support developing countries”. The details of how this would be done are, however, not available from the proposals.
4. In terms of implications for developing countries including India, the following aspects of EC’s Proposals are a source of concern:-

4.1 Developing countries as a group should reduce their emissions by 15-30 % below business as usual by 2020. “These efforts do not include emission reductions in developing countries that result in carbon credits that are used to offset developed country emissions”. “This can be achieved through building on nationally developed climate change strategies, which is already required by the UNFCCC’.

[Comment: This is a distortion of UNFCCC Article 4.1(b), which requires all countries to "formulate, implement, publish and regularly update national...programmes containing measures to mitigate climate change...". This commitment is fully satisfied by development plans or programmes that, inter alia, contain measures with mitigation benefits. Developing countries have regularly reported such measures through their National Communications. The interpretation - now advanced for the first time - by the EU is not supported by the text of the UNFCCC. Our National Action Plan is a voluntary initiative that goes beyond the requirements of the UNFCCC.]

4.2 “All developing countries, except the poorest, should commit to adopting low carbon development strategies by the end of 2011. These strategies should cover all key emitting sectors…and, in countries with a large forest cover, the forest sector. The strategies should identify the support required to support implementation of proposed actions that result in incremental costs that cannot be carried by the country itself”.

[Comment: This is inconsistent with the UNFCCC requirement that developing countries should be compensated for the "agreed full incremental costs" (article 4.3). The EU proposal would effectively allow developed countries to determine the extent of compensation and, therefore, the extent to which a developing country should be required to divert resources from its national development priorities in order to promote climate change mitigation. It would thus give these countries a major role in our development planning.]

4.3 “Developing country actions should be entered into an international registry…The UN climate change conference will review the resulting mitigation efforts of the group of developing countries as a whole and may decide to request developing countries to strengthen their mitigation efforts and developed countries to strengthen their support. If, by 2016, the combined mitigation efforts of the group of developing countries are insufficient, the UN climate change conference should set national ambition levels to be pursued through the national strategies.”

[Comment: All developing country actions - including those that are not "supported and enabled" by international financial and technological support - are required to be entered into the register. Their adequacy will be subject to review. By 2016 - i.e. within 7 years - our "national" strategies will no longer be nationally formulated. Till that time, the developed countries will have a major say in our development planning (see above). The next step will be taken in 2016, after which we will have to negotiate in the UN climate change forum how we allocate our domestic resources between our national development priorities and global climate change concerns. It may be noted, in passim, that there is no corresponding obligation on the part of developed countries to permit the UN climate change forum to determine the extent to which they would be obliged to allocate their own resources to support mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries.]

Dr. Srivastava put her research and recommendations forth for the Low Carbon Options for India: Challenges and technological options (TERI Report). It takes forward the dialogue on technology sharing forward, rather than just vaguely speaking about the subject, Dr. Srivastava tried to give a basic overview of the options and technology needs one should have in mind for India while taking about the same.

The paper gives a comparative review of the renewable energy options, their expenditures and feasibility scenarios in light of four different conditions which are namely: Reference (business as usual), Evolution (improved energy efficiency and GTL and CTL included), Resolution (Prime Minister’s commitment) and Ambition (India takes strict emission reduction targets). The results have been presented in accurate manner though seem somewhat inflated based upon the scenario conditions.But as far as the reaction to the TERI’s projection of the business as usual emissions for India by 2031/32 are considered, they were focussed on the rapidly developing strategies the country has been following and not much disagreement was evident either at the event or otherwise on the proclaimed controversial statement.

However the statements are in pretty well agreement with the expected results but one condition to be taken in this context is that it considers the recent nuclear deal and a fuel price of $150/barrel into calculations.

Anyhow, to a greater extent, the paper and the presentation as the first attempt to specifically quantify the otherwise vague area of low carbon technology alternatives for a rapidly developing nation as India should be called a success. Atleast it gave us a direction to further concentrate on the goals and the requirements giving the much needed impetus.

The IYCN Agents of Change (AoC) program is now accepting applications for its delegation to the UN Climate Negotiations, COP14, happening in Poznan, Poland this December (http://www.mtp.pl/en). COP14 will determine the future of international policy on climate change, and youth must make their voices heard. The Agents of Change delegation will comprise of youth leaders and those passionate about the cause of climate change and sustainable development from across the country.

In the months leading up to the conference, the following will be required of delegates if selected:

The purpose of the Agents of Change is to show to the world that Indian youth are aware of and active on the topic of climate change. Indian youth will serve as an important bridge as they will provide the voices of youth from not only India but those from large nation of the global South. These youth will have the unique opportunity to bring the voices of the Indian youth to the negotiators (including the official Indian negotiators) at the crucial talks.

IYCN will make every effort to secure funding for the AoC delegation, however due to the high cost of traveling to Poland, financial support is not guaranteed. Upon confirmation of involvement in the program, delegates will be required to submit a draft plan for individual fundraising and to stick to that plan. IYCN will work with each participant to identify and contact potential funding sources, and will do what it can to ensure that financial need is not an obstacle to participation.

COP14 Agents of Change Application

Deadline: 5:00pm IST, July 31, 2008

When I embarked on my journey to Bali this last December with the US youth delegation (yes, youth representatives of the world’s largest emitter of green house gases), I was looking forward to bridging the voices of youth from the global North with those of the global South. Being an Indian citizen, it was a rather unique opportunity to be in the middle of one of the biggest road-blocks to the success of the negotiations: the as of yet irreconcilable US vs. rapidly industrializing country view on the “common but differentiated responsibility” for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, I found myself to be the only Indian youth present (and one of only a few from all of South Asia) at the historic talks which were supposed to define how negotiations would take shape in the post 2012 world. With this in mind, I helped form an Asian Youth Caucus on the sidelines of the informal “International Youth Delegation” which was dominated by well organized and well informed youth from Canada, Australia and the United States. In an effort to get increased participation from youth from the global South and give a more holistic angle to the youth perspective, it was apparent that we would need an unofficial Asian youth caucus which would help us share stories and ideas in the Asian context. Being the only Indian youth—I aimed to bring in the stories of and plug in the voices of youth from South Asia in this pan-Asian network.

The start of the conference was filled with high energy and high hopes—all of which turned into frustration in the second week. Recent polls in the US have revealed that approximately 80% of the population would now like to see firm action on climate change. Within the last year we saw major youth movements across the US in the form of the “Step It Up” campaign, and more recently, the largest public gathering on climate change, “Power Shift,” which saw nearly 6,000 youth from nearly every congressional district in the US converge on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Why then one would ask, is there a disconnect between the current administration and what the majority of Americans really want? The US negotiators in Bali asked of us whether we had the votes within the US to demand of them to make stronger commitment at the international negotiations (because it is the administration in power that dictates international policy). Thus the goal of our delegation was clear: go back to the US and mobilize the masses to take action at the polls—which we hope will happen in the coming elections. Regardless of the outcome, it is clear that change will only come with the spreading of awareness.

Meanwhile my interaction with the Indian officials can be summed up by sharing one simple interaction: upon my telling one of the negotiators that I was an Indian youth representative, he simply replied, “the youth? . . . Shouldn’t they have the same views as their elders?” This is one of the fundamental problems right now. The problem of climate change is so complex that politicians must realize that it goes well beyond the games they play. Its ecological implications are so far reaching that it is a problem that will cross-cut generations and be magnified for our generation. Youth of India, a young nation, must have their voices heard by politicians who are debating our very future. A nation at the cross-roads, while we must demand climate equity at an international level, we must also demand that we do not go down the pathway of the industrialized nations before we too find ourselves in a hydrocarbon trap.

So where do we begin? There is hardly any debate amongst us youth here in India right now regarding climate change. Yet there are signs of the change all around us. Go to the rural areas and ask the struggling farmers whether they have noticed a change in the weather patterns within the past 10 or more years and the answer is always yes. Look to your cities—are they too choked with fumes from the growing number of cars in the back drop of a rapidly expanding concrete jungle with decreasing green cover? Make the connections and see where our country is headed. Some will argue of poverty and education being bigger priorities for our growing nation. Others will point at the US and the industrialized nations claiming they should take action, not us. While this is true, won’t our abject poverty make us even more vulnerable to the changing climate? Do we sit by and watch our own house burn? Shouldn’t we as Indians redefine the concept of “development” which we always associate with the West? Where do we begin? Perhaps we should start by discussing it in an Indian context and eventually establish an “Indian Youth Charter on Climate Change.” I hope that this all too important dialog will begin before it is too late.

Before the Bali conference, I never dreamed that a process on which the world’s fate rests so heavily could be so complicated and so cumbersome to the point that all sense of urgency is lost in the labyrinthine process itself. I have never been so disappointed with the international political process. We did leave Bali with a victory of sorts with the US conceding to the need for deep emissions cuts. The youth present at the conference had made a stand in the final hours of the harrowing debate and we believe that our voices were heard. It is with this hope and our attempts to get official stake holder status with the UNFCCC (Framework Convention on Climate Change) that I am more determined now than ever before to become a part of this dialog and to make change happen from the bottom up. As youth from India, a country whose role in the process is becoming increasingly apparent, we must make our voices and our presence felt not just at the national but international level. Climate change is the biggest challenge any generation has had to face in the history of the planet and how we address it will define the fate of all humanity. Who then is ready to take up this climate challenge?

“You can fly, to any city in Thailand. I hope you get a chance to explore this beautiful country before you all leave,” stated the deputy Prime Minister of Thailand during his opening plenary address. I noticed more than a few people smirk in the room. One of the key issues being discussed here are the roping in of various industrial and cooperative sectors into the negotiating process–one of the most important being bunker fuels from aviation and shipping–emissions from the former having continued to rise at 3% each year while the latter’s emissions have doubled since 1990. A presentation today by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the primary organization held responsible for checking the growth of emissions from this industry/sector revealed some of the key challenges to addressing the problem.

Challenges include things like access to and quality of data, methodology, comparability and the problem of emissions from transboundary and multinational flights and those crossing areas outside national jurisdiction were of key concern. However the presentation (which was quite poorly put together with only 3 slides) left a lot to be desired regarding actual moves to check the growth of emissions coming from the sector–and the main culprits having not checked the growth of emissions are the ICAO and IMO (International Maritime Organization). The aviation sector is expanding rapidly in the emerging economies (and rightly so, considering the new found wealth in those nations). Those with vested interests in trade would have business as usual with regards to curbing emissions in this sector–Panama, Singapore, and China again, being some of them. Curiously, small island states as well, as their remoteness requires a heavy reliance on both shipping and aviation for survival. New Zealand made a point to address this latter issue and stated the need to consider geographical remoteness and national circumstances when drafting final policy.

The debate on forests has been reopened as the issue of carbon stocks is taken up once more. This time it comes under LULUCF (Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry). While NGOs are wanting appropriate accounting of emissions from peat and degraded forests, governments are talking of carbon harvested products (timber products) serving as carbon sinks!

To speak specifically in the Indian context, the climate change negotiators have all been changed. This time not a single one of them is from the Ministry of Environment & Forests. To show the seriousness of the issue to the government, it is being handled by the foreign relations department and none other than the man behind the Indo-US nuclear deal. Make of that what you will.

For the 1000 delegates convening here from 190 nations around the world, time is running out in this “City of Angles.” Where is the divine intervention that is needed to move this process along?