Young voices are rising: climate change must not forget children!

Young voices are rising: climate change must not forget children!

This week the 30th UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP30, takes place in Belem, Brazil. At this important meeting, over 360 children and young people from Thailand raised their voices to demand urgent action on climate change. Loud Thai Publica These committed young people expressed their concerns in four regional consultations organized by UNICEF Thailand and the Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE). Her focus is on the fact that climate change is already directly affecting the lives of children and young people.

The participants come from 97 different youth networks, including students and ethnic groups who are committed to protecting the environment. In an urgent appeal, they demand that their voices be heard and that this also leads to concrete changes. Chai Rat Di Po, a 19-year-old representative from Chiang Mai, will bring the Thai perspective to COP30, highlighting the serious impact of heat and drought on agriculture and education.

Six demands for a better future

The young people have formulated six central demands that they want to present to decision-makers:

• Gesundheitsversorgung, die auf klimabedingte Risiken reagiert.
• Klimabildung für alle Schüler.
• Nachhaltige Landwirtschaft und Abfallmanagement.
• Gemeinschaftsorientierte Katastrophenmanagementsysteme.
• Wassersicherheit für alle.
• Förderung einer Kreislaufwirtschaft.

Nanthapass Pongwitoon, 23 years old and coordinator of GYBN Thailand, highlights the need for intergenerational collaboration to effectively combat climate change. UNICEF Thailand also calls for climate policy to take greater account of the needs of children and young people.

Campaign for participation

A recent survey shows that over 90% of Thai youth are very interested in climate issues, but only 34% are actually given the opportunity to get involved. To address this, UNICEF is launching the #CountMeIn 2025 campaign, which aims to encourage young people's participation in climate issues. UNICEF will support youth representatives to present their concerns on the international stage at COP30.

The importance of COP30 cannot be underestimated. AP News reports that the conference aims to find a common path to combat the serious consequences of man-made climate change, even as experts warn that this goal appears increasingly unattainable. Climate change is already having devastating impacts on billions of people, and Belem provides a valuable platform to highlight the role of indigenous peoples in environmental protection.

Amid concerns about adequate accommodation for participants - some delegates have even chosen cruise ships and "love motels" as places to sleep - the question arises as to whether this conference will produce the much-needed results. Hosts have recommended a more informal dress code to accommodate the hot and humid conditions.

Although no groundbreaking new agreement is expected, it emphasizes that efforts to adapt to climate change and finance anti-deforestation projects need to be significantly increased. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, global temperatures have already risen by around 0.46 degrees Celsius, which is increasingly running counter to the original goals.

The voices of young people from Thailand are a powerful appeal to take climate change seriously and include the next generation in the decision-making process. The clock is ticking and the need for action is more urgent than ever.