Youth
leaders from sixteen countries are gathered
in Nairobi, the headquarters of the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP), to voice the concerns
and aspirations of young people around the
world in relation to a host of pressing
environmental issues, including climate
change.
These young leaders
will put together recommendations that represent
the vision of the future generation on how
to tackle environmental challenges. Their
vision will be presented to a high-level
meeting of Ministers of Environment - known
as UNEP's Governing Council / Global Ministerial
Environment Forum (GC/GMEF) - that takes
place every two years. The GC/GMEF will
be held in Nairobi from 16 to 20 February
2009.
The process is part of
UNEP's strategy to engage young people in
decision-making , implemented through a
global youth programme, known as TUNZA,
a word in Swahili which means to treat (the
planet) with care and affection.
Here, we review what
the young environmentalists had to say on
a number of issues:
The role of Youth
"The role for us
youth is to give a voice to youth as a whole,
because there are three billion youth around
the world, so how do we influence policy
makers? We are concerned youth need to have
stronger presence. One voice alone may not
be heard, but if many voices may win an
ear."
Margaret Koli, Kenya
Youth Advisor
"We are organized,
effective, passionate individuals who are
committed to the basic survival of everyone,
because right now survival is not guaranteed
for the least developed nations or the small
island states. They literally face extinction
of their entire way of life, entire cultures,
entire islands, are at risk and we stand
in solidarity with them."
Mattew Maiorana, USA
Tunza Youth Advisor
Towards an International
Agreement on Climate Change
In December, world leaders
are set to meet in Copenhagen to reach an
international agreement on cutting down
carbon emissions to combat climate change.
"Copenhagen is
absolutely going to be one of the most important
events that any one of us has seen. I'm
really excited for the event and I'm also
really nervous because of how much has to
happen between now and then."
Mattew Maiorana, 21,
USA
Tunza Youth Advisor,
North America
"On the road to
Copenhagen, what we hope to do is influence
policy makers prioritize climate change
issues."
Oliver Goth Goon, Singapore
Asia Pacific and the
South East Asia Youth Environmental Network
"I think the youth
have a big role to play on the road to Copenhagen;
our generation has a lot to contribute to
the process of creating a more sustainable
world; I think governments should really
take them seriously."
Paulina Monforte Herrero,
Mexico
Tunza Youth Advisor,
Latin America and Caribbean
Contributing to Decision-making
Processes
"UNEP has been
amazing at making sure that Youth are a
part of this process, and hearing our voice,
which I am really looking forward to giving
at the governing council meeting ; and working
with my friends from around the world to
make sure that we have a really strong voice
on the international stage."
Noun Abdul Raman Alchemy,
Bahrain
West Asia Youth Leader
"GC has provided
us with a big opportunity to come together,
to hear different view points, learn from
each other and get inspired by the stories
that other people tell. We are facing a
global threat and what we see here is the
need for people from different cultural
backgrounds to be in that process and now
you see that your own opinion is not always
right."
Anne Walraven, Netherlands
Tunza Youth Advisor,
Europe
Sporting Events Rally
Behind the Climate Neutral Call
It used to be “Swifter,
Higher, Stronger” but in the future the
Olympic motto may well include “lower” at
least as it relates to carbon and curbing
climate change.
From the 2014 Sochi
Olympics to the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be
hosted by South Africa to Norway’s premier
car race starting tomorrow – major sporting
events around the globe are increasingly
looking at neutralizing their carbon footprint
as part of overall “greening” strategies.
These tournaments are
the latest participants to join the Climate
Neutral Network (CN Net), an initiative
led by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) to promote global action and involvement
towards low-carbon economies and societies.
Launched a year ago,
the CN Net today has close to 100 participants
worldwide, including several countries,
cities, major international companies, UN
agencies and leading NGOs.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General
and UNEP Executive Director, said: “Whether
carried out on track and field or on ice
and snow, sporting events ignite the spirit
of achievement in thousands of competitors
and billions of spectators worldwide. It
is therefore heartening that this passion
for excellence increasingly encompasses
environmental performance, with sporting
organizations raising the bar ever higher
at each and every tournament”.
“By joining UNEP’s Climate
Neutral Network, they challenge themselves
and others to champion the climate change
cause through one of the most powerful catalyzing
forces on the planet—sport,” he added.
The 2014 Sochi Olympic
and Paralympic Winter Games will be held
in a unique natural setting between the
balmy shores of the Black Sea and the soaring
snow-capped Caucasus Mountains—an area known
as the “Russian Riviera”.
The Sochi Olympics organizers
have set the goal of hosting “Carbon Neutral
Games”, which will be pursued by investing
an estimated US$1.75 billion in energy conservation
and renewable energy, upgrading transport
infrastructure, and by offsetting remaining
greenhouse gas emissions from the use of
electricity, air travel and ground transportation.
Other environmental initiatives include
development of “green belts” in the city
and reforestation of the Sochi National
Park.
“Sport depends on the
environment. At the same time, the sport
industry depends on energy consumption and
is one of the greenhouse gases ‘addicts’.
What we have is a great opportunity and
a great responsibility to deliver and promote
the model of climate neutral Olympics—reducing
our carbon footprint to zero. Driven by
our commitment, motivated by our predecessors
and inspired by the unique and diverse nature
of Sochi, we are proud to join the Climate
Neutral Network to work with the world’s
best initiatives and to share the best experience
and practices,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko,
President and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organizing
Committee.
The news comes as UNEP
is set to launch on 18 February its environmental
assessment of the Beijing Olympic Games
of 2008. The report will be released during
the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial
Environment Forum taking place in Nairobi
from 16-20 February.
The FIFA 2010 World
Cup—which will be staged at 10 venues across
nine South African cities—will be the first-ever
global soccer tournament to be hosted by
an African nation.
The FIFA 2010 World
Cup will have the largest carbon footprint
of any major event with a goal to be “climate
neutral”—estimated at more than two million
tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, with
international travel contributing more than
65 percent.
Offsetting the domestic
carbon footprint of the tournament could
cost between US$6.8 and 12.0 million, while
offsetting international travel would, on
its own, be double this amount, according
to the recent feasibility study conducted
by Greening 2010 FIFA World Cup team.
The South African Government
is working on a carbon offsetting scheme
for the World Cup and on securing donor
funding to implement this. The Government
has also embarked on a multi-million dollar
initiative—the Public Transport Infrastructure
Fund—to upgrade bus and rail services in
time for the opening whistle in 2010.
Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg
will tear round the track with five times
World Champion Sébastien Loeb in
a Citroën C4 hybrid WRC car when Rally
Norway opens at Bjerkebanen in Oslo this
Thursday 12 February.
Often likened to a “winter Dakar”, Rally
Norway is the annual extreme motor sports
event with over 20 teams racing against
each other on iced-over and snow-covered
tracks. This year’s edition, which will
be held from 12-15 February in Hamar, also
aims to be the first “emission-neutral”
rally.
The organizers have
pledged to fully compensate for greenhouse
gas emissions resulting from fuel used by
competing vehicles, logistical support,
and air and road travel, and are challenging
competitors and other organizations involved
in the 2009 Rally Championship to join them.
Rally Norway 2009 will also feature a “Green
Room” where new technologies for low-carbon
vehicles and fuels will be featured.
Rally Norway’s General
Manager Even Wiger said: “Rally Norway aims
to be the driving force to change the motor
sports to a low-carbon sport. The drivers
are role models, and the races are test
labs for new technology and more low-carbon
fuels. Our objectives are to be a driving
force to make all World Rally Championships
climate neutral, and hopefully this will
influence the car production and the fuel
production to low-carbon cars in general.”
Two other sports organizations
from Norway—the Norwegian Grand Prix and
the Norwegian Golf Federation—have also
joined UNEP’s Climate Neutral Network.
Staged in the picturesque
fjords of Norway’s south coast, the Norwegian
Grand Prix is one of the most spectacular
powerboat events in the world and the largest
annual outdoor sporting event in Norway
with more than 100,000 spectators. The Norwegian
Grand Prix’s vision is to be a global champion
of climate neutral boat sports, and to leave
the legacy of sustainability to future generations.
Finally, the Norwegian
Golf Federation (NGF)—the country’s third
largest sports association with 122,000
members—aims to show that golf courses can
serve as good examples of sustainable area
planning in creating modern cultural landscapes
that contribute to environmental knowledge
and awareness raising. The Federation has
pledged to make its operations climate neutral
as of this year.
Paal Melbye, NGF’s Head
of Department of Golf Facilities, Tournaments
and Events, said: “We would like to join
the CN Net because we believe this will
increase our visibility as a sport federation
that takes environment and climate change
seriously. The Network will also give us
valuable contact with like-minded organizations,
in particular the growing members of sport
federations and events participating in
the CN Net, from which we can develop best
practice.”
Sports organizations
around the world are taking the lead in
implementing solutions to combat climate
change. Last October, representatives of
over 100 sports organizations attending
the 2008 Global Forum for Sport and Environment
(G-ForSE) co-hosted by UNEP adopted the
UNite to Combat Climate Change campaign,
pledging to reduce their carbon footprints
and encouraging sports personalities to
act as advocates for the environment.
UNEP has been actively
involved in work on sport and the environment
for well over a decade. UNEP works to promote
the integration of environmental considerations
in sports; use the popularity of sports
to promote environmental awareness and respect
for the environment among the public, especially
young people; and promote the development
of environmentally friendly sports facilities
and the manufacture of environmentally friendly
sporting goods.
Notes to Editors:
For more information about UNEP’s Climate
Neutral Network visit http://www.unep.org/climateneutral
For more information about the 25th session
of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial
Environment Forum visit http://www.unep.org/gc/gc25
For more information about UNEP’s Sport
and Environment initiative visit http://www.unep.org/sport_env
For more information about UNite to Combat
Climate Change campaign visit
http://www.unep.org/UNite/?page=home
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson and Head
of Media
Xenya Cherny Scanlon, Information Officer,
Climate Neutral Network
