Posted on 17 December
2009 - Antananarivo, Madagascar – Malagasy
youth have mobilized to draw attention to
the effects of climate change in Madagascar
in a first-time signature pledge.
"When we talked
about climate change a few years ago, it
still seemed like something abstract, happening
in the major industrialized countries only,”
said Ralimihanta Sidonie, a pupil at St.
Louis private school in Ambositra, a village
situated on the plateaus of Madagascar.
“Yet the changes are taking place before
our very eyes in our everyday environment.”
Sidonie is one of 30,000
Malagasy youth who have signed a statement
delivered to the Copenhagen summit demanding
a fair and binding climate deal. The signatures
were collected by youth like Sidonie who
are members of the Vintsy Club.
With the slogan ‘To
love and protect nature,’ Vintsy Clubs are
a key element of WWF’s environmental education
program in Madagascar. There are about 270
clubs in action on the big island, with
each one counting about 50 members.
All on their own, the
members of Vintsy clubs have managed to
collect over 21,000 signatures. Since the
beginning of the school year, they have
created a real information campaign and
have raised awareness among thousands of
other young people to take action for the
planet.
"I did not hesitate
a moment to sign as climate change and its
effects on our planet are more than obvious,"
said Sidonie. "In Madagascar, particularly
in the area of Ambositra, fires ravage thousands
of hectares of forest each year. Because
of deforestation, we are depriving ourselves
of the services of an important ally in
the fight against CO2 emissions, not to
mention other damage such as erosion. "
Nine thousand scouts
in Madagascar also have signed the declaration
calling for a fair, ambitious and binding
climate deal during the current summit in
Copenhagen.
"Signing this declaration
is an act of citizenship, but also a decision
to share with the world's youth, a common
concern about the fate of future generations,”
said Ramaroson Domoin, a member of the female
Scout Movement "Mpanazava".
For this young Malagasy,"
the major industrial countries must realize
that their prosperity should no longer be
at the expense of developing countries.
These really need a fair and equitable cooperation
to address problems caused by climate change.
"
With more than 30,000
signatures, young Malagasy can boast of
being the third major group of signatories
worldwide.
“This is an action that
gives much hope," said Rachel Senn
Harifetra, head of the Vintsy Project at
WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Program,
"it reinforces our belief that young
people may well be among the drivers of
change to address the threat to our planet,
in both rich and poor countries. "
