Attending the United Nations Conference on Climate Change is an amazing experience that few people get the chance to do. Many people have asked me if I had fun. No, I did not have fun. The conference is not meant to be fun. Climate change is a real issue and should be taken very seriously. That is what the conference is about, taking climate change seriously and trying to find a solution.
However, these conferences don't often end with a clear solution. There are often too many cooks in the kitchen to come to a decision. Developing countries battle with developed countries so that the differences between them can be acknowledged and so they aren't held to a higher standard than they can achieve while still trying to develop their economy. Developed countries battle with major corporations to try and get them to comply with carbon emission limits. There is always a battle.
Through all these battles and stand-stills and cease-fires comes one good thing. It paves the way for youth. Youth have a unique voice in this issue because they are the ones that will be dealing with climate change in 50 years, not the people who are making policy now. Unfortunately the majority of youth today have no idea what climate change is and are completely unaware of how it will impact their future lives.
My main takeaway from the conference is the importance of educating youth. At our partner school, Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a sixth grader helped the school install its first green technology, solar water heaters for their pool. A sixth grader. Education has no limits, As Patricia from "In the Time of the Butterflies" said, if you expect a kid to be more mature than they may or may not be, they will strive to be that way. Education of youth about their environment and how it's changing should be as fundamental as reading and writing because it directly impacts their future, and they have the power to change it.
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