Historic climate signing, for this and future generations
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On Earth Day, history was written. Connect4Climate, the World Bank Group's global partnerhsip program, joined the world in celebrating the signing of the Paris Climate Change Agreement at the United Nations.

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List of 175 Signatories to Paris Agreement
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Check the complete list here.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, signs the Paris Climate Change Agreement on behalf of China. Photo Credit: Leigh Vogel

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Historic climate signing, for this and future generations
By

Last week, on Earth Day, history was written. Connect4Climate, the World Bank Group's global partnerhsip program, joined the world in celebrating the signing of the Paris Climate Change Agreement at the United Nations.

John Kerry at Paris Agreement Signing Ceremony

John Kerry at Paris Climate Change Agreement Signing Ceremony. Photo Credit: Leigh Vogel

World leaders from 175 Parties (174 countries and the European Union) came together at the United Nations to sign up to the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The signing ceremony far exceeded the historical record for first-day signatures to an international agreement.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said: “Today is a remarkable, record-breaking day in the history of international cooperation on climate change and a sustainable future for billions of people alive today and those to come.”

On the day there were moving speeches and incredible scenes with US Secretary of State John Kerry signing the agreement with his granddaughter, young leaders expressing hope and optimism and Leonardo DiCaprio speaking bold words of wisdom in support of climate action (See his full speech here).

 

Along with the global leaders, 197 children representing the Parties that have adopted the Agreement joined. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged nations to listen to their youth.

“We need to listen to young people and keep the promises made in Paris,” said the Secretary-General.  

Connect4Climate was excited not only to witness the important event, but also to add the youth voice in support of world leaders who signed the Paris Agreement.

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Victoria Barrett, Max Thabiso Edkins and John Rutherford Seydel at the UN. Photo Credit: Leigh Vogel

In the United Nations Digital Media Zone, we worked with youth activists including Xiuhtezcatl Martinez of Earth Guardians and Victoria Barrett, a 17-year-old Honduran-American with roots in the Garifuna Indigenous culture and Alliance for Climate Education Action Fellow.  

“We need every young person on the planet to join hands with us, to build a better future, for my generation, for future generations to come, to tackle climate change,” emphasized Xiuhtezcatl Martinez.

Connect4Climate worked with Alliance for Climate Education youth reporters, who lead interviews with celebrities and leaders including Actor Forest Whitaker, United Nations Youth Envoy Ahmad Alhendawi, Mogens Lykketoft, President of the United Nations General Assembly, Achim Steiner, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, John Roome, Senior Director, Climate Change, World Bank Group, Kathleen Rogers, President, Earth Day Network, and Rosemary Kalapurakal from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Ahmad Alhendawi, United Nations Youth Envoy, highlighted: “Youth4Climate was a very important hashtag and movement leading up to create this momentum to get the Paris Agreement signed…We have to live in a more sustainable way and that is where I believe young people can continue this massive movement.”

Dinaz Kureishy interviews John Roome, Senior Director, Climate Change, World Bank Group. Photo Credit: Max Thabiso Edkins

Forest Whitaker praised the role of youth in addressing climate change, saying, “the smallest actions sometimes can create the tipping point for other actions to occur.”

Comparing the role of young people in the movement for liberation in South Africa, John Roome emphasized youth for social mobilization and political involvement: “It was young people who moved the political debate forward, by coming out on the streets, by demonstrating, by making their voices known.”

On the day, Connect4Climate also presented our Virtual Reality video, March4Earth, to several high-profile world leaders, including Gian Luca Galletti, the Italian Minister for Environment, Land and Sea. We also ran a selfie station for participants to share their passion and energy in support of climate action. The winners of #Photo4Climate Instagram Challenge were also exhibited in the Digital Media Zone.

Gian Luca Galletti, Italian Minister for Environment, Land and Sea, watches Virtual Reality film March4Earth. Photo Credit: Max Thabiso Edkins

On such a historic day we again reflect on the power of youth and we thank our #Youth4Climate partners for their great support. It was truly remarkable the passion and commitment young people present to leaders calling for the preservation of our world for this and future generations. Youth will continue to remind policy makers that they are likely the last generation who will be able to do something about climate change.

“I think it should be a thing, to have kids voices at the UN, because this is our future.” said Xiuhtezcatl Martinez in a Youth4Climate interview with Victoria Barrett

 

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ACE Fellows Speak at UN and Cover High-level Climate Events
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ACE Fellows from New York City joined Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) staff at United Nations headquarters this week for the High-level Thematic Debate on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and the historic signing of the Paris Climate Agreement. Fellows played a vital role in interviewing celebrities like Forest Whitaker, and notable attendees like the United Nations President of the General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft.

ACE partnered with Connect4Climate for this week’s events, a global partnership program of the World Bank aiming to communicate about climate change to the most diverse audiences possible through innovative means. ACE worked with Max Thabiso Edkins, Climate Change Expert at Connect4Climate, World Bank, to position Fellows in the United Nations Digital Media Zone as key youth reporters. Fellows live-tweeted, captured photo and video, co-ran a selfie station, and blogged about the events taking place on Thursday and Friday.

Most notably, ACE Fellow, Victoria Barrett, addressed the attendees in the UN General Assembly Hall on Thursday during the opening ceremony of the High-level Thematic Debate on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as the only young person in the line-up. Victoria’s powerful speech gripped the room when she said, “we are all the 18 million people of Bangladesh projected to be climate refugees by mid-Century. We are all the nations of the Global South being disproportionately affected by climate disruption. And we, together, must unite to save ourselves.”

In an interview conducted by ACE Fellow, Dinaz Kureishy, with actor, Forest Whitaker, shortly after Victoria’s speech, he said “they [the youth] must manifest in their lives and environment, invest themselves in the future. You are a leader by coming here today. Help give them opportunity, and lead them.” He called on world leaders to be “the architects shaping the world's future." As a young person, I learned today that there is an entire population that cares about what is happening to the earth around us.

The real question I’m left with is: will caring be enough to create change?

In a riveting speech given by actor, Leonardo DiCaprio this morning, he said, “You know climate change is happening faster than even the most pessimistic scientists warned us before. Think about the shame that each one of us will carry when our children and grandchildren look back and realize we had the means to stop the devastation, but lacked the political will to do so.” He continued, “Our planet cannot be saved unless we leave fossil fuels in the ground where they belong. Now is the time for bold, unprecedented action.” I couldn’t agree more with Mr. DiCaprio. That’s why I’m spending this Earth Day reporting from the UN Digital Media Zone on behalf of young people across the planet.

Read the original article here. 

#Youth4Climate: inspiring the Paris Agreement implementation
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Last September, 194 young people stood in the balcony at United Nations Headquarters in New York and witnessed the adoption of the 2030 Agenda.

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Why does climate change education matter?
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In a study published in the journal, Climatic Change, researchers evaluating our climate education program found:

  • Students demonstrated a 27% increase in climate science knowledge.
  • More than one-third of students (38%) became more engaged on the issue of climate change.
  • The number of students who talked to parents or peers about climate change more than doubled.

Article 12 of the final Paris agreement reaffirms that the education is as mean for fighting climate change.

“Parties shall cooperate in taking measures, as appropriate, to enhance climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information, recognizing the importance of these steps with respect to enhancing actions under this Agreement”

As the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change says in Article 6, education contributes to the solutions being developed to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change.

“The solutions to climate change are also the paths to a safer, healthier, cleaner and more prosperous future for all. To see this and to understand what needs to be done requires a sharp and sustained focus on education, training and public awareness in all countries and at all levels of government, society and enterprise.”

Key points on why climate change education matters:

- Long-term, independent records from weather stations, satellites, ocean buoys, tide gauges, and many other data sources all confirm that our nation, like the rest of the world, is warming. Scientists who study climate change confirm that these observations are consistent with significant changes in Earth’s climatic trends. (U.S. National Climate Assessment, 2014)

- Over the 21st century, climate scientists expect Earth’s temperature to continue increasing, very likely more than it did during the 20th century. Two anticipated results are rising global sea level and increasing frequency and intensity of heat waves, droughts, and floods. These changes will affect almost every aspect of human society, including economic prosperity, human and environmental health, and national security. (USGCRP Climate Literacy, 2009)

- Climate change will bring economic and environmental challenges as well as opportunities, and citizens who have an understanding of climate science will be better prepared to respond to both. (USGCRP Climate Literacy, 2009)

- Society needs citizens who understand the climate system and know how to apply that knowledge in their careers and in their engagement as active members of their communities. (USGCRP Climate Literacy, 2009)

- Climate change will continue to be a significant element of public discourse. Understanding the essential principles of climate science will enable all people to assess news stories and contribute to their everyday conversations as informed citizens. (USGCRP Climate Literacy, 2009)

The #Youth4Climate social media campaign is an effort led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Energy, the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), the CLEAN Network, The Wild Center, the World Bank Group’s global partnership program Connect4Climate, Climate Generation, Earth Day Network, Climate Interactive, Climate Sign, ACE, and others. It is an open discussion for all to join the youth call for climate action.

Connect4Climate is thrilled to work in partnership with the #Youth4Climate coalition to support young people in taking their place at the center of the climate conversation during the historic events of this week and beyond.

 

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Connect4Climate at the UN Paris Climate Agreement Ceremony
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Last December, 195 countries came together in Paris and reached an unprecedented agreement to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. In the wake of the agreement, more than 150 countries confirmed that they will sign the Paris Agreement, on April 22. It’s a record number that marks the first step towards turning the Paris climate agreement into action. 

The signing ceremony also brings together leaders from civil society and private sector at the United Nations headquarters in New York City to boost climate action. Connect4Climate will also join to witness this historic moment and take part in significant events that will discuss how to take the COP21 agreement forward. Join us!

Guardian Live Q&A: How can the creative industries encourage climate action? – (April 21st)

In order for policymakers to take decisive steps, the general public in countries around the world need to be fully behind taking action to stop climate change. Article 12 of the Paris Agreement specifically requires governments to “enhance climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information.”

Join an expert panel to discuss how creative industries can be effectively engaged to raise public awareness of climate change on Thursday, April 21, 3-5pm BST (10 am -12 pm EST) on Guardian.

Panel Discussion: “Media as a Force for Change” at the United Nations (April 21st)

The focus on the panel discussion is on media and creativity for social impact and the critical importance it will have in the future as we move to the implementation of the new climate agreement as well as the new sustainable development goals. Lucia Grenna, Connect4Climate Program Manager, will join a skilled panel that includes experts from RYOT, Vulcan, Global Brain Foundation, United Nations and others.

Digital Media Zone (April 21st-22nd)

Find us at the Digital Media Zone at the United Nations for engaging conversation and get to know more about Connect4Climate’s initiatives tackling climate change. You will enjoy some of our best #Photo4Climate photos and Virtual Reality video. Also learn more about #Youth4Climate campaign and join us to support youth empowerment in climate action!

Environment Summit 2016

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The One Young World Environment Summit is the first One Young World event to focus solely on environmental challenges and the role young leaders can play in solving them. 500 young leaders will be joined by experts from science, politics, the arts and business at Biosphere 2 in Arizona, 19 – 21 May 2016.

2nd Climate Education Week

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Connect4Climate is excited to again partner with Earth Day Network for the 2nd annual Climate Education Week, April 18-22 2016. 

IMAX Power of Film Highlights
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Connect4Climate's program manager Lucia Grenna was invited to a panel discussion on the Power of Film to Effect Change, hosted by the University of Southern California (US
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Highlights on Twitter
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A Boy from Mexico Campaigns for Climate Change
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Daniel Chávez Ortiz is known as The Ecological Boy in his hometown Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco, in Mexico. Why? Daniel, 11, has been developing environmental campaigns to tackle climate change.