Youth Climate Initiative
By Messeh, June 29, 2010 1:07 am
COMMONCLIMATE INITIATIVE
Together we are taking action to save our climate and our future! We want to do more to help the environment
Getting to Know…
Are Human Activities Contributing to Climate Change?
A comprehensive assessment by the IPCC of the scientific evidence suggests that human activities are contributing to climate change, and that there has been a discernible human influence on global climate.
Climate changes caused by human activities, most importantly the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and deforestation, are superimposed on, and to some extent masked by, natural climate fluctuations. Natural changes in climate result from interactions such as those between the atmosphere and ocean, referred to as internal factors, and from external causes, such as variations in the sun’s energy output and in the amount of material injected into the upper atmosphere by explosive volcanic eruptions.
Why is climate change so serious? 
Changes as small as a 2°C global temperature rise will have serious impacts: rising sea levels, extreme events like droughts and heavy rainfall, leading to disruption to natural and man-made habitats.
That’s why so much effort is being made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to stop the most damaging climate change, known as mitigating climate change.
What can we do about climate change?
The biggest effects most people have on climate change come from:
- energy used at home
- travel
- the food we eat
Most other environmental problems, like pollution or loss of rare animals, are also a result of everyday demands for food, products and energy.
Saving energy at home is one of the most important things we can do to fight climate change and can save our money.
Turn down your heating
Buy energy saving products 
Choose fuel saving cars
Drive less
Waste less food
Buy climate friendly foods
Buy wildlife friendly foods
Recycle and waste less
Reuse and repair
Get composting
Greener shopping
Global action on climate change
Governments around the world have signed up to a number of agreements to combat climate change.
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, countries agreed to take action and reduce emissions. The Kyoto Protocol set laws requiring countries to lower emissions.
Latest agreements
A United Nations (UN) conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 aimed to decide what the global targets and action will be after 2012 (when the Kyoto targets expire).
The Copenhagen conference resulted in the Copenhagen Accord, signed by the majority of countries. The accord includes:
- international backing for an overall limit of 2 degrees Celsius on global warming
- agreement that all countries need to take action on climate change
- financial help for the countries most at risk from climate change
Act Today and save Tomorrow!
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Comments (0) Young people take the lead on climate negotiations
By hannahc, December 10, 2009 4:56 pm
Set in the grand and impressive venue of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the summit which brought together young people from around the world took place, at a crucial time in climate negotiations. Along with the help of the secretariat, a motivated group of young people organised this event to give youth the space to feed into the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM), which recently took place in Trinidad and Tobago.
Spanning over three days, the event symbolised the integral role that young people should take in deciding how future policies on climate change should be shaped. The significance of the meeting was reflected in the range of keynote speakers who attended, such as Baroness Kinnock, Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who expressed the importance of young people’s role in campaigning.
As well as talks held by important officials, the delegates were grouped together to explore different areas of climate change policies and how young people in their communities could be educated about these issues and mobilized to encourage more environmentally friendly lifestyle choices. The delegates generated lively discussions with anecdotal evidence of their communities’ activities; sharing lessons learnt and possible ways to progress. Advocating the use of renewable energy sources as well as including climate change awareness into school curriculum were a couple of the strong ideas put forward.
The event culminated in the delegates producing a set of clear recommendations for the leaders at CHOGM to ensure young people are at the forefront of the fight to tackle climate change.
Hannah Candassamy
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News
By Messeh, September 19, 2009 4:45 pm
Britain’s top government office endorses ‘CommonClimate Initiative’, ahead of the Young Commonwealth Climate Summit in London, United Kingdom. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has approved ‘mutual partnership’ in support of the Young Commonwealth Climate Change Summit, and help facilitate the establishment of the ‘CommonClimate Initiate’. This will accelerate the Commonwealth’s attempts to tackle the pressing challenge of climate change and signals a proactive role for young people in negotiating possible solutions to tackle Climate Change. The Secretariat Coordinator of the Summit Messeh Kamara said the partnership with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office was an “important achievement” and a significant measure taken by a top British government office to deal with the global challenge, and unite the next generation of global leaders and influencers and strengthen intergenerational collaboration on world challenges. The ‘CommonClimate Initiative’, is a sustainable programme of the Summit for young Commonwealth climate leaders linked through a dedicate online platform offering a facility to share expertise, develop collaborative projects and support one another, with key roles and responsibility assumed by summit delegates. This site will also provide a resource for other development practitioners and young people worldwide.
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CPSU News
By Messeh, July 15, 2009 1:59 pm
Project Intern Position – Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Conference
13/07/09 12:49CPSU is looking for an enthusiastic and reliable intern to help with preparations for the Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Conference. You will be involved in all aspects of organising this event. Experience of organising events and an interest in international affairs and/ or issues surrounding climate change will be an advantage for potential candidates. Further information about CPSU is available from the website at http://www.cpsu.org.uk.
If you would like to apply for this internship post please email a brief cover letter and CV to mike.smith@sas.ac.uk.
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Website development underway
By admin, May 31, 2009 11:17 am
We’re in the process of putting together the online elements of the Young Commonwealth Climate Change Conference.
This website will be the place to find all the information you need before the event – and when the event gets started we’ll be making use of an online network to share our insights and experiences.
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