“We’re getting rowdy!” – Rob Friedman
In December, government and citizen representatives from 190 countries around the world met in Doha, Qatar to create an international agreement on climate change action following the end of the Kyoto Protocol. The outcome of Doha was predictable in the lack of international agreement and collective action on climate change. However, youth played a critical role in these discussions, and it’s clear we are becoming a vital resource, source of motivation, and persuasion at a time when the world needs it most.
Outcomes of Doha:
- The countries agreed to reconvene in 2013 to create goals for emission reduction by 2020
- Industrialized countries pledged to generate $100 billion through public and private financing to give to poor countries to aid them in adapting to climate change.
C2C Fellows Conversations on Doha:
Two previous C2C Fellows were present at the Doha talks in December and a third C2C Fellow attended the COP15 in Copenhagen. Amanda Nesheiwat and Heather Hatzenbuhler both attended the talks in Doha while Rob Friedman was at the talks in Copenhagen. As part of the C2C Fellows Network, Amanda, Heather, and Rob gave brief presentations on their experiences at Doha and Copenhagen on December 19, 2012, and answered a few of our questions.
Listen to the conversation here! And, while listening to the podcast, check out these presentation slides given by Amanda, Heather, and Rob during our conversation.
All in all, the world is slow to make progress on international climate change negotiations, but as our C2C Fellows said, there is hope in participation by youth, and in the coming together of these youth to request, plead, and even demand for real change to occur – after all, our future depends on it!
Posted by Serafina Zeringo, MS’14 Environmental Policy candidate and C2C Program Assistant at Bard College Center for Environmental Policy
