We will not die quietly
Climate change affects everybody. This has never been clearer than now during the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
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Photo: Caroline Hansson, Malmö Borgarskola, Malmö
International youth climate movement raises their voices at the UN Climate Change Conference.
In one of the many rooms in Bella Center, a large group of young people dressed in orange from the International Youth Climate Movement are drumming their chests, simulating the sound of a tropical storm. They have gathered to show the people attending the conference that climate change is real and it is happening in their home countries - all over the world.
Climate change is not just about science, even if science is what the major, binding decisions reached at events like these are founded on. It is about real people and their struggle in a changing world. This is what the young people want to convey in their moving speeches where they strive to put faces to the victims.
One by one, they speak about how their homes have been destroyed as a result of rising temperatures. Despite language barriers and cultural differences, these young people have a common message: the time has come for the leaders of the world to reach a binding climate agreement.
The decisions made here will also have an impact on the young people of Europe and the rest of the world – this is why it is important not to stay silent as politicians discuss our, our children’s and our grandchildren’s future, argue the orange-clad young people.
Today’s theme here at the UN Climate Change Conference is youth, and the young people of the world have really done their best to show that they exist and that they are not going to die quietly. They are demanding that the leaders of the world save their homes, as it is we, the rich parts of the world, who are behind most of the destruction. They are saying that it is time for us to give something back to the countries that have helped us when we were in need. More than 300 000 people are already dying each year and, for the young people, “survival is not negotiable”.
The outcome of this meeting will affect everybody's future.
How old will you be in 2050?
Caroline Hansson, Malmö Borgarskola, Malmö
Victoria Engström, S:t Petri skola, Malmö
This website is now functioning as an archive and will not be updated. Previously there was a photo here which has been removed for copyright reasons.
Faisant dorénavant office d’archives, ce site n’est plus remis à jour. Ici se trouvait précédemment placée une photo ayant été retirée pour des raisons de droits d'auteur.
