Abhishek Shrestha - My Blog

Dear delegates, After this first week of negotiations, we are glad to address this stock taking session.In 2005, we started negotiating the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.Now, 2 years before the end of the 1st commitment period, this lack of progress in the negotiations on the next period is worrying. It is worrying [...]

It is a like a dream come true the way the mountain issue has been reflected in the climate negotiations since last year. Yet we still have a long way to go. Nepalese youth have heard from seniors on negotiation but did not have real experience about negotiation till Bangkok Climate Talks. For the 1st [...]

We Nepali Youth acknowledge that Climate change is occurring due to human activities which are having a significant negative and potentially dangerous influence. Climate change will have far reaching effects on Nepal’s people and places, impacting on our economy, society and environment. There are significant social, economic and environmental benefits in taking action to combat [...]

Going back the memory lane few years ago, youth involvement in climate change issue was very scanty, though Nepal has already been discovered as climate hotspot in terms of climate sensitivity in the world map. As the world was being involved in more hot dialogs and negotiations and adapting different agreement and protocols, in the mean time glaciers of Himalayas were being retreated at the dramatic rate and events of floods and droughts peaked in the history. Feeling the need of youth aspiration and involvement in the climate change to save our country and countrymen, Nepali youth stood up and started the climate action.

There was already a significant mobilization and strong youth climate movement at the international level, articulating national and international efforts to reduce emissions. In particular, some nations like Canada, Australia and USA had a strong youth climate movement fostering youth leadership and dialog on climate change. However, such youth dialog on climate change barely existed in Nepal, despite Nepal being one of most vulnerable country. There was an urgent need to kick off youth action in Nepal and synchronize with the international youth climate movement.

Nepali youth started the climate action to capture and reflect the voices and viewpoints of youth from all over Nepal. To raise the awareness among diverse group, youths organized wide range of local and national actions and campaigns from school program to house visit campaigns to visiting Constituent assembly members. To blend the climate change with the tradition and modern society youth came up with idea of climate friendly ‘duesi bhailo’ and gifting tree saplings to couples in Valentine day. This was the first ever step of the youth to fulfill the dream of climate friendly Nepal. On the solid foundation of these successful experiences Nepali youth took the initiation to convene national and regional youth summit to unite and empower the diverse youths and to raise a united voice on climate change. Nepali youth’s concern in climate change has also benefited the neighboring country when Nepali youth took the lead and held the south Asian youth climate summit uniting and empowering the youths from the region where the youth climate movement had barely started. South Asian youth climate summit was able to bring all the south Asian youths in the single platform first ever in the history.

We are champion in actions and campaigns, but we are not only confined to those success. Youngsters have also contributed in climate researches, a wide range of youths are contributing in the research for instance calculating carbon foot print, organizing the climate- related data, measuring the dimension of the trees and glaciers etc. but this is not sufficient. We need thousands of researches that Nepal has been lacking since long time. So we could not speak straight in the international forum. We could unequivocally conclude that youth involvement in climate change has not left any stone unturned and has been emerged as ray of hope in the dark tunnel.

Some youths are champions and operating specific project ideas to combat climate change and aspire to bring change in the society and some love to snap climate change in lenses and videos whereas others are working on energy saving campaign and climate caravan. Some are real heroes leading with examples using cycles and public transportation and lowering their carbon footprints and trying to adopt sustainable life styles. Not only this, Nepali youth also had one of the most successful grass root climate campaigns in Nepal’s history where youths from all over Nepal raised their voice to push 350 ppm of CO2 equivalent.

Nepali youth have showed a sturdy involvement both at the national and international level. Last year Nepali youth left marked impression internationally delivering youth intervention on behalf international youth in Bangkok and Barcelona Climate Talks. The United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen last year ended delivering a disappointing agreement “Copenhagen Accord” but the Conference which was the first for Nepali youth added a new aspect their movement which provided a learning opportunity for youths to get deep in to the international youth climate movement and develop knowledge to build similar movement in Nepal. Nepali Youth at Copenhagen made in to the eyes and ears of the delegates and youths because they raised national issue strongly with loud and audible voices for Himalayas.

Nepali youth involvement is peaking high and the movement has started to build up. Now it’s the right time to build a strong climate movement in Nepal. Youths are very important part of our society as they are future decision makers and can play a major role in popularizing the issue. They are future planners and a back bone of nation who can influence others to bring about change. Creating a strong youth climate movement will strengthen ongoing fight for climate justice and intergenerational equity with developed and advanced developing nations, leading to sustainable future and climate justice.

I was very happy and excited to read out the youth intervention on behalf of international youth in Barcelona climate talk during the Plenary of AWG-LCA. I would like to thank all who supported and boosted me .
The text of the intervention is:
This Week ,it has become clear that these negotiations are at risk [...]