My colleague, Dominic Stucker, was in Copenhagen the two weeks before the recent climate talks serving as Co-Lead Facilitator for the Children’s Climate Forum. Here is a short description of his experience:

The "future generation" is here. And ready to deepen their efforts for a just, sustainable, and peaceful future. One hundred sixty five 14-17 year olds from 44 countries participated in the week-long Children's Climate Forum held in Copenhagen’s City Hall in the lead up to the official climate negotiations. These young people had not yet been born when the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. They represent the first of “all generations to come,” invoked by then 12-year-old Severn Cullis-Suzuki in her impactful speech.

Organized by UNICEF and the City of Copenhagen, the Forum’s participants – “Climate Ambassadors” – produced a Children’s Declaration that was presented directly to the President of the negotiations and designed a follow-up Climate Ambassadors Program for increased local and national action on climate change. Both these efforts were based on the fact that children are especially vulnerable to climate change, as documented, for example, in this Save the Children report from November 2009: Feeling the Heat: Child Survival in a Changing Climate. Participants reported learning a great deal from the mitigation, adaptation, skills, and interest groups sessions and from one another. Poignant personal stories from countries where the impacts of climate change are being felt most acutely – from Argentina to Bangladesh, Greenland to Zambia – were powerful to hear and acknowledge. Participants went on field trips to sustainability projects and schools, the culmination of months of correspondence with their Danish counterparts. A special highlight for the children was singing “It’s My World,” an inspiration to action, with popular Danish music group Alien Beat Club (ABC). Eight Climate Ambassadors went on to observe the negotiations and participate in media and side events. One, Mohamad Axam Moumoon of the Maldives, was interviewed by Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman. He pointedly asks the audience “On the basis that you know what you are doing is wrong and you can see that the victim is begging for mercy… would you commit murder?” in reference to the plight of vulnerable countries, their cultures, and their peoples.

In my role on the international 16-person Facilitation Team, I helped integrate a visioning and systems thinking approach throughout all workshops.  I brought in the often-neglected emotional side of climate change with several workshops on “Exploring the Emotions of Climate Change through Art,” in addition to co-facilitating one on the transport sector. I also shared the Climate Scoreboard, developed by Sustainability Institute, MIT, and Ventana Systems in the plenary. A widget that shows the state of the climate deal in real-time based on IPCC science and the C-ROADS climate model, the Scoreboard is featured on the Forum’s Unite for Climate web platform and has been disseminated widely by Climate Ambassadors and partners.

I learned a great deal from the dynamic Facilitation Team, commited organizers, and the Climate Ambassadors and feel inspired and hopeful about our continued efforts to work toward a sustainable future. Instead of dismay and exasperation - wondering how career negotiators can explain, after 17 years, the lack of a "fair, ambitious, and binding" climate treaty to young people - I feel a sense of grounded optimism from the younger generation. I am impressed with their single-minded clairvoyance in the face of daunting odds, identifying and discussing the key issues - ethics, science, financing - always returning to personal responsibility for action. While it is true that Severn Cullis-Suzuki’s speech could be delivered word-for-word today, she is not alone in her efforts. Children and young people have helped shake and change global governance processes. There is no going back now.

I feel that it is essential that we meet the younger generation halfway through intergenerational partnership and common action. Indeed, we have a great deal to learn from one another as we stumble together toward sustainability.

From Dominic Stucker

Fellows Network Coordinator

Sustainability Institute

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