By Lucia A.
During last climate negotiations held in Poland from 11th to 22nd of November, Youth Utopia carried out its own Warsaw en Cuernavaca project: here are some information describing their activities (original article in Spanish here):
For carrying out CIMC project in Cuernavaca (Mexico), the Secretary for Sustainable Development of Cuernavaca provided us with communication and logistic support. Similarly, the Academia de Ciencias de Morelos and Dr. Enrique Galindo helped us by spreading the word in their respective networks.
We joined this project because we’re convinced that there is an urgent need for a more sustainable world and that the national delegates shall raise their level of ambition for next COP negotiations. Youth Utopia stands for Cuernavaca youth concerned with the consequences of global warming on the communities that we are working with to promote social development. During the last 4 years we witnessed that poor people are likely to be the most vulnerable to climate change. Therefore this project was an opportunity for us to speak out for social and environmental justice.
During last climate negotiations held in Poland from 11th to 22nd of November, Youth Utopia carried out its own Warsaw en Cuernavaca project: here are some information describing their activities (original article in Spanish here):
For carrying out CIMC project in Cuernavaca (Mexico), the Secretary for Sustainable Development of Cuernavaca provided us with communication and logistic support. Similarly, the Academia de Ciencias de Morelos and Dr. Enrique Galindo helped us by spreading the word in their respective networks.
We joined this project because we’re convinced that there is an urgent need for a more sustainable world and that the national delegates shall raise their level of ambition for next COP negotiations. Youth Utopia stands for Cuernavaca youth concerned with the consequences of global warming on the communities that we are working with to promote social development. During the last 4 years we witnessed that poor people are likely to be the most vulnerable to climate change. Therefore this project was an opportunity for us to speak out for social and environmental justice.
Our first event was implemented on November 23th from 11am till the end of the day in the ecological park of Chapultepec. In this area surrounded by astonishing nature, plants and waterfall, we organized various activities. Firstly, we started the day with a workshop dealing with “Wall E, a futurist approach nothing innocent” provided by the teacher Ms Centeocíhuatl Virto. Indigenous children from the “La Esperanza” school attended to this presentation and played a very active role in it. Ms. Cente, professional philosopher, gave a workshop explaining the relationship between cinema and the environment, which allows the participation of the children as well as more than 40 participants. Different sequences of the Wall E movie were projected and combined with debates between children. Finally, Ms. Cente offered one plant to each child that would propose a public commitment to protect the planet.
Dr Luis Tamayo, well known in Cuernavaca for its knowledge of energy efficiency, made our second conference “eco-efficiency as an alternative”. With an audience of 50 young people from Cuernavaca, he explained the close relationship between the workings of capitalism and the environmental crisis. Then he discussed the solutions to ensure a more sustainable development through green energy like solar energy: solar cells, solar water heater among others.
Our third event was the organization of a simulation of the climate negotiations that was held in Warsaw. There were 30 young people that played the role of delegates representing various negotiation blocs such as developing countries, European Union, China, United States of America, India and environmentalist groups among others. The aim was to give them the opportunity to experience a three hours session of work similar to the one of the COP. It is worth to say that they reached a realistic agreement. Delegates were to negotiate in which year shall they cut GHG emissions as well as the percentage of this downward trend, how much money shall they allocate to reach this objective and which country shall benefit of it and last but not least draw their reforestation plan. Thanks to Climate Interactive and C-Roads program, the delegates could compare the consequences of their commitments with the corresponding projections of global warming, rising sea levels among others. After three rounds of negotiations the urgent need of action and ambition on the part of political leaders became clear to all.
Without any doubt, “Warsaw in Cuernavaca “ was a very unique experience for the participants (children, youth and adults) as well as for us, as organizers. This is indeed was one of the very first events we will carry out to ask for a sustained shift of the climate negotiation toward action. We will shortly launch the tender for the “United Nation Model” with a focus on the COP as well as to implement a fair for environmental organizations and local producers.
Juventud Utopia is very pleased and thanks Cuernavaca for its support!
Without any doubt, “Warsaw in Cuernavaca “ was a very unique experience for the participants (children, youth and adults) as well as for us, as organizers. This is indeed was one of the very first events we will carry out to ask for a sustained shift of the climate negotiation toward action. We will shortly launch the tender for the “United Nation Model” with a focus on the COP as well as to implement a fair for environmental organizations and local producers.
Juventud Utopia is very pleased and thanks Cuernavaca for its support!