Tony Carnie
tony.carnie@inl.co.za
What will the world be like 20 to 50 years from now – when many of the negotiators at the high-profile climate change talks in Durban are dead?
That’s the question several of the youngest delegates are asking, while the current generation of older leaders take decisions which could shape the future of the world for centuries to come.
Young negotiators attending the climate change talks in Durban still seem divided on whether any agreements will be reached this year to safeguard the young generations.
Writing in the daily conference bulletin Outreach, local climate youth leader Alex Lenferna said the inspirational words of Nelson Mandela and other leaders had been quoted several times at COP17. They included quotes such as: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
“The question that needs to be asked,” said Lenferna, “is whether this quote will become an empty platitude or will it resound through COP17 as we progress towards a fair, ambitious and binding climate change deal?”
In the build-up to this conference, more than 500 youth from around the world came together for a UN conference of the youth (COY), he said.
“Throughout COY, there was an air of scepticism of politicians’ ability to make COP17 a success.”
Kumi Naidoo, the executive director of Greenpeace, had echoed this sentiment when he spoke to the COY delegation, warning them “not to trust his generation”.
“The future, according to Naidoo is up to the youth, who he called on for a life-long commitment to the climate change movement. If the future of the climate change talks was indeed in the youth’s hands, then many of COY’s youth were confident that they would be the generation to make a difference.”
Lenferna said similar sentiments echoed around the room during the summary session.
Yet, there was also a sense of pessimism which had been raised in other forums. Some viewed COP17 as being “irrelevant” to the majority of South Africans.
“In amongst these mixed feelings, the only thing that is clear within COP17, as rumours circulate about Canada’s possible withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, is that the road ahead will be difficult.
Drawing on the inspiration of some of the first speakers at COP17, Lenferna concluded that the youth should not give up anything without a fight.
