COP 27’s Intergenerational Dialogue about Climate-induced Migration

^{Photographer and credit: #ClimateOf Change Youth Ambassadors}

Five #ClimateOfChange Youth Ambassadors, from Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Spain and Hungary, attended COP27 in Egypt and spoke about Climate-induced Migration in an “Intergenerational Dialogue of Continents”. Organised by Youth and Environment Europe (YEE), the side-event addressed migration in the framework of adaptation.  

Fanny Kiss from Hungary described the ambition of the #ClimateOfChange project:  “Our main goal is to build a better future - both for climate-induced migrants, who are the human faces of climate change, and for young people, who will face the worst effects of climate change. …” She highlighted climate anxiety that so many young people face: “We are afraid that in a few years, humans will be known as the species that extinguished itself. We are afraid because we are young and we have many years on this earth. Yet our earth is on fire.”

A highlight of the event was the handover of the #ClimateOfChange petition. With over 105 000 signatures, it calls for decarbonization, actions related to losses and damages, youth participation in politics, and more broadly a transition to a socially and ecologically fair welfare economy.

Other panellists of the side event included the Malawi Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, a representative from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and from the Argentinian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. Watch parts of the 1,5 hour event, “Intergenerational Dialogue of Continents on Climate-induced Migration in the Framework of Adaptation”.

It was the “ambassadors’” first COP. In addition to their own side event, they attended several panel discussions covering women’s empowerment, loss and damage fund, stopping fossil fuels and more. #ClimateOfChange Youth Ambassador from Poland, Kamila Ciszewska, stated: “It has been a great opportunity to meet many … young activists fighting for a more sustainable future… Back home, we now have … many new ideas for development and action.”

The #ClimateOfChange Young Ambassadors were not only COP27 protagonists. In preparation, they participated in months of educational debates and other activities on climate issues. They traveled to Kenya to witness the impact of climate change on local communities. Their participation in COP27 is only the first step to make them protagonists of a real climate of change and to continue talking about social and climate justice.

Background: The #ClimateOfChange project gives a voice and builds spaces for young people interested in climate justice. It helps them to play a leading role, activating a European exchange network.