“My first COY was in 2009 and our purpose was to learn how YOUNGO work and how the international youth climate movement works. My purpose to COY-Tokyo was to help and facilitate a COY in East Asia and strategically to support the march in Tokyo for Global Climate March moment, which is part of Road through Paris plan with 350.org. Now there are more than 10+ student clubs working with Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition which is the national youth climate organization and is the first youth-led environmental NGO. We had trained more than 1000 youths to our yearly youth climate gathering in July.
Taiwan is yet an official member of UNFCCC which is improper, we hope we can loop Taiwan in the Framework to keep Taiwan’s Carbon emission to Paris Agreement and more to have its legally binding to international community. Youth power and consistence are both keys for me to maintain myself to climate issue. It is hard for everyone to attend all the COP/COY meetings, but we can follow from the previous participants to learn before we are heading.
We just had our 1st NO Coal march in Taiwan aiming for the Presidential election in Jan 2016, and soon we will have Anti-coal youth trainings around Taiwan in 2016 on planning.We want to face out fossil fuel through divestment approach and saving electricity to push government toward 100% renewables and green investment.”
– Liang-Yi Chang from Taiwan
Yew Aun from Malaysia
“I’m a MSc student. My purpose in COP21 is to show support to the cause at COP and prove that impossible things can be done. Intensification of El Nino and other climate effects leading to annual floods/more storms/intense drought is happening in my country. I am not well read on this but government has allocated budget in 2016 to establish National Disaster Management Agency and flood mitigation projects.
I think we can improve the youth participation in UNFCCC by improve awareness through dialogues with local youth groups. I feel youth participation is important but not necessarily involving sending youth to COP, there is much work to be done in the ASEAN/Asian region.”
– Quek Yew Aun from Malaysia
Melissa from Singapore
“I am a former environment reporter with Channel News Asia and graduate from the London School of Economics. Currently running a start-up consultancy for NGOs, Game Changerz, she is focused on running effective advocacy campaigns, recognising that first-world urbanites have every role to play in the fight against global issues, from climate change to extreme poverty.
My team went to COP21 to connect with other civil society groups, engage with our negotiators and ministers, attend side events that are of relevance to the Singapore context and communicate our insights of being there in the COP event. Personally, I was very keen to meet the 10,000+ climate heroes who flew to Paris from around the world. It is a rare opportunity to learn from experts! As a low-lying island state, we will have to adapt to sea level rise, which will be very costly. This year, we saw an extended El Nino which gave us a bad bout of haze. Singapore will be affected by food security issues too.
From COP21, I learnt that there are so many ways to join this fight against climate change! You don’t even need to be a nature-lover. For example, the divestment movement, or green finance, are all relatively new movements which has great potential to change things — but isn’t considered ‘environmental movement’ in the traditional sense. There are many exciting things brewing in other societies which Singapore can learn from.”
– Chong Youwen (Melissa) from Singapore
Beatriz from Brazil
“I’m a climate activist in Brazil, and my purpose of going to COP21 is to work with YOUNGO. Brazil faces droughts and floods that are induced by climate change. My organization, Engajamundo works to empower young people on the ground and to increase youth political influence in decision making processes.
I think the youth participation in Brazil is increasingly active. To increase youth participation in UNFCCC, we should translate how climate change will impact youth in their realities and get more funding so that we (the youths) can participate at negotiations.”
I first met them in COY11 on the first day. Miranda had heard me introduce myself as from the MYD and she had previously been liaising with Thomas, my teammate about doing a possible interview for their documentary. I hadn’t heard about this so she brought me up to speed.
They were Miranda Cawley and Scott Brown from NorthWestern Uniersity , U.S.A. and they were at COP21 and COY11 to do a documentary about Youth from the Global South. We got further acquainted and they seemed like cool people so I said yea, you can follow us around and document us and ask us questions, the team had pre-approved and I said yes. It was free publicity and I’m not one to turn that down.
So over the next week we were followed closely by Miranda and Scott, ever present with their cameras . We would have random interviews at the most unlikely of spots like train stations or in lines for dinner or just while we were unwinding at home after a long day. It was fun. They asked us interesting questions and we knew that our voice was going to be heard. Hey they were making a documentary about us. It wasn’t some second rate one either, Miranda and Scott knew their stuff. They were environmental enthusiasts themselves, both of em are even vegetarians for this cause, they knew what they were asking and how to really engage us to get the right answers and controversial questions answered.
Scott and his ever present camera on the train getting an interview with me done
I had an amazing time having them around with us. I personally feel I have made lifelong friends in them and can’t wait till I can go over to the states and free load of my new friends while I travel, haha. But all in all I would like to THANK both Miranda and Scott for being an awesome film crew with their crazy heavy camera bags going everywhere with us to document what we were up to and for also being amazing friends that I have had the privilege to share an awesome first week of COP21 with.
I can’t wait for when that documentary airs sometime this year in 2016 but for now here are some clips from the interviews they conducted with us.
I was in Paris 2 days before my team. I had registered for all 3 days of COY11 and was going to attend a lonely first day without my team as they would only arrive on the 27th of November, the 2nd day of COY11 and in the morning, meaning I would see them soon. I was so stoked for it. I had not seen other familiar Malaysian faces in awhile and I felt I needed to bond with my team and realign ourselves for the task ahead.
The morning of the 27th arrived and I was already at COY11 eagerly awaiting my team-mates as they were on they had arrived in the morning and were on their way to the COY11 venue. That same morning I had another surprise when I arrived, Adrian, our mentor and advisor, who was supposed to be in Malaysia, was there, at the COY11 venue. I was shocked and surprised. It was amazing seeing him. I needed a familiar comforting face. It really was lonely and with the overwhelming presence of this international stage , it was really a well needed surprise.
Adrian in the flesh, a well needed surprise
Here is a little video on our first day back together. It was awesome. Thanks to Scott Brown from NorthWestern University, U.S.A for shooting and putting this video together.
Sometimes things take you up and down but we must continue to move forward and learn along the way. You might fall down but you learn as you get back up. This is a list of lessons I have learnt and how I felt throughout COP.
They are in 2 categories. The categories are personal growth and skill building. Be kind, this was sort of my diary during COP21.
Personal Growth
Confidence boost – I have learnt to doubt my self less and if I feel it is right I should be more confident in my decision making skills, I fell I have not shown enough confidence in myself and this was evident throughout week 1 when I kept feeling lost and doubtful eg. making route decisions or decided on how to help out in actions for YOUNGO.
Focus – after realizing this, that everyone is in the same movement and I should find my focus and further the cause to the best of my capabilities at the Alternatiba event , I feel so much more liberated, like I don’t have to do it all, I don’t need to have everything on my shoulders, I know there are others out there in this same fight. I know now that I must find focus
Patience – I never knew what true patience was till handling with the UN Secretariat, dealing with them to work out permissions for YOUNGO actions has been taxing, it has been moments of frustration and irritation, annoyance and anger for them denying audience with us, for being treated like kids. but nevertheless we must carry our smiles and keep up the good vibes. never let personal feelings and annoyances affect your conduct,.
Persistence – throughout helping out with the D12 march in the little way that I have, I feel that I have witnessed great persistence that I wish to emulate. The organizers never gave up when they were told they couldn’t do this, faced with police blocks and infiltrations, they never stopped trying to seek approval, they never stopped their conviction in the movement.
Skill Building
Navigation skills – trains systems in Paris confusing, trying to adapt to their system is to foreign to me, so from day one I relied on my own instincts (although not always confident), I used things that were familiar to me like maps, locating land marks and asking people when I am unsure
Woodwork – there are many ways to cut wood and make wood work for you in ways you couldn’t imagine, why cut when you can take another piece of wood and work around your problem, the creativity I’ve seen birthed at the art place is fantastic, just remember if a stick is just straight and you need it for another design, feel the creativity and you’ll have so many different ways to solve your problem
Painting skills- sometimes its about simple things, I feel that you can make the best out of the little things, in the art space I learnt a crucial time saving and amazing tip to painting things especially wood, why use a brush when you can take a cloth , dip it in paint and just go with it. Its faster and way more efficient.
Color! – anything with color is more catching than a plain black and white banner or sign. I have been shown the impact of color and I feel that making these small changes, from black to bold and red, makes the biggest difference in the world when you want to make something stand out
Interpersonal relations- I have never been the best at communicating with others, everyday in COP I meet new people and I have to deal with so many different situations with them, in the bus, walking down a street, talking to people while waiting in line. All these different interactions have shown me many different situations that I have never been accustomed to, it honestly made me weird a bit, well most of the time but now at least I know how to better deal with these moments, lie what to say after the normal hey or hi such as how are you feeling today, doing good? Like I completely froze when I accidentally asked the president from a country ‘where is the toilet’ I was so blur and didn’t realize what had happened.
Organizational charts and timetables are important – amazing work at the press conference I was at, message was clear cut, it was regarding some Serbian countries agreeing to curb their deforestation rate. They had clear cut timelines which they enforced, they had everything thought out for like how many questions to give out and even expected how long each respondent would answer a question. Everyone had a role and a task, I feel in all the things I have done so far, I have never reached this level of efficiency and I would love to reach that level of excellence on day.
You might fall down but you learn as you get back up.
How psyched I felt when one morning in the second week of COP21, my friend shows me a video on the UNFCCC main website. I was like, “dude, I don’t want to watch this. Can we like just chill and relax for awhile?” I watched the video anyway, and about half way through I lose my shit, that’s me!
I’m in that video! Holy Moly.
I was ecstatic. I was involved in an action with 350.org called “keep it in the ground”, a campaign against the use of Carbon or fossil fuel in any sense. I was actively involved and I was proud to hold up that banner and chant out loud. I felt nervous at first when the cameras were right in front of us, at the time it was my first big action and it was so well done. A clear cut message, a wow factor, a social media attraction we were but most importantly we delivered our message and we were heard. I didn’t realize at first that all these cameras were from big media agencies or that they would make a difference, I thought hey we’ll at least be on some news right.
But lo and behold we came out on a lot of different media, like the Guardian and many others, and I’m vainly saying that my Malaysian sexy face and beard is all over them. I was proud to lend my voice to a cause I cared about and to see myself on that video, I can say, “Hey, I was there. I made a difference, no matter how small it may be. I made a difference.”
Sometimes even the smallest drops, create the biggest ripples. Here is that epic video. Look out for me 😀
A visit to the Asia Indigenous People Pact (AIPP) booth in Green Zone led me to a series of immense thoughts on indigenous people in climate change. We were there to have a short Sumazau Dance practice with Winnie, a representative from JOAS. The dance performance was for Asia Day on the next day. JOAS stands for Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia, translated in English as The Indigenous People Network of Malaysia.
Compare to the indigenous people (IP) that I interacted with previously in Krau, Pahang; Winnie is different, as she has much more exposure to the modern world. She was such a pleasant lady, teaching us the Sumazau dance with such patience and joyfulness. After a few conversations and interactions with her, I came to realised that there is always one common in trait in all IP deep in their heart- which is their connection to the nature and their purest form of attitude towards life.
IP are well known for their close to nature lifestyle. In climate change perspective, they are mostly one of the most vulnerable marginalised group. As most of them stays in remote areas- either in the forest, by the forest edge or near the forest, some even in the mountainous region; their lives are directly influenced by any climatic changes within the region.
Why? Well, for one, most IP do not get food from supermarkets or even wet markets. They gatherof plants, herbs and fruits, they fish, they hunt, they do some small scale planting, all for consumption and maybe for a bit of bartering or source of income. In the face of climate change, the most sensitive species will be most severely influenced, there those delicate fungi are gone, here some baby squirrels could not survive and there some beetles act all funny. You might think meh, two or three species were disturbed, so what? The forests have so much more but wait, do you not know that all species interact and rely on one another? They form a tightly knitted community and ecosystem where all species are either directly or indirectly related to each other. Changes in environment might perish a few species and the shake the ground of many other species. Without food, this might force the IP to shift away from their own villages as well as changing their lifestyle, which can be a threat to their cultures and social identities. Instability of food source, low ability to adapt changes and oppressed rights made them extremely vulnerable.
Researchers believe that some of the IP possess the traditional knowledge deemed essential to understand about our surrounding environment, which would be crucial to produce a comprehensive adaptive method that combines traditional knowledge with modern science. In the latest Paris Agreement, IP was recognized and acknowledged in the texts but it is under the non-legally binding preamble which shows no protection to this group of marginalized group which could be a key information provider in combating climate change.
I then recalled and flashed back all IP related events that I attended throughout COP21. From the side events in blue zone, country’s pavilions till the Global Landscape Forum; it seems that IP from the American continent (Canada, USA, Amazon and Brazil) were much more vocal and well represented in occasions like this. Asia’s IP are relatively quiet from my observation, especially those from South East Asia region.
I wonder was it because of lower media coverage? Or the lack of platforms to voice up?
I was buried in a thick hard clump of frustration thoughts (on the unjust treatment most IP had to bear) only to be levitated on Asia Day itself. The pavilions are filled with IP from numerous Asian regions showcasing their traditional cultural performances. These nice people even prepared their traditional dishes as refreshment. I was deeply touched by all the efforts done by them. They traveled so far away from their hometown to Paris to be part of this global event, all the while displaying good spirits of never stop fighting for their tribes. True, they might not have the capacity to understand nor participate in the negotiations, but at least they do whatever they could to show their eagerness in wanting to be heard and they are concerned about global issues. With that said, I strongly believe that they deserve much more capacity building aids from their respective governments and international organisations.
