A key topic at this year’s COP29, and rightly so, is “Action for Climate Empowerment & Children and Youth”. Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE), is the term adopted by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, with the goal to empower all members of society to engage in climate action, using the six ACE elements:
- Climate change education
- Public awareness
- Training
- Public participation
- Public access to information
- International cooperation (on these issues)
Despite the beliefs of some, we are on the verge of a climate-crisis, and in order to reverse (yes, we can still achieve this) and transition to a low-emission, climate-resilient world, we must arm our young people with a solid education. We must also give them a voice, and a platform to have their voices heard. Let’s face it, they are the ones that will pay the price if we don’t.
Which brings me on to highlight the importance of the work being carried out by Action for Climate Empowerment. ACE puts focus on empowering all members of society, in particular children and the youth, to take a stand and tackle climate issues head on. The ACE 4-year Action Plan under the Glasgow work program outlines short-term, time-bound activities across the six elements of ACE, in a bid to accelerate climate action globally.
United Nations Climate Change
It’s refreshing to see young people being given a voice at such a significant, global event. Having the opportunity to air their concerns and express their views and stance on climate related issues on a global stage is imperative. We must have hope, hope of achieving the collaboration between all levels of government and all sectors of society. It is fundamental in the campaign to slow down climate change.
Collaboration and education are no doubt key, but as well as collaboration between governments and members of society, we would love to see more collaborations between businesses and organizations. Finding like-minded businesses/organizations that believe in working partnerships to achieve a common goal faster and more effectively as we would alone, are key in reaching our goal of meeting The Paris Agreement’s targets. At Aura, we truly value our partnerships and we thoroughly enjoy working with like-minded organizations towards a shared goal of a better future for our planet, and for everyone on it.
You don’t have to look far to find businesses, organizations, NGO’s and charities around the world that prioritize the sustainability of our planet and climate education for young people. Organizations such as Cultivating Change, a charity based in Cambridge, UK with a vision of supporting well-being, mental health and communities via gardening & grow your own activities. Cultivating Change collaborates with communities and schools delivering workshops and assemblies focused on the power of growing. Since 2022, through their “Cultivate & Educate” school program, the charity has delivered growing workshops & assemblies to over 2,000 children and have donated seed bundles to over 200 schools.
I greatly appreciate the important message you shared with our school community.
Every child was engaged in each activity. It was wonderful to hear the children singing the “Live with Nature’ song happily to themselves in the playground”.St Faith’s School 2024
If we are to protect and preserve our planet, we need to educate young people and actively encourage climate-related activities. Wouldn’t it be great if climate education was included in the national curriculum? That way we would ensure the future of our planet would be in the safe hands of future generations that knew better than us.
That’s why at Aura, we endeavor to do our bit to educate children on climate-related issues. One example of Aura’s commitment to climate education is the recycling information posters we created aimed at children in KS1 and KS2. We sent these posters to schools all around the UK in the hope that children will enjoy our take on “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”, and engage in further conversation around recycling, both in class and at home.
Aura Consultants
There’s no doubt it’s going to take a lot of effort and collaboration between governments and society to help accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement before it’s too late. To achieve this, we can all take lead from Action for Climate Empowerment and the six ACE elements. We believe that by committing to contribute to even just one of these six ACE elements, we will give our planet, and our children the chance they deserve. By giving our children and young people a voice and a stage in which their voices can be heard, we can help shape a world where caring about the sustainability of our planet will become second-nature to those that will proceed us, in generations to come.
COP29 has shown us how we can do just that. By providing our young people with a stage in which their voices can be heard, they have the opportunity to influence real change. The many sessions, meetings and workshops hosted at COP29 that were focused around young people, set a real example to the rest of the world, and one that we hope to see echoed around the world.
We owe it to them. We owe it to our planet.
