I had the opportunity to sit down with Juan Hoffmaister '06 and Elsie Flemings '07, two of six COA students who participated in the talks at the Montreal Climate Change Summit, and ask them some questions about their experience...

Shawn:  How many students attended the conference? How many from COA?

Juan:  What was referred to as the "youth delegation" consisted of about 400 students between the ages of 15 and 26.  COA students participated as part of the organization SustainUS, a chapter of which is housed at COA.  There were 21 SustainUS students from across the country, six of which are COA students.  In addition to Elsie and myself, Brett Ciccotelli '09, Henry Steinberg '06, Sarah Neilson '09, and Kate Tompkins '08 participated.

COA students were definitely on the front lines in terms of engagement.  Several of us worked on behalf of the lobbying group - working on policy and meeting with delegates- while others worked with other groups such as the youth expression group that supported the youth work by organizing theatrical productions and other artistic expressions aimed at drawing attention to the message of the youth delegation.

Elsie: The coalescence of the different working groups really gave power to the youth delegation.  We took a comprehensive approach on every issue - doing media outreach, raising awareness back in our home communities, getting our facts straight and organized, and bringing all of that to our encounters with delegates.  Our goal was to make sure what we were doing inside the building made a difference there and was translated outside of the building.

Shawn: You mentioned meeting with delegates, how exactly did that happen?  Who were you able to meet with?

Juan: It was important for us to be organized in terms of having specific topics to raise before we approached delegates and asked to meet with them.  For example, on the first day I approached an ambassador from Brazil and asked his opinion of a deforestation proposal.  Then in the second week we had a big meeting with the Brazilian delegation.

We sought out Bangladesh to meet with because they are one of the most vulnerable countries to sea level rise and there were members of the youth delegation from Bangladesh.

Elsie: Meeting with the UK delegate was particularly important given the fact that they are the current chair of the EU, but it was not easy to do.  We had to go through a long process of talking to their offices and scheduling and getting put off until later.  We eventually met with the delegation and had the opportunity to talk about specific issues in the negotiations, as well as what they are doing in their home country.

Throughout the conference, there was a huge concern that countries would be reluctant to move forward in substantial ways with the negotiations because of US opposition.  This, therefore, was a major lobbying point for us and other groups: to push the message that we must take real, meaningful steps now to confront climate change and that the US will catch up- if not in this administration, then in the next.  So in our meetings with delegates, we emphasized all of the efforts happening on campuses, and at the city, state and regional levels, to work on climate change issues in order to highlight the fact that the US citizens and local lawmakers support strong actions on climate change and that we will force the federal administration to step up.  The message is: the international community must act now, as citizens are acting in the US and throughout the world. 

Shawn:  What are some ways the youth delegation had an impact on the conference?

Juan:  I think the youth presence itself had an overall impact.  We were on the front lines of every issue and what we did in the conference halls did not stay there.  We were covered in the New York Times as well as other papers and news sources.  Our blog (www.itsgettinghotinhere.org) received 10,000 hits on one day.  All of this helped to amplify the youth message.

Elsie: and the youth message was:
-There are solutions to these problems; it's a matter of going out and getting them.
-Apathy and inaction are not solutions
-This is our future that is being negotiated NOW, this is the time to make change

Prior to the summit, the youth delegation met to draft their declaration on climate change.  The world mayors and municipal leaders also presented their declaration which actually adopted the goals of the youth declaration (30% reduction in green house gasses by 2020 and 80% by 2050).  When the mayors presented at the summit, they cited the youth delegation as a source of inspiration for their declaration.  This was one of the direct effects our work had on a major player in the effort to minimize climate change.

Juan: I think that the delegates did not expect the level of sophistication the youth displayed at the summit.  This is part of an overall trend, the peak of which was Montreal.  None of us wanted to go in there and be perceived as a bunch of hippies just complaining about things, but we wanted to genuinely participate in shaping real process and outcomes.  The infrastructural gains made by the youth in Montreal will serve us as we continue to move forward.

Shawn: What was the most memorable part of the summit for each of you?

Elsie: For me it was the meeting with the US delegation.  By the time we met with them it was a week and a half into the summit, we had already heard all of their arguments and defenses, so we decided to try and take as much of the meeting as possible to express our concerns and present our ideas for moving forward by highlighting what state leaders and municipal leaders are already doing.  We emphasized the fact that youth, citizens and local leaders are working hard in the U.S. to confront this issue, that we have the solutions, and that the federal government must take action now.   The science is clearer than ever, showing the realities of climate change and the urgency of the threat, and the U.S. government has the ability to make enormous steps in protecting our futures.  We need global solutions to this global problem- the U.S. has a responsibility to take a leadership role in this crucial work.

At one point during that meeting, many of us were in tears including one of the US delegate staffers, who later on asked how get a SustainUS t-shirt.  We maintained a respectful dialogue throughout the 45 minute meeting and the tears reflected the passion and commitment - backed by a real understanding of the issues - that we brought to the discussion.  That exchange demonstrated the power of work and dedication, and showed us that we as youth really can make a difference.

Juan: The most memorable moment for me was when I was coming down the stairs from the youth center and saw a youth expression event where at least 200 people, delegates and media, were all listening to what the youth had to say.  This was very empowering.

Shawn: So, in the end, what progress do you think was made at the summit?

Juan: Well, there are concrete things that were reached through negotiations as well as general things that had more to do with the tone or atmosphere around climate change among the world's countries.

One of the most significant concrete things to be achieved was the negotiation of Article 3.9 of the Kyoto protocol (in which the US could not negotiate) where countries came to a strong decision to begin the process of planning post-2012 emission reductions targets. In addition, there was a broader agreement to continue discussions on climate change among the international community including the US.  The US position from the outset was "no more negotiations"- I think the US position changed because the international community was united behind moving forward and not letting the US derail future negotiations.

In general, I think there was motivation to keep working and a renewed energy and commitment that came out of the summit. 

Elsie: Important networks were also built that will help us continue and strengthen our work.  The youth definitely left with the feeling that this is a global movement and we are a real part of that movement.  We learned a lot and worked hard at the conference, and now we will continue that at home!

Shawn: What are the next steps for the youth movement on climate change?

Elsie: When we returned from the conference, COA students were excited to start getting active on global warming issues.  Sarah Neilson, one of the students who went to Montreal, is organizing students to go to the Youth Climate Summit at Bowdoin in February, which will be a series of speakers and workshops to empower youth to take action on the campus, community and legislative levels.

Juan: As far as the youth movement goes, there are a number of conferences around the country and the world that will carry our work forward.  There is a regional youth conference at Yale.  At the international policy level, the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) is meeting at the UN headquarters in New York.  One of the focuses of the CSD this year will be the issue of Climate Change.