British Council Climate Champions to make their voice heard at Copenhagen
(NewDesignWorld Press Release Center) -- British Council Climate Champions from more than thirty countries worldwide will attend the widely anticipated summit in Denmark from 7 – 18 December, 2009, to apply pressure on their own national delegations. They are from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia.
From working on projects which help to combat glacial melt in the Himalaya to developing the concept of floating houses in flood-prone regions and innovative approaches to reforming to the carbon trading system, Climate Champions are leading by example to develop sustainable solutions to combat climate change with a focus on local initiatives which are already making a positive impact in their community and beyond.
The British Council’s Climate Champion programme is an expanding global network of 3000 passionate and committed individuals aged between 14 and 35 years of age who share an interest in finding sustainable solutions to tackle climate change in their communities; whether they come from government, business, education, the media or civil society.
Climate Champions have already played a part at the United Nations conferences on climate change in Bali and Poznam, the Global Humanitarian Forums in Geneva and the G8 Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Kobe, Japan, last year.
Head of the British Council Climate Change programme, Dr David Viner, said: ‘This conference is a crucial milestone in the global effort to reduce the rapid rate of climate change. Based on robust scientific evidence, there is an imperative to act now as it is this and future generations who will inherit the legacy and the full impact of global climate change that we are witnessing today. That is why the British Council is working to support young people to lead by example and make a real difference at a local level. Copenhagen is now an opportunity for our Climate Champions to take their message to the heart of the debate and make their voices heard at the top table. They represent the determined positive collective action that is needed to combat the climate challenge facing us all’.
As communities across the globe struggle to adapt to and develop solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, the British Council – the UK’s international body for cultural relations – recognises that building greater levels of trust and understanding between individuals is now more relevant than ever. Based on a sound understanding of the local issues, the British Council empowers Climate Champions to help build the global consensus and collective action necessary for finding long-lasting solutions to combat climate change.
The British Council is recognized by the UNFCCC as an organisation working with youth in the arena of climate change, supporting successful implementation of Article 6 of the UNFCCC convention on education, training and public awareness.
The British Council Climate Champions are also part of the wider United Nations’ Youth Constituency for UNFCCC of over 2000 young people attending Copenhagen. They will be involved in a wide range of activities including interventions at meetings with official delegations and will have the opportunity to showcase their projects and solutions to climate change.
For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org/climatechange
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For further information, or to interview any of the Climate Champions, please contact Press Officer Antony Watson on +44 (0) 7899 978192 / +44 (0) 207 389 4872 or email antony.watson@britishcouncil.org
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