PRESS RELEASE

YOUNG PEOPLE TO DISCUSS CLIMATE CHANGE

Young people from across Trinidad and Tobago will discuss the issue of climate change this Saturday at the 1st Youth Forum on Climate Change hosted by Earth Conscious magazine which takes place at the Hyatt Hotel, Port of Spain. Minister of Housing and the Environment, Dr. Roodal Moonilal will deliver the feature address at the opening. Also delivering a special message to the young people of Trinidad and Tobago via video is Ms. Christiana Figueres, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC Secretariat based in Bonn, Germany is the catalyst behind the international negotiations involving countries worldwide to address the issue of climate change and global warming. The Youth Forum which has as its theme “Our Earth, Our Voice, Our Action” is taking place on the eve of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC in Durban, South Africa which will continue to determine the next steps in addressing climate change internationally after the Kyoto Protocol’s first reduction period ends in 2012. Editor of Earth Conscious magazine, Linda Hutchinson-Jafar said among the aims of the Forum is to encourage young people to become aware of the impact of climate change on the Caribbean and to get involved in projects in schools and in their communities.

“Young people are the ones who are going to be most affected by climate change. That’s the generation that will have to adapt to temperature change, weather unpredictability and other impacts such as coral bleaching, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss. “Young people are not just leaders of tomorrow; they are also leaders of today. Climate change is said to be the most urgent and pressing issue facing the world in the 21st century and it requires everyone, young people including, to work together as partners in preparing ourselves to adapt to this challenge,” said Hutchinson-Jafar, who’s also the Trinidad and Tobago Correspondent for Reuters News Service. The Forum has received support from the Ministry of Housing and the Environment, the German Embassy, the British High Commission, BPTT, the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago and Atlantic. During the course of the Forum, there will be presentations on Climate Change initiatives by global youth and Youth Climate Change initiatives in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. A plenary discussion by young people will be held on the theme: How can young people in Trinidad and Tobago contribute to the awareness of Climate Change issues and what support structures are required for successful interventions. Youth delegates will also have an opportunity in three break-out sessions on Community in Action; Creative Arts and Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) to discuss how these areas can be used to spread the awareness on climate change and to initiative projects in schools and communities. The Forum will end with an Action Plan based on the day’s activities and a Declaration from the Youth of Trinidad and Tobago.

For Further information, please contact Mrs. Linda Hutchinson-Jafar, Editor, Earth Conscious Magazine at 645-0368/686-9797 or at hutchlin@gmail.com

November 02, 2011