A journey to COP16 in Cancun, Mexico

The United Nations Climate Change Annual Summit (referred to as COP 16) is now over. All parties, observers, and media have gone home and returned to their normal activities. But the processes and stories of COP 16 are still relevant and still need to be told.

Many people had high expectations for the event; after the failures of COP 15, the pressure for delegations to deliver was even more intense. The expectations of others, particularly those of the youth constituency was even higher; many young people, including myself, took a long journey to pressure our leaders, urging them to take legal binding action

Selected by the British Council, I embraced the opportunity to join 16 with other climate champions from around the world. Our team reflected the global reach of the British Council: European, African, Indian, South Asian, Chinese, and East Asian representatives all banded together to show that intercultural relations and education are essential ingredients of any climate change debate.

I was nominated for two reasons. First, my journey emitted less carbon because I started the trip from Arkansas in the USA. Second, because I initiated a sustainable cocoa plantation project that has reduced carbon dioxide emissions, created jobs and improved the well being of local farmers. By accepting this offer, I faced the challenge to engage in the youth movement against climate change.

Since arriving in Cancun, Mexico, I have participated in numerous events from early morning to midnight. First, Conference of Youth (COY) - is a conference that is facilitated by young people from all over the world to voice their concerns on climate change. Second, Side events - essentially these are workshops or panel discussions that look at many issues related to environmental change such as forestry, technology, etc. Third, World Climate Summit – the WCS is the business and finance conference which seeks to accelerate solutions to climate change.

All these events offered me the chance to deepen my understanding of how climate change is being tackled on the ground, at various levels of governance’s actions.

Seeking to get closer to the action, I also participated in a meeting with the Indonesian delegation. This allowed me to see how national delegations position themselves in relation to the bigger picture, form coalitions and find ways to ensure that their national interests are taken into account.

By contrast, I was lucky enough to have informal discussions with Nicholas Stern (an economist from London Schools of Economic), the UK ambassador to Mexico and the Minister for the Environment of Wales. These activities, above all else, shaped my perceptions about the UN process, my understanding of its importance to tackling climate change and Indonesia’s environmental future policy.

Equally important, these experiences have inspired me to engage more young people in my project, to work passionately on environmental issue, and share this knowledge to more people including youth and children.

Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of United Nation, said in a statements at the High Level Segment of COP 16 and CMP 6 “We are here for one reason: to protect people and the planet from uncontrolled climate change…the longer we delay, the more we have to pay – economically, environmentally, and in human lives”.

These sentiments echo the perceptions of millions of people who are frustrated with the protracted nature of the climate change negotiations. Ban Ki-moon is not alone in urging world leaders to take real action.

We understand that a legal binding agreement is still not a certainty. But the earth cannot wait any longer for empty promises. Regardless of the results of COP16, actions speak louder than words.

That action has to start with ourselves, our family, and our community. I believe that micro-actions, such as turning off the lights, using energy efficient light bulbs or public transport will make a big difference. We need everyone to ‘pitch in’ so that our governments see that reducing, reusing and recycling is not simply the behavior of green individuals, but a wider societal movement toward a sustainable future.

Act now before it’s too late.