An Taisce is supporting the efforts to crowd fund the fight for climate justice for young people.

The latest International Climate summit (COP-21) takes place this December. The aim is to reach a universal, legally binding agreement which will enable us to mitigate and prevent further anthropogenic climate change and boost the transition towards resilient, low-carbon societies and economies.

Young Irish people will have no representation in the Irish delegation. Since climate change will affect the lives of young people beyond all others, and any long term targets or promises made by the delegation will in fact need to be fulfilled by our young people; it is a matter of grave injustice that they be excluded from the decision-making process.

Charles Stanley-Smith, Communications and former Chair of An Taisce stated "Climate Change is a nasty legacy that my Generation is imposing on young people - for which I call on others to help us support them in their fight for climate justice - they will have to deal with the consequences of at least 2ºC increases in temperature and sea level rise - the least we can do to help them with their fight for climate safety and justice"

An Taisce proposes to create a National Youth Forum for Engagement with Climate Change to remedy the injustice, but we cannot do it without your help! Please support their crowdfunding page at https://www.icrowdfund.ie/campaigns/the-national-youth-forum-for-engagement-with-climate-change/

An Taisce, with the support of other NGO's, development charities and children's charities proposes to create a National Youth Forum for Engagement with Climate Change to remedy the injustice, but we cannot do it without your help! An Taisce's Advocacy Unit receives no support outside of membership and cannot carry the total costs of this initiative. Various corporate groups have been approached for support, but while everyone agrees that climate safety and justice for young people are worth fighting for, none of them have put their money where their mouth is.

Thus, it comes down to the people of Ireland themselves to be the impetus for change. We implore you to be part of the solution. This urgent All-or-Nothing* campaign will run until the 10th of September, and if successful, it will allow the National Youth Forum for Engagement with Climate Change to come into being. If not, Ireland's young people will remain voiceless and powerless in the decisions that will determine their fate and safety.

We must come together irrespective of age, religion, wealth or status and realise that we, the Irish people have power. That power is to change our own behaviour, to resist greed and put our support behind efforts for justice and climate safety. In this way we will continue to stand out as a morally-strong, forward-thinking nation, and we will be an inspiration to others. We can lead the charge needed to face these climactic times. We will not only give the children of Ireland a chance, but inspire other nations to do the same.

ENDS

For further information, please call:
Charles Stanley-Smith, Communications, An Taisce Tel: +353 87 241 1995
email: [email protected]
An Taisce The National Trust for Ireland
www.antaisce.org

NOTES

This is An All-or-Nothing campaign and means that contributions will be collected at the end of the campaign if the total target amount is reached. If the target is not reached, contributions will not be claimed.

The National Youth Forum for Engagement with Climate Change

AIMS
To develop a platform for young people to:

• Give them a voice; for their ideas and concerns about Climate Change and Climate Justice to be heard.
• Access basic information on climate change and develop understanding through peer education.
• Engage in creating solutions at a community and national level as we gear up for COP21 Paris.
• Encourage leadership from the youth up. Empower these young people to be climate leaders; to take their communities on a journey towards Paris and beyond.

ACTIONS

• Create a web platform to facilitate young people’s Engagement in their own locality. They will have access to information on the IPCC report (explained in a clear, understandable way), create discussion groups, polls and events, invite speakers (talks delivered by video), seek support for local projects, peer-educate and mobilise each other.
• Unite organisations to bring together the diverse voices of their young members.
• Of vital importance is the engagement of all young people, particularly those uninvolved with youth groups or climate change issues so far. It is a matter of Justice that young people who will bear the brunt of climate change impacts should have the opportunity to learn and do something about it. For that reason, the forum will be widely disseminated through student councils, sports and arts clubs and using social media.
• At the end of October, 5 regional meetings will be facilitated around the country for young people to come together to charter their common interests and their proposals for consideration by the Irish delegation ahead of COP21. CiviQ have pledged operational support for the project. They will set up an Opinion Stream at these regional meetings which will allow us to collate and analyse the ways in which young people propose that we respond to Climate Change.

OUTCOMES
This initiative will be run by and for young people. The encouragement to work and act together to safeguard their own and Ireland’s future, will mobilise youth leadership in community initiatives and engagement in the global decisions made in Paris.

This project has enormous potential to give Ireland’s young people a voice in these decisions and to create momentum for change through a robust, well informed, enthusiastic and engaged body of young people. Through them, Ireland can become a leader in Climate Justice.

Beyond Paris, this forum will allow young leaders who have been motivated through the project to continue to engage with each other and their communities on these issues. This grassroots community approach to tackling climate change, in combination with top-down policy change is essential for a timely enough shift towards climate safety, for Ireland and our shared planet.