The Youth Complex at COP21

By: Sara Velander and Jenna Farineau Each day at the Conference of Parties, a certain theme is chosen to frame the day’s events and actions, and this past Wednesday, December 4, bore the theme “Young and Future Generations.” Young people were running around expressing their cheery nature, while adults stood in front of them making speeches and while camera-men followed just behind to make...

Philippines Solidarity Action COP19

by J. Taggart Wass After Monday’s empowering speech by the Philippines lead negotiator Naderev ‘Yeb’ Sano and his decision to fast in support of his home country until a meaningful COP outcome was in sight, the youth of COP 19 decided to show solidarity for Yeb and the Philippines by participating in a voluntary fast for climate change.  Just as lunch was in session Anjali Appadurai,...

No surprise, Connie: Doha was a failure

This is a response to European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard’s article entitled "Why the Doha climate conference was a success." It is soon to be available on New York Times dotearth blog.  By Anjali Appadurai and Nathan Thanki Connie Hedegaard doesn’t respond to our tweets. She ignores us in the halls of UN climate talks. So when we read her in the...

Bad Boy Scout: The Importance of Process and Good-Faith Negotiations

by Anjali Appadurai Sometimes I get frustrated with all the "procedural crap" that seems to govern any group process. has found it onerous to sit in YOUNGO meetings where process seems to be treated not as a means to an end, but rather as the end itself. Endless hand signals, protocols, rules, processes, tokenization of cultural and gender representation, and over-sensitivity can...

‎Doha unveiled the hypocrisy behind UNFCCC encouraging youth participation

by Lurette Paulime I have been involved in the international youth climate movement before, but I have never seen youth activists experience such an enormous frustration as at COP18 in Doha. At COP16 in Cancun, young people were removed by the police and others got arrested but they did not lose their accreditations to the UNFCCC. Now, this issue is become more serious at the COP18 in Doha. Some...