Eight youth delegates from CarbonCare InnoLab, together with three colleagues, attended the 2022 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from November 6 to 18, to promote more positive climate action. Following COP27, CarbonCare InnoLab hosted a webinar on November 24th , titled "The 2022 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27)," to share the review and reflection on COP27's progress on climate action with Hong Kong audiences.
The webcast is divided into four parts: the first part was the speech of Mr. Chong Chan Yau, the co-founder of CCIL. The second part is a sharing session for eight Hong Kong youth delegates to review the experience of participating in COP27 for two weeks. The third part is a question-and-answer session, which youth delegates responds to questions from the audiences. The fourth part is the items sharing session. Eight Hong Kong youth delegates share the meaningful items they brought back to Hong Kong in Egypt.
COP27 has ended successfully, and the trip to Egypt on behalf of the eight Hong Kong youth delegates has successfully concluded. Mr. Chong thanked for the eight Hong Kong youth delegates for attending COP27 first. He pointed out that although the Hong Kong government did not send representatives to attending COP27, Hong Kong people still need to take the responsibility of addressing the climate crisis and changing climate change, and voice out on climate issues to reflect climate justice. He promised that CCIL will continue to organize Climate Advocacy Training for Youth training programs and send delegates to the COP in the future to cultivate more climate initiative leaders, inspire young people to understand international climate issues, and improve climate initiative skills to participate in climate action.
The sharing session provides an opportunity for Hong Kong youth delegates to review and reflect on the process of COP27. Youth delegates share their negotiation results, the role of youth in climate participation and the climate actions they plan to implement after returning to Hong Kong. When it comes to the process, the youth delegates said that they are well prepared before attending COP27. They have wrote a position paper in advance and submit it to the Hong Kong government and release it during COP27. They will also meet with the Secretary for the Environment and Ecology and try to joined YOUNGO to strengthen connections with fellow travellers, and conduct research on youth approaches to climate engagement. In addition, preparation in advance is a learning process. Youth delegates will read the information prepared by YOUNGO and learn related English vocabularies. Hong Kong youth delegates participated in COP27 as monitors. They said that they would participate in the YOUNGO daily spoke call every day to understand the daily key activities and the review of each working group. They will participate in on day meetings, exhibitions held in the blue zone, plenary meetings, etc. Youth play an important role in climate adaptation and loss and damage. Some Hong Kong youth delegates said that youth can play the role of advocates and break through the framework of climate negotiations with innovative thinking, and the international communities will also accept the opinions of young people. When it comes to climate negotiation strategies, the COP has an informal meeting. The youth delegates said that delegates of other countries will discuss climate initiatives in private, and finally publish the consensus of the informal meeting in the plenary meeting. In addition, young people need to seeking opportunities to participate in closed-door meetings actively, exchange views with high-level UN officials, and promote other young people to participate in future COP. As for the outcome of the negotiations, all the parties finally reached a consensus on loss and damage, and agreed to establish a loss and damage fund to provide climate financing for countries affected by climate change, to assist them in climate adaptation. Although COP27 has achieved results in terms of loss and damage, but t it is far from the goal of keep 1.5°C alive, they said that if the progress is not kept up, loss and damage will be caused. In addition, youth delegates in climate initiatives has achieved results. Youth delegates said that the official documents of Sharm El Sheikh recognized that youth participation in climate initiatives can change the world, showing that international recognition of youth can improve climate change. After returning to Hong Kong, Hong Kong youth delegates expressed that they would continue their initiatives of CATY advocacy groups, including plastic removal, green procurement and energy poverty, and share COP27 experiences with Hong Kong youths online or in the form of advocacy groups, to communicate with business community and the government, hoping that the climate issues they are concerned about will be take seriously by the Hong Kong government. On the other hand, Hong Kong youth delegates said that they will study the feasibility of promoting climate issues such as climate education and climate financing that they are concerned about actively after returning to Hong Kong, and follow up Hong Kong's role and progress in climate financing. Finally, youth delegates here also encourage young people in Hong Kong to participating in climate action at the local and international levels. In addition, you can join YOUNGO to discover the issues you care about, and then find fellow travelers at the international level to make changes.
In the question-and-answer session, some audiences asked about the inclusion of young people in the COP. Youth representatives said that COP27 has added youth and children’s themes, youth delegates have negotiation opportunities. There has been a gradual trend towards inclusive participation of young people. As for the progress of the negotiations on the phase-out of fossil fuels, the youth delegates responded that there is no progress, and some countries are going the other way, and the amount of coal used are increasing. Therefore, they believe that a more aggressive goal should be set for the phase-out of fossil fuels to achieve keep 1.5°C alive. Regarding the integration of climate education into youth career planning, youth delegates believe that youth should be encouraged to "go green" in their field, such as discussing the feasibility of setting up social welfare for climate change with the government in the social welfare sector and encouraging youth to contribute to climate change. Then let the young people look at the world in climate education and understand the urgency of the climate crisis to the world, so that the young people can know that what action they can take. In terms of climate adaptation, youth representatives expressed that Hong Kong can try to achieve climate adaptation by changing urban planning and increasing community facilities and public education. At the international level, the international community can try to increase policy transparency, learn successful examples from each others, and then apply it in their own countries, and let the public know about climate adaptation policies.
The last session was the item sharing session, where eight Hong Kong youth delegates shared the meaningful items that they brought back to Hong Kong from Egypt.
The webinar for the 2022 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) was successfully held, in order to deliver better understandings of the COP27 and share the experience of eight Hong Kong Youth Delegates attending COP27. CarbonCare InnoLab wishes eight Hong Kong Youth Delegates can promote changes in Hong Kong’s climate actions after attending COP27
第27屆聯合國氣候變化大會線上研討會
八位低碳想創坊青年代表，連同三位同事一同出席於11月6日至18日在埃及沙姆沙伊赫舉行的第27屆聯合國氣候變化大會 (COP27) ，推動更積極的氣候行動。COP27 完結後，低碳想創坊於11月24日舉行第27屆聯合國氣候變化大會線上研討會，與香港觀眾分享回顧並反思 COP27 於氣候行動上的進程。
是次網上直播分四個部份:第一部份低碳想創坊聯合創辦人莊陳有先生致辭。第二部份為八位香港青年代表分享環節,藉此回顧參加今屆聯合國氣候變化大會兩個星期以來的經歷。第三部份為問答環節,透過觀眾問題回應。第四部份為物品分享環節,八位香港青年代表分享在埃及帶回香港的有意義物件。
第27屆聯合國氣候變化大會完滿落幕,代表八位香港青年代表的埃及之行已順利結束,莊陳有先生在致辭時首先多謝八位香港青年代表出席今屆聯合國氣候變化大會。其後指出雖然香港政府沒有派員出席今屆聯合國氣候變化大會,但香港人仍需負上應對氣候危機及改變氣候變化情況的責任,在氣候議題上發聲以體現氣候公義。他承諾低碳想創坊未來會繼續舉辦青年氣候倡議培訓計劃及派員出席聯合國氣候變化大會以培育更多氣候倡議領袖,啟發青年了解國際氣候議題,提升氣候倡議技能以參與氣候行動。
分享環節提供一個讓香港青年代表圍繞過程回顧及反思作分享機會,青年代表藉此分享他們在聯合國氣候變化大會的談判成果,青年在氣候參與的角色及回港後計劃推行的氣候行動。提到過程,青年代表稱是次聯合國氣候變化大會是有備而來,他們事前會撰寫立場書再呈交香港政府及在聯合國氣候變化大會中發佈,又與環境及生態局局長見面,亦嘗試在網上及加入聯合國氣候變化框架公約下的青年和兒童組織YOUNGO,加強與同路人的聯繫,研究青年促進氣候參與方法。另外事前準備是一個學習過程,青年代表會閱讀YOUNGO準備的資訊並學習相關的英文詞彙。香港青年代表是次以監察者角色參加聯合國氣候變化大會,他們表示每日會先參加YOUNGO的每日通話 (daily spoke call),了解每日重點活動及各工作小組的回顧。其會會參加現場會議(on day meeting),在藍區(blue zone)舉行的展覽會,全體會議等。青年在氣候適應及損失與損害擔當重要角色,有香港青年代表表示青年能擔任倡議者角色,以創新思維突破氣候談判框架,而國際亦會接納青少年的意見。談及氣候談判策略,是次聯合國氣候變化大會有非正式會議,青年代表表示其他國家代表會私底下商討氣候倡議議題,最後在全體會議發表非正式會議的共識。此外青年需要自己積極爭取參加閉門會議的機會,與聯合國高層交流意見,推動其他青年人參加往後的聯合國氣候變化大會。至於談判成果方面,所有締約國終取得損失與損害的共識,同意成立損失與損害基金,為受氣候變化影響的國家提供氣候融資以協助該等國家氣候適應。雖然今年的聯合國氣候變化大會在損失與損害上取得成果,但在限制全球升溫1.5℃的目標相距甚遠,稱若追不上進度,會造成損失與損害。此外,青年参與氣候倡議方面均達到成果,青年代表稱在沙姆沙伊赫的官方文件中承認青年參與氣候倡議能改變世界,顯示國際認可青年人的能改善氣候變化。回港後,香港青年表示會延續他們在青年氣候倡議培訓計劃中的倡議項目,包括在走塑,綠色採購以至能源貧窮方面,並會以網上或以倡議小組形式將COP27經驗與港青年,商界以及政府交流,期望所關注的氣候議題獲香港政府正視。另一方面,香港青年代表表示他們會在回港後積極研究在香港推行他們所關注的氣候議題如氣候教育及氣候融資的可行性,跟進香港在氣候融資中的角色及進程。最後,青年代表在此亦鼓勵香港青年在本地層面及國際層面參與氣候行動,可以加入倡議項目,低碳想創坊舉辨的青年氣候倡議培訓計劃 (CATY),青年氣候峰會從中了解氣候變化在國際層面的意義。另外可加入YOUNGO, 從中發掘自己所關注的議題,繼而在國際層面找到同路人,作出改變。
在問答環節,有觀眾問及聯合國氣候變化大會包容青年人參與的問題,青年代表表示今年聯合國氣候變化大會新增青年及兒童主題,又在談判會議中有青年發言機會,顯示聯合國氣候變化大會已逐漸趨向包容青年人參與。至於問及淘汰化石燃料談判的進程方面,青年代表回應指沒有進程,有部份國家更反其道而行,使用煤炭數量不減反增,因此認為應為淘汰化石燃料設定一個更進取目標以達至限制升溫1.5℃減排目標。在氣候教育融合生涯規劃方面, 青年代表認為應鼓勵青年在其界別「變綠」 ,如在社福界與政府商討設立為氣候變化而設的社會福利的可行性,並且鼓勵青年為氣候踏出第一步,繼而要令青年在氣候教育上放眼世界,理解氣候危機對於國際的緊急性,才令青少年知道有何行動可以實行。氣候適應方面,青年代表表示香港可嘗試在城市規劃上以改變規劃及增加社區配套設施及市民教育為方針實現氣候適應。在國際層面上,可國際嘗試增加政策透明度,互相汲取成功例子,再應用在自己國家上,並使民眾知道氣候適應的政策。
最後一個環節為物品分享環節,八位香港青年代表分享在埃及帶回香港的有意義物件。
2022 第27屆聯合國氣候變化大會（COP27）網上直播順利結束，讓大家更了解第27屆聯合國氣候變化大會，以及為八位青年出席COP 27的經驗，亦盼望他們回港後可以為香港帶來更多氣候行動上的改變。