My name is Sofia Abril, I am 19 years old and the founder of the environmental movement “The Last Chance,” a group mostly comprised of young people. We are committed to environmental education and the development of environmental projects that aim to improve environmental development in Guatemala and fight climate change. As a result of our activities, U-Report and UNICEF opened the doors for us in 2019 to join as members of the U-Report committee and to work together as climate advocates.
In 2022, U-Report Guatemala, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program in Guatemala, launched a survey to understand the perspectives of young people on the actions that are being implemented and the efforts that should be made towards a healthier planet.
To promote the poll, several youth climate activists united forces to encourage young people to speak up and share their opinions and ideas on climate action. Overall, 520 U-Reporters participated in the poll, and here are some highlights of what they said:
1. Reduce, reuse, and recycle waste (16%), reduce plastic consumption (13%), and educate the population about the importance of the relationship between human beings and mother nature (9%), are the actions that young people say they would do to drive change to a healthy planet.
2. The lack of information (21%) and political will (21%) are two of the biggest challenges youth face in implementing the 2030 Agenda and other environmental commitments.
3. A third of the U-Reporters said that education in Innovative Environmental Technologies is one of the skills/competencies needed in the business, government, and academic sectors to access green jobs.
These and other results were presented at the Stockholm+50 Conference, the meeting commemorating 50 years of the United Nations Conference on the Environment Human of 1972, in early June. This key event was a great opportunity to make our voices heard among world leaders, representatives of governments, companies, international organizations, civil society, and youth, who met to adopt a series of environmental principles and initiatives.
Now, U-Report has launched a global survey focused on how young people experience and adapt to the impacts of climate change. But this time, the results will be used to broaden the views of young people ahead of one of the major climate events: The United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP27, which will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from November 7-18, 2022.
The results of this new poll will be shared with key decision makers and partners to provide a more detailed statistical analysis of how young people are adapting to the impacts of climate change and encouraging urgent climate action.
Young climate advocates like me believe that one of the most effective ways to combat the climate crisis is to unite society and international leaders, speak out, analyze, and take impactful actions to put the planet on a more sustainable and responsible path. You can also take action and contribute to positive changes! Let's start by sending "COP27" on your preferred U-Report channel and help us bring your voice to decision-makers.
Messenger: https://bit.ly/COP27FB
WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/COP27WA
Viber: https://bit.ly/COP27VR
Written by: Sofia Abril (19), U-Reporter from Guatemala
