ACE Now! The Importance of Climate Action for Empowerment
by Sarah Voska (Director of ClimAcademy, COY15 Liaison, COP25 Delegate)
October 2019
“It’s hard to imagine a world without the level of youth engagement that we have in the UNFCCC Process,” said Mr. Niclas Svenningsen, Manager of Global Climate Action at the UNFCCC Secretariat.
Can you imagine a COP without youth? Without actions, without Fossil of the Days, without the screams of “WE ARE ACTION” from the Action Hub? I think the scariest part of that vision would be the fact that the people being most affected by the decisions taken in the plenary halls would have zero representation there. The immense importance of youth and other stakeholder engagement is best noted in the positive pressure to take action, that would be lost in the political workings of procedure and protocol otherwise.
Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, that is, the document that establishes the UNFCCC as a body to address climate change within the United Nations system, created a mechanism for including civil society engagement in the negotiations. It calls for six areas that should be utilized to engage the public in climate change solutions.
Education
Capacity building
Public awareness
Public access to information
Public participation
International cooperation
After years of referring to this topic as just “Article 6”, many called for this project to get a name, and it was christened Action for Climate Empowerment. Isabel Kreisler, of EUROCLIMA+ said, “it could really be either: Action for Climate Empowerment, or Empowerment for Climate Action; both are valid,” ACE (or ECA!) works to encourage civil society engagement in implementing solutions.
Isabel Kreisler of EUROCLIMA+ discusses their vision for ACE.
ACE, and the six topics it encompasses, has been recognized by the world’s top Climatologists as an important tool to encourage action. IPCC Reports: “Global Warming of 1.5°C” and “The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate” both clearly state that educational, learning and awareness-building institutions can help strengthen the societal response to climate change
Chile, in their updated NDCs, has incorporated ACE throughout. In the lead-up to COP25, they held Festivals throughout the country (one per region), to create a positive, high-energy space, where citizens could learn about their role in climate action. ACE Focal Point, Maritza Jadrijevic called for collaboration between all stakeholders to achieve the goals of ACE, “It’s not just something that the government has to take on, but also a space to invite the private sector to participate, inviting companies and local organizations to join in empowering their employees, clients, and communities.”
Many credit Greta Thunberg and Jamie Margolin with making huge advances in ACE, by engaging youth stakeholders in climate action. Through their “celebrity” rise to fame, they have created a movement of youth, many of whom aren’t even old enough to vote or participate in many decision-making processes on the local level. One thing I learned quickly at COP, is that there is no lack of climate education NGOs, but a lack of organization among them. Perhaps, one way that we can move forward, together, would be through organizing a curriculum or educational modules, that could be relevant in any part of the world, and diffuse them through the parties, conferences like COP and the Global Climate Summit, and online communities.
The UNFCCC Secretariat, as part of the global stocktake, will present a “checklist” or diagnostic evaluation, to each of the parties, as a way to determine what measures they are taking to address climate action. The global stocktake was established under Article 14 of the Paris Agreement. It serves to measure collective progress toward countries’ NDCs and the overall agreement’s long-term goals. It will take place for the first time in 2020, and be repeated every 5 years from then onward. The outcome of the global stocktake shall inform Parties in updating and enhancing, in a nationally determined manner, their actions and support in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Agreement, as well as in enhancing international cooperation for climate action.
Alvaro, of Care About Climate, speaks about climate change education.
As youth, we are asking our decision-makers, our negotiators, to nominate a National Focal Point on ACE, who can dedicate themselves to supporting these issues within COP25. We also hope that parties can integrate climate change education and public engagement into their updated Nationally Determined Contributions, and into their Mitigation plans.
I was lucky, as a high school student, my dad pushed me to join a small committee in local government, and I was fortunate enough to be accepted into it. Sure, they thought that I was there for a school project, but it gave me an opportunity for my voice to be heard in my Neighborhood association when we spoke on environmental and ecosystem management in the community. Part of ACE is getting youth and other local stakeholders access to information, and a seat at the table when it comes to decision making. Since being a part of that process, I was able to support the implementation of nature-based solutions to create bioswales to filter stormwater before it enters our watershed. Having a youth perspective in decision making helps decision-makers to ask about the long-term effect of their actions & how their actions will affect the schools, playgrounds, and outdoor areas where children like to play.
Some of the identified barriers include a lack of funding for implementation, as well as institutional reinforcement. There also is no evaluation index for ACE, making it hard to track results, and oftentimes a lack of strategy or long-term planning to ensure the education and public participation is having an impact on climate ambition.
Finally, there is a lack of involvement of critical stakeholders, including public media channels, who could support public access to information. Encouraging media coverage to highlight organizations taking concrete actions, and signposting to organizations on the ground would be useful. For adults, Mr. Francisco Heras, National Focal Point on ACE in Spain, recommends that public participation and public consultations are the best way to provide climate education. As many adults are a bit more closed off to education about things that don’t necessarily relate to their daily lives, including them in the process helps them to better understand what is happening, and how they can contribute to solutions.
Chilean Youth who participated in the COY organization (Benjamin C. & Denise S.) speak in a radio interview to share with the Spanish public about what youth are doing at COP, and beyond.
Climate Change education is critical to ensure that every person on earth has the tools and information needed for them to react to this global crisis. Send us an email if you want to be connected to resources for empowering youth to climate action!
Sarah is the Director of Care About Climate’s ClimAcademy. Additionally, in her role as COY15 Liaison, she organized the Conference of the Youth in Madrid. She also attended COP25 as part of Care About Climate’s team and as a guest of the Chilean government.