Nordic young people to engage with the UN climate negotiations
“We need to work with young people on climate change and solutions to the problem. They are brimming with ideas and we want to hear them and involve them,” says Mary Gestrin, Head of Communications for the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. As part of this process, Nordic cooperation is throwing open its doors to young people for the UN climate talks and the Nordic Climate Weeks in Stockholm. The Climate Weeks in Stockholm will serve as a digital backdoor to COP25, providing daily briefings from the Nordic youth delegates, ministers and main negotiators, and will include events and workshops on everything from climate-smart food to climate funding.
Hopes and expectations
Isabella Lövin, Minister for Environment and Climate (Sweden), Krista Mikkonen, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (Finland) and Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Minister for Nordic Co-operation (Iceland) will meet with five young climate activists – Amanda Borneke (Sweden), Karolina Lång (Finland), Jóna Þórey Pétursdóttir (Iceland), Jonas Færgeman (Denmark) and Alex Sigal (Norway) – in Stockholm on 2 December. They will talk about opportunities for progress at COP25 with young people, who will actively participate in conversations online from Madrid. The discussions will revolve around what young people demand and expect from the politicians and COP25.
We need to work with young people on climate change and solutions to the problem. They are brimming with ideas and we want to hear them and involve them.
Different perspectives, same mission
The young people come from different countries and represent different perspectives on the climate debate – young politicians, an activist, a business woman and a student. They have agreed to take part in discussions with ministers and report back from COP25 as Nordic “Key Listeners”.
“They will each do a 24-hour shift, following COP25 in Madrid and the Nordic activities in Stockholm. Afterwards, they will make their Key Listener report in the form of a video, which will be shared with young people throughout the Nordic region and at COP25,” explains Senior Adviser Michael Carboni Kelk. At the end of the first week of COP25 the five will meet again to review progress. Their conclusions will be disseminated widely to encourage commitment and involvement in climate issues among other young people in the Nordic region and elsewhere in the world.
The Nordic Key Listeners
- Amanda Borneke, Quality Assurance and Environmental Officer, CS Riv & Håltagning AB (Sweden)
- Jonas Færgeman, ReGeneration 2030 (Denmark)
- Jóna Þórey Pétursdóttir, the Student Council, University of Iceland (Iceland)
- Alex Sigal, Nordic Youth Council (Norway)
- Karolina Lång, Nordic Youth Council, participating in the UN Convention on Biodiversity/the editorial committee (Finland)