Youth working group proposes adaptation strategies for climate change at COP18

Adaptation strategy refers to making adjustments between natural and human systems in response to actual or expected climate shocks and impacts, in order to reduce harm or develop beneficial opportunities. However, beyond reducing harm from environmental shocks through government policy-making, should young people also consider what kind of adaptation strategies they can carry out for the environment in order to change the current environmental situation, and even create new opportunities for the future.

The United Nations youth organization (YOUNGO) divides the issues that young people are interested in regarding the climate change convention into multiple different fields and forms working groups, hoping that through self-organized working groups young people can take practical action and thereby have a substantive impact on environmental improvement. These are:
1. Political Intervention
2. Article 6
3. Communication
4. Technique Transfer
5. Adaptation
6. Mitigation
7. Forest and Agriculture
8. Finance
9. Youth Access
10. Gender
11. Human Rights

Among them, the direction of the Adaptation working group this year is somewhat different from the past, specifically choosing strategic guidelines carried out by young people. "Raising awareness is not an adaptation strategy" - at the very start of the meeting, a Vietnamese young person shattered everyone's silence with a single sentence. When we choose to believe that young people can change, and empower them to make changes, the power of young people can be brought into full play:
1. Young people need to establish a well-developed connection platform
2. Full consultation and cooperation among young people is necessary
3. Through the power of young people, it should be possible to supervise the government
4. Youth strategies should start with the community as the target of change
5. Young people should be able to share knowledge with one another and train each other

The photo shows a group photo after the meeting of the Adaptation working group

Of course, young people may very likely be suspected of lacking ability, and may even be unable to obtain any support and assistance (especially in Asian countries, where the situation is especially serious). But on the other hand, aside from demanding empowerment for young people, young people must also be able to bravely accept challenges, face various changes with flexibility, and thereby gain more attention and more support, and be better able to complete change.

For more COP18 information, please follow the Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition COP18 section