Another round of climate talks are approaching an end in Cancun, Mexico and the odds for achieving a fair, binding and ambitious climate deal seem highly improbable. But while negotiations are slow, a race has just ended between the youth from India, China and the United States. The Great Power Race was a clean energy competition between campuses in these three countries and the competition culminated in the announcement of the final winners and an awards ceremony at the COP16 negotiations.
Organized by 350.org and implemented by Energy Action coalition, Chinese youth climate action network and the Indian youth climate network, the race provided a platform for student teams to build climate solutions on campuses and prove to the leaders that the youth have gotten to work and they expect the same from their leaders. [img_assist|nid=1295|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=445]
IYCN has had the pleasure of organizing this competition in India and we hope this will lead to more similar projects next year and the years to come. We thank all our supporters, friends from China and the United States and every one of those hundreds of campuses and teams that have registered and executed some amazing projects. We hope to continue this collaboration in the future with more exciting programs.
*Note - IYCN has opened up positions for young leaders to facilitate the Great Power Race in the country. If you wish to facilitate GPR, contact chaitanya kumar at chaitanyakumar@iycn.in or +91 9849016371
The world has witnessed another earth day go by and another environment day breeze past us with little or no difference to the day next. Symbolic actions for environment and climate have come a long way in the world with increasing participation from public and more pressure on the leaders, but Govt.’s across the world are still callous and work in denial of the environmental crises the world is currently undergoing. The Copenhagen conference is an example of the gross injustice perpetrated on the people of this world.
The youth from India, China and the US have seen their nations fumble and falter at important negotiations and act for their own narrowed interests. The gauntlet has been thrown to the public and we need to be ready to take it up. It is time for climate solutions and the power of communities and groups to implement them with or without Govt. intervention.
