12

urban
nyheder
fredag 04. december 2009

Climate youth 2 youth

w h a
... doing
t he y
t a re
?
■ 322 Pictures. This is how many
pictures, Arif from Bangladesh
is bringing back home on his di-
gitale camera, when he leaves
Denmark. »My best picture has
been with the pop group ABC,«
Arif says. He can’t reject the fact,
that it is another picture, he will
show to his parents. He took it,
while he was building a model of
a town, which recycles water. He
built it together with his new fri- »The last detail adjustments of the
ends from Greenland. children’s contribution to the internatio-
nal climate debate were discussed at the
■ »It is very different,« says Jen- Copenhagen City Hall. Foto erik refner
na to the question about what
she thinks of Danish food. The

’Can’t we move that comma?’

girl from China has been visiting
a Danish family, where she was
served a typical Danish meal of
baked potatoes and chicken. The
dessert was some typical Danish
sweets. Especially the sweets
were popular among the visitors
from Nepal and China, while the
chicken and the potatoes were
less popular.
■ The 15-year-old Mohammed
Axam Maumoon from the Mal-
dives gets a longer stay here in
Copenhagen, than first planned.
On Monday he is going to meet
the Danish prime minister, Lars
Løkke Rasmussen, in Bella Cente-
ret. »It is a big opportunity for all
children to get their opinion out,«
says Mohamed. He knows, that
there is a big responsibility on his
shoulders, when he after the ope-
ning of COP15 is going argue the
children’s case. »I am nervous, but
I have tried something like this
before, and I feel prepared,« says
Mohamed Axam Mumoon.
The world’s children are ready to
change their lifestyles in the battle
against the climate changes. This
is written black-on-white in the cli-
mate declaration; delegates from 44
countries have prepared – and will
be presenting today.
Af Lukas Olsen Tine Priisholm Sofie
Amalie Blomsterberg Hella Thirstrup
Ida Grouleff Sofie Bøttiger og Louis B.
Bertelsen
■ »I’m very satisfied with the finished
product – it’s amazing. We are doing so-
mething great here, and I’m sure, the
adults will listen to us,« says Ivalu
Christensen from Greenland.
Together with the 164 other youngsters
she sits in the Plenary Hall in Copenhagen
City hall and twinkles with her fingers to
show her acceptance and satisfaction with
the first draft of the children’s own climate
declaration.
»Shouldn’t we focus on that we have a
problem to solve rather than spelling the
name and so?« you can hear from the hall,
when one of the young ambassadors sug-
gests that one of the commas in the text
should be moved.
The last detail adjustments of the
children’s contribution to the international
climate debate are almost in place, and
the level of concentration among the hard
working delegates is high, right until the
end. They have been working hard the
whole week to make the declaration which
today will be presented and handed over to
Connie Hedegaard.
Afraid to be forgotten
»We already face the effects of climate chan-
ge. Our plates are empty due to drought.
Our communities are deprived of clean
drinking water, access to education and
vulnerable to disease every time it floods.«
The introduction from the almost finished
declaration creates a huge applause in the
Plenary Hall and the delegates on the stage
try in vain to hide the pride they feel about
the product, that not only holds demands,
but also says goodbye to a lifestyle in com-
fort and places the common good above
the individual desires and current way of
living.
»We commit to personal lifestyle chan-
ges that place the common good above our
individual desires and current method of
living,« it says in the introduction of the
declaration which at the same time holds
demands for next weeks COP15 with the
words: ’The time for talking is over. Now,
we hold you accountable for your commit-
ments’.
Despite the positive atmosphere, that’s
buzzing amongst the delegates in the
Plenary Hall, some have concerns about
whether the grown-ups will actually hear
the youngsters. »I’m afraid that we will be
forgotten, but I hope that the adults will
take it into consideration,« says Hoang
Oahn from Finland.
redaktion@urban.dk

What has made the strongest impression on you in Copenhagen?

youth journalists cover
children’s climate forum

In the week prior to the COP15,

164 teenagers from 44 coun-
tries are participating in their
own climate forum at Copen-
hagen City Hall, hoping to
influence the decisions of the
world leaders. But adults are
prohibited. The Danish newspa-
per Urban has made an alliance
with youth journalists from
Oerestad Gymnasium to join sergey chuvashow becca arbacher, bipra biswambhara
the fight in giving the children 17 years, Russia 14 years, USA 16 years, India
a voice in the international
climate debate. »I will never forget the Danish people and »It was definitely meeting the other delega- »The stories, I have been told this week, I
the whole atmosphere of the city. Copenha- tes. It was great meeting other people my will take with me back home to India, to
This wallpaper has been made
possible through the partnerships
gen is fantastically beautiful and very rela- age, with the same passion for the climate, shake up the politicians. F.eks. the story
of Urban, the City of Copenhagen,
xing to walk through. People are incredibly yet with some other points of view than me. about Bangladesh, where there have been
UNiCEF Denmark and Oerestad friendly and open and everything is so dif- I will also always remember the beautiful five typhoons in the last couple of months.
ferent than where I come from. We visited architecture of Copenhagen. There is a fan- There’s a lot of windmills, and that people
Gymnasium. a Danish school one of the days and it was tastic contrast between old and new, which ride their bicycle have made a good impres-
Sanne Nyland Christensen, such a shock to me to see the relationship I love! By the way, Copenhagen is a very sion on me. But most important is the fe-
snc@urban.dk between teachers and students, and how lively city.« eling, that even we are so different, we all
laid back it was. I wish, I could live here.« can work together to reach the same goal.«