National Youth Network on Climate Change Organizes Southern Region Pre-COP 28
The event was held to amplify the voices of young people on the issue of climate change and to influence decision-making at the upcoming COP 28 climate conference.
Zomba, Malawi – The National Youth Network on Climate Change (NYNCC) organized the Southern Region Pre-COP 28 at the University of Malawi (UNIMA) under the theme “Nurturing Hope in the Face of Climate Loss and Damage”, writes Peter Davieson.
The event was held to amplify the voices of young people on the issue of climate change and to influence decision-making at the upcoming COP 28 climate conference.
National Coordinator for NYNCC Dominic Nyasuru said that not everyone can attend COP, but the voices of those suffering from climate change must be heard. “After 28 years of negotiating, we still don’t have the hope we need,” he said.
“That’s why we’re losing hope. We need to stimulate the anger and the interest from the young people to say ‘enough is enough.’”
Nyasuru also emphasized the need for funds to support communities that have lost loved ones and property due to climate change.
The former president of the Environmental Justice and Sustainability Clinic at UNIMA Khama Maele said that he learned a lot about climate change policies and the challenges people face as a result of climate change.
“People should understand that taking care of the environment is not just for the elderly, but also for the youth,” he said.
“We are the future, and climate change affects us too. We are asking the authorities to keep giving us a chance to speak out against the evils of climate change.”
The Southern Region Pre-COP 28 was organized by NYNCC in partnership with the Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC), Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages, and UNIMA’s Environmental Justice and Sustainability Clinic.