Carrickfergus pupils negotiate on Climate Change issues at mock COP26 conference

Ulidia Integrated College Year 14 Geography pupils took part in the Four Nations School Climate Conference, which was organised to emulate the real-life COP26 event in Glasgow next month.

The year 16 pupils represented Brazil and Canada at the event. They prepared by researching the progress these countries have made to reduce their carbon emissions and delivered a speech to the conference. The students then answered questions from the other delegates from the perspective of their country.

A spokesperson for Ulidia Integrated College said: “All students spoke clearly and demonstrated well informed knowledge. The students were able to negotiate with the other countries to make pledges for action on behalf of their allocated country.

“At the end of the conference the students were given the opportunity to contribute personal pledges and discuss actions that they would like the UK to take. These pledges and requests will be shared at the Global COP conference in Glasgow next month with world leaders.”

Schoolchildren from across the UK took part in the youth summit hosted by charities Size of Wales and the Welsh Centre for International Affairs (WCIA), InterClimate Network, Centre for Global Education and ScotDEC and the Welsh Centre for International Affairs (WCIA) with support from ScottishPower Foundation.

Participants formed teams representing a diverse mix of 20 developed and developing countries attending COP26, including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Kenya, the Marshall Islands, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, UK and USA. The 20 countries together account for three quarters of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Putting forward policy positions using carefully chosen arguments in a conference debate model that mirrors the UN negotiations, the pupils agreed on a set of resolutions on key themes. The resolutions will be taken to COP26 in Glasgow at a special youth event organised by Size of Wales.

Stephen McCloskey, director of the Centre for Global Education, commented: “Young people have led the campaign for action and effective policy-making to tackle global warming. The ‘Fridays for Future’ movement has galvanised millions around the world to join the campaign to implement the Paris Climate Agreement. The Mock-COP gives our young people an opportunity to have their say on the importance of the upcoming COP26 climate conference and what it needs to achieve to mitigate global warming.”

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