Teenager takes climate cause across globe - ContraCostaTimes.com
Like many graduating high school seniors, Marvin Salazar is looking to the future — not just his own, but that of his community and the planet.
Salazar, who graduated from Richmond High School on Thursday and is headed to UC Berkeley, is one of a select number of International Climate Champions chosen from industrialized nations around the world. The role of youth ambassador and advocate on the issue of global warming is one Salazar takes seriously, whether meeting with world environmental ministers or talking to his family about not driving as much.
His duties have taken him to international conferences in England and Japan, and now he's ready to spread his message in Richmond and his hometown of San Pablo.
"What inspired me to be what I am was seeing all the problems, the environmental issues in Richmond," Salazar said. "That's what inspired me to be part of the whole movement on climate change, because my community is ravaged by pollution."
Salazar returned late last month from Kobe, Japan, where he joined 50 other young people representing the United States, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. There they presented a document known as the Kobe Challenge to a conference of environmental ministers from the United States, Japan, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Russia.
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1 comment:
Unfortunately, you seem to have missed some very important pieces of information.
First of all, it is obviously extremely important to work in our local communities to tackle climate change, but it is equally obvious that it is sadly not enough. As per the Kobe Challenge, which these whom you call "misguided", we have already reached a point at which we are going to have to face some effects of climate change, no matter what we do. It goes far beyond telling your parents not to drive their cars, and no one can do much more than that sitting on their legs at home. What we are currently in need of are some broader, wider-randing actions, which these brave youngsters, chosen based both on their interest for the subject and their strong ability to communicate, have been trying to do by meeting with ministers and talking to world leaders and key decision makers. As the motto says, trying to take the voice of this generation's youth, who are going to be the first most impacted by global warming, to where it can be heard and respected.
Furthermore, just for the record, all the trips of the International Climate Champions, be it to London or Kobe, for the G8 Environment Ministers Annual Meeting, were offset by reliable groups, both by planting trees and making sure they stay untouched for a certain period of time and by fundind research on technology that could benefit environment protection world-wide.
Finally, it would be really appreciated if you cared to check your information first before being so harsh and criticizing a project as valuable as this one from the British Council is.
Thank you.
that 39 International Climate Champions cannot do everything they are capable of doing and want to do sitting at home
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