LocationsKeynote Speech by Ms Beate Trankmann at the WYDF's Thematic Forum for Response to Climate Change and Food Crisis
November 1, 2023
UNDP Resident Representative in China, Beate Trankmann, delivered a keynote speech at the World Youth Development Thematic Forum for Response to Climate Change and Food Crisis in Beijng, China.
尊敬的胡盛书记
刘小南副局长
王新东副总经理
各位嘉宾，青年朋友们
大家下午好！
非常高兴看到志同道合的朋友们从全世界各地来到北京，共同推动青年参与联合国2030年可持续发展议程，正所谓 “有朋 自远方来，不亦 乐乎”。
Distinguished guests, dear youth delegates and especially, our climate champions – good afternoon!
We meet today because our planet is in peril. This summer saw its hottest three months on record.[1] August was already 1.5°C warmer than the preindustrial average[1] – the safe limit for earth to remain habitable, under the Paris agreement. We are also using up the planet’s ecological resources faster than nature can regenerate. To maintain humanity’s current way of life, we would need the equivalent of 1.6 Earths.[2]
Extreme weather is escalating, with natural disasters now three times more common than 50 years ago.[3] CO2 levels are at record highs globally. And we are heading for a more than 3 degree-rise by the end of this century.[4]
This would be catastrophic – cutting global GDP by 20 percent by 2050 [5] and inflicting "life-threatening" conditions on three-quarters of the world’s population by the end of the century[6]. Scientists warn that jet stream changes could trigger multiple simultaneous crop failures worldwide,[7] threatening global food security and leaving 80 million more people in extreme hunger by 2050.[8]
Indeed, unchecked climate change is one of the major reasons why the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – our global roadmap to ensure the future of people and planet by 2030 – are in serious jeopardy. According to ESCAP projections, it will take until 2065 to achieve the SDGs in the Asia-Pacific region. [9]
It is obvious that destructive consequences of our unsustainable way of life cannot be continue. For humanity and our earth to endure, we must change course now.
As the largest generation of youth in history, young people like you are essential in steering that change. Your energy, ingenuity and cutting-edge skills could save the SDGs – and the planet.
Equally, this is not something your generation should shoulder alone. It takes the world – governments, businesses, activists, all of us – to change the world. That’s why UNDP supports young people in tackling climate challenges, as our work in China demonstrates.
Our Movers Programme has empowered over 36,000 young people with greater climate and SDG knowledge, including 24 universities and more than 100 youth organizations.
The UNDP-supported Youth Co:Lab encourages green development by young entrepreneurs, uniting government, private sector incubators and financial institutions to scale-up innovative solutions addressing climate change.
UNDP is also anchoring our new regional flagship initiative of YECAP, Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform, in China. It recommends:
Firstly, raising climate awareness and readiness among youth, by presenting climate issues in an engaging, relatable and actionable way. This calls for elevating climate education and advocacy, including training young climate leaders.
Secondly, developing green skills for green jobs, including in environmental and renewable energy sectors. These must be promoted, with young people incentivized to pursue them.
“Unchecked climate change is one of the major reasons why the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – our global roadmap to ensure the future of people and planet by 2030 – are in serious jeopardy.”
Thirdly, youth-led climate actions must be strengthened, by empowering youth organizations with the latest climate knowledge and the ability to expand climate- activities, including via grants.
Finally, we must boost youth civic engagement in climate promises. UNDP works to help youth negotiators play a meaningful role in the climate policies affecting their future. Young voices must be heard and included in climate commitments.
Climate change will reach every industry, office and home. So a collective response, across sectors and society, is vital in managing it. We invite everyone – from the government, to the private sector, to youth organizations – to join YECAP in youth climate action.
As I’ve said at the opening on Monday – this is your world to inherit. So, I urge each of you to charge ahead with the inspiring initiatives that we have heard about in the last few days and continue doing your part to make it a world that can sustain everyone, while leaving no one behind. UNDP is working towards this goal every day all around the globe, and we’ll do everything we can to support you!
Thank you to our hosts, the All-China Youth Federation, our partners, and to all young people here, for your dedication towards this.
Your presence reaffirms our shared determination to combat climate change and ensure a brighter future – for your generation, and generations to come.
Thank you/ 谢谢!
[1] World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Sep 6, 2023, Earth had hottest three-month period on record, with unprecedented sea surface temperatures and much extreme weather: https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/earth-had-hottest-three-month-period-record-unprecedented-sea-surface
[2] https://www.undp.org/from-cacophony-to-harmony
[3] United Nations, March 18, 2021, Natural disasters occurring three times more often than 50 years ago: new FAO report
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1087702#:~:text=According%20to%20FAO%2C%20disasters%20happen,as%20tourism%2C%20commerce%20and%20industry.
[4] Science Alert, 15 April, 2023, Yet Another Study Warns We’re on Track to Hit 3 Degrees of Warming: https://www.sciencealert.com/yet-another-study-warns-were-on-track-to-hit-3-degrees-of-warming
[5] Oxford Economics, 20 Dec 2022, The global economic costs of climate change and inaction: https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/resource/the-global-economic-costs-of-climate-inaction/#:~:text=The%20resulting%20estimates%20show%20that,levels%20by%20up%20to%2020%25.
[6] Carbon Brief, 28 Feb 2022, In Depth Q&A: The IPCC’s sixth assessment on how climate change impacts the world: https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-the-ipccs-sixth-assessment-on-how-climate-change-impacts-the-world/
[7] Climate Analytics, July 4, 2023, Changes to the Jet Stream Could Trigger Simultaneous Crop Failures Impacting Global Food Security: https://climateanalytics.org/latest/changes-to-the-jet-stream-could-trigger-simultaneous-crop-failures-impacting-global-food-security/#:~:text=Changes%20to%20the%20jet%20stream,countries%20at%20the%20same%20time.
[8] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Oct 2022, Fact Sheet – Food and Water: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/outreach/IPCC_AR6_WGII_FactSheet_FoodAndWater.pdf
[9] UN ESCAP, 17 March 2022, Pandemic pushes SDGs further out of reach of Asia and the Pacific: https://www.unescap.org/op-ed/pandemic-pushes-sdgs-further-out-reach-asia-and-pacific
