FOCUS

The main focus of the Colombian summit is Climate Change which is already occurring and is firmly attributable to human activity.  According to an intergovernmental report some of the key activities influencing climate change are a century and half of industrialization, burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and intensive agricultural practices.  This has contributed to increased levels of ‘greenhouse gases’ in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

Projections show that climate change will affect both, living and non-living components , which includes impact on population, melting of icecaps, rising sea levels, unpredictable weather patterns, increased floods and droughts, loss of biodiversity, changes in agricultural productivity, increased health risks, massive human migration and economic decline.

Adaption and Mitigation are the major challenges of climate change.  Students from around the world can make significant contributions through research, knowledge sharing and projects that focus on areas such as reducing energy consumption, leveraging renewable forms of energy, designing and using green technologies, influencing changes to our consumption and production patterns and mitigating biodiversity loss.  Further students could promote public awareness and capacity building to influence both challenges to climate change.

The key focus areas for this summit are

Energy and development
Energy is central to sustainable development and has a broad impact across the sustainability dimensions – social, environmental and economic – including livelihoods, access to water, agricultural productivity, health, population levels, education and gender related issues.  As well, energy has a significant impact on climate change and innovative solutions are needed.

Adapting to climate change
Adaptation to climate change is critical since it’s impacts are already being felt and will worsen in the future.  Shortages of food and water, increased strength of tropical storms, costal inundation, changing spread of disease vectors are some examples that will lead to greater risks to health and life, particularly to people in developing countries.

Mitigating Climate Change
Strategies that mitigate climate change through a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions while promoting sustainable and equitable development are needed to be taken immediately by countries at both the national and regional levels.

Education, training and public awareness
Raising awareness about lifestyle choices and consumption and production patterns that are instrumental to climate change as well as exploring alternatives and promoting cultural changes for dealing with climate change.

Cooperation for sustainability
Collaboration and strategic partnerships between student, governmental and international organizations as well as communities and private sector are essential to work on climate change issues.