COP28 youth activists fighting for fewer emissions and more education around climate change

Photo: (AP/Peter Dejong). Retrieved from abc.net.au

Climate change is a “life and death situation” for countries in the Pacific and parts of Asia, and young people at the COP28 climate conference are urging the world to listen before it’s too late.

The United Nations-backed conference is being held in Dubai, with more than 70,000 people in attendance.

One of those, regional coordinator for the Pacific Island Climate Action Network Lavetanalagi “Lagi” Seru, is fearful for the future of his community in Fiji.

“Looking at the numbers, there’s about 50,000 people who … [are] being displaced and migrating or relocating as a result of climate-induced disasters,” he said.

“We cannot emphasise that enough that … we need to bring down emissions.”

And he’s not alone.

ABC Asia spoke with three youth activists, including Lagi Seru, who are at COP28:

All have first-hand experience with the impacts of climate change and shared their perspectives on what action needs to be taken moving forward.