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by Christine Roulston
University of Victoria student Naomi Devine returned last fall from the 12th annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with a mission—to act locally in the fight against climate change.
The conference, held in Nairobi, Kenya, saw 6,000 participants from 180 countries meet to discuss pressing environmental issues affecting the globe. Devine attended the conference as a member of the Canadian Youth Delegation, a group of 21 young Canadians emphasizing education, action and leadership on climate change.
Devine’s trip was sponsored by UVic, the Sierra Club of Canada BC Chapter, and the BC Sustainable Energy Association.
“Canada’s position on the world stage has slipped since last year’s conference on climate change held in Montreal. As youth, we must now fill Canada’s climate leadership void and make sure climate change is not swept under the political carpet,” says Devine, an environmental studies and political science student.
At the conference, Devine chose to attend the “post-2012” discussions, which involved reviewing the Kyoto Protocol and developed countries’ commitment to the protocol after the year 2012. Youth delegates also met with federal Environment Minister Rona Ambrose, representatives from various non-governmental organizations and official opposition critics.
While the conference dealt with global issues, it also emphasized to Devine the importance of national and local actions on a world stage.
“I think it’s important to bring what I learned as part of a global process back to Victoria and see how we can effect change locally and send messages back to government,” she says.
Over the next year, Devine will be a key player in the Common Energy project, a network of students, staff, and faculty working with community partners to make UVic a catalyst for the development of a sustainable and climate-friendly region. Devine is director of the UVic Sustainability Project, which launched Common Energy in November.
“Climate change is such a complex, pervasive problem. It feels so big, so it’s easy to make people feel powerless,” says Devine. “Common Energy is one way for people to come together and take advantage of the university’s unique resources, talent pool and place in the community.”
For more on Common Energy, visit www.commonenergy.org.
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