UNEP aims to empower China's youth

China Daily | Updated: 2016-04-08 08:47

Editor's note: With the International Principal Forum on Environmental Education and the China Youth Environmental Forum slated for April 23 in Beijing, Jiang Nanqing, the representative for the United Nations Environment Program's China division, talked with China Daily about UNEP's efforts in educating youths about the environment.

Could you tell us about the program's worldwide education for environmental protection?

UNEP believes that young people, empowered with the right knowledge as well as courage and optimism, can make a difference, which is the best investment we can make.

We realized that there is no need to have a formal environmental education but that it should be embedded everywhere within our daily lives.

Today, our world has been brought closer because of social media. If you have access to the Internet, you will find many websites connecting yourselves with the world. UNEP has a network called TUNZA for young people. If you go to our website, unep.org, and look for TUNZA, you will find the network of thousands of young people and leaders being invited to a global biennial conference, where community leaders exchange ideas about what to do on environmental issues and their communities where new business products are being developed.

What are the goals of UNEP's environmental education for youths and what effect will your efforts have on their development?

UNEP is paying a great deal of attention to youth education on the environment -this is the kind of energy that UNEP wants to foster. First of all, we want to help people to understand what the challenge is. We want them to have the best possible information.

Young people can be much more convincing if they are aware of the facts about what is happening to our world. Their greatest strengths are their energy, vision and commitment. They do not want to take "No" for an answer - this is the great strength of young people. They know intuitively what is right and wrong and they are willing to become committed to do something about it.

For UNEP, it is also important to show that young people may not necessarily hold high political offices, but that everyone can make a difference in their homes, their schools or in the workplace. Just by bringing in new ideas, they can influence the people around them - that is how changes start.

What are the environmental programs initiated by UNEP that are targeted at youth education in China?

In China, UNEP has collaborated with partners, including the Beijing Environmental Education Center, to translate and localize the UNEP/UNESCO YouthX-change Guidebook.

UNEP's flagship report, the Global Environmental Outlook, has a version specifically for youth.

The Elion Foundation has sponsored the translation and publication of it in Chinese and we have organized a summer camp in Kubuqi Desert in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region based on the report.

It aims to inform children about changes in the environment, why they are happening and how to find solutions to these issues.

We have invited kids to attend the Kubuqi Summer Camp and visit our office. ... When they told me that the summer camp has changed their attitude to the environment and the support from their parents, I was very pleased.

What is the key to sustainable consumption? How do you evaluate China's performance in this regard?

The key word for sustainable consumption is decoupling, which means the economic development has no relationship with resource consumption. Some cities in European countries, such as Germany, are making headway in decoupling.

Compared with Europe, China is at the beginning stages ... and the awareness of consumers on sustainable products has yet to be realized. With increasing concerns about health and living standards, we are seeing more people buying green foods.

But the knowledge about and tools for sustainable consumption, such as labeling and standards, are not widespread. Consumers have little access to and information about these issues, and these are what we are doing to make a change.

What benefits will promoting the sustainable consumption concept among youth in China bring to the country and the world?

China is one of the biggest countries and a switch in children's lifestyles would be critical to the future. This will bring fundamental changes to the world and we hope that this generation will take care of nature and the environment.

My expectations for the upcoming forum is that it will enable young children to open up their eyes and understanding about the relationship between environment and our lives.

We hope that children will focus on their daily lives, their consumption, water, waste and energy. This is all related with our sustainable development goals.

Children will gain a better understanding about what solutions are the right ones and how to solve these problems.