Youth networks worldwide unite on Facebook "blooming everywhere"

 
▲Young people in various countries have added speech bubbles to their Facebook profile pictures. (Photo / from www.picbadges.com/badge/2912637/)

Reported by You Tzu-ju / Taipei-Qatar

In just one minute, you can become a force for change！Starting at 11:18 PM last night (26th), Facebook "bloomed everywhere," with young people around the world adding the speech bubble “I'm the part of the solution, are you?” to their profile pictures. In response to the 18th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP18) that began yesterday evening in Qatar, youths across the globe have united online to urge adults to pay attention to their voices.

 
▲Young people in Taiwan have also added speech bubbles to their Facebook profile pictures. (Photo / from www.picbadges.com/badge/2912637/)


▲At the conference venue, youths eagerly hold up signs. (Photo / from Bella Mao’s Facebook)

This simple speech bubble campaign was the idea of two girls from the EU who hoped that youths from around the world could help hold these speech bubbles at the start of COP, so that governments would hear the voices of young people. When they held up handmade real “speech bubbles” at the venue, they were immediately surrounded by youths, all competing to raise the bubbles and loudly declare in the venue: “Now is the time for us to make a change.”

“No matter our gender, skin color, economic status, background, or religion, we flew in from every corner of the Earth to Qatar to work toward the same goal.” Zhang Liang-yi, chairperson of the Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition (TWYCC) and also the leader of the delegation on-site, said excitedly from the other end of the line: “A youth representative from Belgium told me with tears in his eyes that this was already his many times at the conference. He has been to Brazil, New York, and Qatar, but there has been no real action, and young people keep compromising.”


▲A photo of Zhang Liang-yi holding a speech bubble on-site has also become a highlight of the campaign. (Photo / provided by Zhang Liang-yi)

“We will be part of the solution. Please never give up.” Zhang Liang-yi, who is in Qatar and has attended more than three youth conferences, passionately encouraged others. Because in this melting pot of youth, the world has no borders, and the only hope of young people uniting is that this COP18 conference can propose more effective solutions to slow down and effectively improve global climate change and warming.

To encourage more young people, members of the Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition (TWYCC) put this speech bubble online so that those not on-site could also take part in the action. Leading by example, they all changed their profile pictures at 11:18 PM. “Don’t say you can’t help, because you are part of the solution. Join us！On November 26th at 11:18 PM Taiwan time, youths from around the world who came to Qatar for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP18) will all change their FB profile pictures together to let the world hear our voices. Even if you’re not on-site, the voices from around the world should be seen！Let’s unite the world to take action and become part of making the world a better place！”


▲I’m part of the solution too, are you? (Photo / from www.picbadges.com/badge/2912637/)

Many young people online saw the call and enthusiastically joined in, and Facebook saw a “blooming everywhere” scene, with everyone’s profile picture featuring a speech bubble that says words of encouragement to each other: “I'm the part of the solution, are you?” This united force will be conveyed all the way to the venue, not only letting the attending delegates see it but also cheering on the youths on-site.

【Join the Speech Bubble Campaign】
http://www.picbadges.com/badge/2912637/

【About COP】
COP (Conference of Parties) is the annual conference under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), attended by official representatives from various countries, with NGOs from around the world participating as observers. The overarching topic is climate change, including carbon emissions, carbon trading, food, water resources, and rainforest use.

【About UNFCCC】
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international treaty whose Article 2 states: “The ultimate objective of this Convention and any related legal instruments that the Conference of the Parties may adopt is to achieve, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention, stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.”