This December, three New Zealanders will take part in the Asian Young Leaders Climate Forum (AYLCF) ahead of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP13).

Rebecca Clements, Advisor to the Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues, and Lisa Johnston of the Ministry for the Environment will participate in AYLCF, while Jinty MacTavish from Natural History New Zealand will direct a film about the forum, to be screened at COP13 in Bali, 8-11 December 2007.

Initiated by the British Council, AYLCF offers 34 young leaders from 13 Asian/Australasian nations, and the UK, the opportunity to produce a regional climate action plan. This action plan will be presented as a communiqué to COP13 for endorsement.

AYLCF participants come from many different disciplines, including arts, education, business and the media.  British Council New Zealand Director Paula Middleton says “The East Asia region is a diverse mix of developing and developed economies, with varying levels of government resource to address climate change. This forum allows those who have inherited the climate change legacy to present their ideas at a level where they will have international impact”.

Originally from Oamaru, Rebecca Clements says she’s relishing “bringing New Zealand’s environmental values to the table” in this new regional forum.

Nelson-born Lisa Johnston has surveyed the McMurdo ice shelf in Antartica as part of ANDRILL, and she currently works for MfE.
“Our economies are dependent on a stable climate and the ready availability of natural resources. Changes in the environment not only disrupt ecosystems, but also affect political stability. We must work together to find ways to decouple economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions. And we must empower individuals to take action and play their part”.

After filming in Greenland and seeing the ice melt close-up, Dunedin-based Jinty MacTavish believes “the challenge now is to get the message - not only of the problems, but also of the solutions - across to more people, in a more engaging way”.