Kids COP 26 Summit
As part of our COP events and activities, we ran a virtual ‘Kids COP26 Summit’ as a collaboration between TSL and ZooLab.
Monday 5th November was the day for Youth and Public Empowerment at the COP26 Summit, aiming to elevate the voice of young people and demonstrate the critical role of public empowerment and education in climate action.
The TSL and ZooLab Kids COP26 Summit gave 25 students from 13 countries a chance to explore different perspectives and become ‘experts’ in 8 different environmental issues, impacting, and impacted by, climate change. They then presented their well-researched arguments to our own ‘World Leaders’ (Barry Murrer, Chair of TSL Trustees; Tobi Odiachi, UK Youth Climate Coalition member; John Paul Jose, youth environmental and climate activist, and Gurmail Singh, Renaissance Foundation Trustee and sustainable technologies expert), to persuade them to develop a more ambitious World Action Plan for climate.
Each group was asked to highlight the key problems or issues relating to their topic and suggest solutions to mitigate or resolve the problems identified.
Not only do the children’s ideas show how much can be done, but they were presented in a fantastic way
Watch the virtual Kids COP26 Summit video
Kirsty (TSL) and Georgie (ZooLab) also delivered an online ‘Climate and Nature Lesson’ to further explore the topics students had raised during the virtual Kids Cop26 Summit.
You can also see a summary of each groups key findings below:
| Problems Identified | Potential Solutions |
| Habitat Loss due to Forest Fires, Deforestation and Increased Temperatures | The 4 R’s (Consisting of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse) |
| Overpopulation increasing demand for resources driving biodiversity loss and temperature rise | Create New Laws to protect biodiversity (like protecting forests and implementing the 4 R’s) |
| Food production and security at risk if biodiversity is lost | Better environmental education for everyone |
| Flooding | Reduce use of fossil fuels and use more renewable energy source |
| Problems Identified | Potential Solutions |
| Unsustainable Production and Manufacturing Processes | Use renewable energy and sustainable practises like electric or hydrogen vehicles for transporting goods and proper recycling |
| Use of Fossil Fuels – Mining damages habitats, pollutes the air and increases carbon emissions | Circular economy business model |
| Supply, Transport and demands for goods can be impacted increasing prices | Education and knowledge of sharing of sustainable practises |
| Whole economies and livelihoods can be impacted if businesses fail | Providing funds for Sustainable Development through Green and Blue finance models (focussing on forests and oceans) |
Energy
| Problems Identified | Potential Solutions |
| Solar panels polluting the planet when thrown away | Work with scientists to ensure we follow the right path to a solution |
| Extracting materials for energy can be damaging, unsustainable and dangerous | Use more hydro and solar powered energy and less energy from fossil fuels |
| The General over consumption of fossil fuels | Renewable energy as it doesn’t run out and doesn’t produce as much carbon emissions |
| Overusing energy sources when unnecessary | Don’t use too many solar panels and instead use windmills, biomass and hydroelectric sources |
| Utilise green transport such as electric vehicles and form partnerships to try and find even more solutions |
| Problems Identified | Potential Solutions |
| Cattle farming as it produces methane as well as issues with overgrazing and land clearance | Reducing food waste and using waste products to create fertilisers and compost |
| Increasing populations means increasing food demand leading to unsustainable farming practises | Sustainable farming and livestock management practises |
| Soil quality degrading due to erosions, drought and floods | Funding for farmers for more sustainable farming technology and knowledge sharing such as water management systems |
| Poor farming methods could lead to food shortages and crops being destroyed | Use traditional farming methods that work to enhance nature such as crop rotation and use natural predators instead of chemicals utilising rainwater harvesting |
| Problem Identified | Potential Solutions |
| Forest Fires | Get the government to create new jobs for people to protect the forests like Rangers |
| Oxygen Production and Air Quality | Make Sustainable Forest Management Plans |
| The danger to the millions of animals that live in forests | Recycle and Reuse materials and don’t waste things |
| Important food sources | Use Sustainable practises most notably do not cut trees – also set laws against deforestation |
| Problems Identified | Potential Solutions |
| Ocean Warming – Causes coral bleaching and ice caps melting as well as the destruction of habitats both for animals and people | Reduce single use items and move towards reusable and renewable materials |
| Pollution of the Sea by Oils and Plastics | Governments should help to clean up beaches |
| Overfishing and illegal fishing practises | Regulation of fishing practises and enforcement and policing of laws to protect the ocean |
| Ocean gas cycles are changing – carbon storage abilities reduce and ocean acidification increases as temperatures rise and oxygen production reduce | Switch to greener cleaner energies to reduce carbon emissions and pollution |
| Create more marine protected areas and build artificial reefs and support organisations working to protect the oceans and marine life |
| Problems Identified | Potential Solutions |
| Fossils Fuels and Pollution leading to problems such as breathing problems and poor air quality | Use biofuels and sustainably run cars |
| Building of transport networks can be environmentally damaging | Intelligent city planning to promote and encourage walking and cycling and use public and hybrid vehicles |
| Poor infrastructure currently in place for electric/hybrid/biofuel vehicles | Provide subsidies or incentives for people to buy hybrid vehicles and use public transport plus improve infrastructure to make use of green transport |
| People taking unnecessary car journey when they could walk or cycle | Public and Business consultation to contribute to policy ideas relating to sustainable transport |
| Work to minimise the environmental impacts of new transport systems being built |
| Problems Identified | Potential Solutions |
| Families are in poverty and struggling to meet their basic needs | Recycling and Proper Waste Disposal |
| Deforestation drives climate change, impacts wildlife and affects water availability | Right to repair and circular economy (how can we use everything and create no waste) |
| Food security and economy impacted by climate change | Responsible Consumerism like Fairtrade |
| Fast Fashion: Man made fabrics, artificials dyes, lots of chemicals, lots of waste and pollution, poor impacts on health and poor salaries and conditions for poor workers | Developed Countries can help to support developing countries by making sustainable technology cheaper and providing training and support |
| Increase the profit shares of farmers and growers |
Final ‘World Climate Action Plan’ developed by students
Responses