Young people to work on climate change solutions

A seminar to raise initiatives on climate change among young people was held in Danang City on March 16.

The seminar, under the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience network (ACCCRN), aims to encourage young people to build up their involvement in programmes that fight climate change and the rising sea levels in Danang, Quy Nhon and Can Tho from 2012 to 2013.

The programmes, organised by the British-based Non-Governmental Organisation Challenge to Change, will reserve a fund of VND1.2 billion (USD54,000) to cover the cost for initiatives of young people in the three cities.

"Young people will play an important role in the fight against global climate change. They are also a vulnerable community to the rising sea levels in 10 or 50 years," said Vu Thi My Hanh, a staff from the Challenge to Change.

"It means that young people should be involved in solution seeking discussions and decisions that could natural disasters resulting from climate change," she told the seminar.

She added that the ACCCRN programme has been organised in Thailand, Indonesia, India and Vietnam, but the Youth Initiatives Programme in Vietnam is unique.

All young people groups can air their ideas or solutions to climate change and ask for sponsorship from the Challenge to Change.

Danang was chosen as the first city to launch the programme because the central coastal city has a quite crowd of young people.

As scheduled, all initiatives will be sent to the Challenge to Change for approval next month.