1. I
first heard the words climate change
when I was six years old but it took
a few more years for me to really
understand how climate change is going
to impact my generation and those in the
future. I took it upon myself to research
and learn as much as I could. It has not
been easy as most of the information is
very scientific and not really targeted at
a young audience. I kept persevering and
reached out to people who I thought
could answer my questions. However, I
wanted to hear from other young people
– I wanted to know if there were other
young people like me not only concerned
about the future but caring enough to
speak out. The search for these like-
minded young people led me to UNEP.
After many years of learning about the
destruction of our planet’s natural capital,
I applied and was successful in being
chosen to attend my first international
children’s environmental conference in
2008. The conference was in Stavanger,
Norway, and I had just turned 13 years
old. The conference was run by UNEP
as part of their children’s and youth
conferences, given the Kiswahili name
‘Tunza’, meaning ‘to treat with care or
affection’. The Tunza conferences provide
an opportunity for young people to come
together, share their work and collaborate
with the aim of having their voices and
concerns about environmental issues
heard. I applied to attend the conference
because I wanted to meet other young
people from around the world who were
working on environmental projects in their
countries and to voice my concerns about
climate change. What I had not realised
at the time was that my concerns were,
and still are, related to climate justice and
intergenerational equity. I gave a speech
at this conference on climate change, its
impacts on the planet and the solutions.
I met other young people who travelled
from all corners of the earth and I learnt
about what was happening in their part
of the world. Young people were not
waiting for permission; they saw a problem
and set about implementing solutions.
I understood the impacts that my new
friends in developing countries were
experiencing were the result of actions from
those in developed countries and the lack
of global commitments to reduce impacts.
I learnt about impact when I was
10 years old. I was in New Zealand
undertaking a course in ice climbing.
While I was climbing on Fox Glacier I
noticed a red line in the ice. I asked my
guide what it was and how did it get there.
The guide explained it was top soil from
central Australia. We were experiencing
a drought and the top soil our farmers
needed to grow crops, our food, had blown
away in the strong westerly winds across
the Pacific Ocean. It was going to take
farmers years to restore the land to the
same level and start to grow food again.
The top soil, this precious life source,
was blown across the Pacific Ocean and
I am not sure we will really know how
the soil has impacted the marine life.
Climate change will bring more drought to
Australia, and our farmers must now learn
adaptation mechanisms to deal with all the
impacts climate change will bring.
What I had learnt that day on the
glacier was that the ‘out of sight, out of
mind’ philosophy, and the thought that
someone else will look after the problem,
is an old school attitude. We, the global
community, have to understand that our
actions may have an impact somewhere
else; but the fact that you may not see
the results of these impacts doesn’t excuse
I grew up on the east coast of Australia. I live sandwiched
between the ocean and the Great Dividing Range. My
childhood was spent surfing the local breaks, climbing the
nearby crags and mountain biking through the beautiful
Australian bush. It was a childhood I am very grateful for.
Having spent so much time in the outdoors, exploring, being
adventurous and having fun is what led me to become
passionate about protecting our nature and the planet.
By Parrys Raines, founder,
Climate Girl and Youth
Ambassador for OzHarvest,
Aim for the Stars Foundation
and The Unstoppables
TIME FOR NEW
THINKING ABOUT
THE FUTURE
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2. you of the responsibility of your actions,
especially if those impacts are negatively
affecting those vulnerable in developing
nations. As we head to Paris for COP21
in December, I hope those participating
will remember this fact. I believe we need
to reduce the impact and do more to assist
the vulnerable. We must think about
today’s impact on future generations.
The first time I met UNEP’s Executive
Director Achim Steiner was in South
Korea and I spoke to him only for a
few minutes and gave him a copy of
the letter I wrote to world leaders. This
letter is on my website (www.climategirl.
com.au). Not much has changed since
I wrote it, except that the world is
much more educated about climate
change, its impact, climate justice and
intergenerational equity. Since the
Copenhagen climate conference in 2009,
the planet and the global community
have seen firsthand impacts from climate
change, such as super-storms, destructive
fires, food insecurity, ongoing poverty,
water issues, impacts of pollution on our
oceans, and melting of ice sheets and
glaciers. In the not too distant future
we will see the beginning of the flow
of displaced people because of sea level
rise. Our pacific neighbours are making
preparations to move large volumes of
people off low-lying islands to safer, long-
term areas – a disruption no one would
want to have to experience.
The science is in and it is consistent.
There is now global awareness of the
consequences of climate change, from
the impacts that are seen almost daily on
our TV screens. Our world leaders are
the last generation to have the chance to
take positive action on climate change
that will bring about necessary long-term
behavioural change. The message from
youth is simple: if you pollute, you pay,
and we are going to hold governments
accountable. Young people demand a new
future, one that is inclusive of youth and
one that allows youth to be part of the
vital decision-making process – because
not to include youth is an injustice.
A SHARING WEBSITE
As the Copenhagen conference failed to
achieve what the world’s youth wanted,
I decided that I could not wait for my
government or other world leaders.
I decide to take action by trying to
educate young people from around the
world about the environmental issues
facing our generation and I did this by
founding my environmental website
Climate Girl. I have been fortunate
to have educated thousands of young
people about simple measures that we
could do every day for our planet.
I also hoped that I could inspire other
young people to look ahead at what we
will be inheriting if things do not change
in the global political arena. I was 14 when
I took that first step, and six years later I
have relaunched the website with a new
focus – I want to share my site with other
young people from around the world. I am
collecting stories written by young people
"Young people were not
waiting for permission; they
saw a problem and set about
implementing solutions."
Climate change will bring more drought to Australia and farmers must learn adaptation mechanisms
to deal with the impacts
climateactionprogramme.org 18
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3. who are taking action in their communities
to solve environmental issues. I hope to
build it into a global platform where ideas
and solutions are the focus.
During the conference in South Korea
UNEP asked me to be a keynote speaker
and talk about my website. I also ran a
workshop about climate change for my
generation – a huge honour, and I was
grateful for the opportunity.
In 2011 I was off to my third UNEP
conference, and this time it was in
Bandung, Java. UNEP asked me to be a
keynote speaker and talk about another
issue I was educating young people about
– plastic. The ocean is a special place for
me and once I learnt that in some parts
of the ocean there is more plastic than
zooplankton, I had to act.
In Java I met up with Achim Steiner
again. This time I was able to organise
an interview with him. What excited
me most about talking with Achim
is his understanding of youth issues.
True leadership is when a leader of an
organisation includes young people in
important conversations and Achim
welcomes the thoughts and ideas from
youth. We need more leaders like Achim
across all industries, leaders that go out
of their way to engage, listen, collaborate,
include and support today’s youth.
A NEW PATH TO
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Attending these conferences has allowed
me to hear at first hand what young
people from around the world feel about
what is happening in their communities.
They are concerned that climate change
will have an impact on them, their
health and livelihoods now, tomorrow
and into the future.
I am now 20 years old and I have
an even better understanding of
climate change and the consequences
that inaction will have for the global
community. I understand that we cannot
stay on the course we are currently
following – putting money ahead of our
existence. That is an old school attitude
and I hope at COP21 we see a new way
of thinking that will lead us on a new
path to sustainable development.
I hope today’s leaders have the political
will to do what is necessary to deal with
the biggest moral issue of our time and
think about the legacy they will ultimately
leave to future generations. Leaders must
include youth, be truly consultative and
participate in open dialogue to fully
understand our needs.
Today’s environmental problems and
those in the future will not be solved with
yesterday’s thinking or solutions. We have
the technology, we have the knowhow, but
we need our leaders to have the political
will to commit to a binding agreement
that benefits us all but especially those who
are most vulnerable to climate change.
For me the future will be more about
being a voice for young people who
cannot be heard. I know how developing
nations are impacting on the most
vulnerable, especially girls and women.
All young people and minority groups
have a right to food, clean water and
vital education. Education can break
the poverty cycle and it can bring
opportunities. Global awareness along
with global action will bring about the
long-term change we need to tackle
climate change and poverty.
The importance of intergenerational
communication and equity cannot be
overstated. Let’s get it done in Paris!
A global binding agreement would
mean more opportunities for the green
and circulatory economy and more
opportunities for those in developing
nations to have more of what we have in
developed nations. The inclusion of youth
in an agreement will see youth as a resource
– not a problem but an asset to sustainable
development across local, regional, national
and international levels. Young people
want to build and play a role in sustainable
democracy with a sustainable economy.
Young people also want equality.
If no agreement is made in Paris, future
generations will look back on the lack of
the international political leadership and
ask one question – why?
The world now has the SDG's - a roadmap
to a sustainable future. Youth must ensure
our leaders attain these targets by including
them in their policies. Intergenerational
communication can play a big part over the
next 15 years in achieving these goals which
will provide the planet with positive long
term outcomes. 
Parrys Raines is an environmental educator,
writer/blogger, international public speaker
on sustainability and intergenerational
challenges. Parrys is a board member of the
Sustainable Innovation Forum with UNEP/
UK Climate Action Programme and the
undergraduate representative on UOW’s
Environment Advisory Committee. Parrys is
a Youth Ambassador for OzHarvest, Aim for
the Stars Foundation and The Unstoppables.
She founded Climate Girl in 2009 at the
age of 14. The website is focused on solutions,
is a catalyst for change, politically neutral,
optimistic and realistic. The aim of Climate
Girl is to inspire, engage, share and activate
young people to become agents of change. It is
inclusive and collaborative.
www.climategirl.com.au
"The inclusion of youth in
an agreement will see youth
as a resource – not a problem
but an asset."
"I hope today’s leaders
have the political will to do
what is necessary to deal
with the biggest moral issue
of our time."
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