At climate change event, youths plead for action

During an event themed "Vulnerable Cities under Climate Impact" on the sidelines of the COP29 conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, a set of Chinese twin brothers delivered a speech via video in which they called on young people to do more in the fight against climate change.

- CHEN LIANG and HOU LIQIANG

Li Bingchen and Li Bingheng, 13, discussed Chinese youth's concerns about climate change at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last year.

At this year's conference, formally known as the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and held from November 11 to 22, the brothers from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, told of what they had done in the past year to encourage their peers to take action on climate issues, emphasising how small steps can result in great progress.

The side event the brothers spoke at highlighted the challenges facing developing cities and it brought together young leaders, UNICEF representatives, global climate education organisations and sustainable business leaders.

The discussion centred on how young people's perspectives and innovative approaches can strengthen climate resilience in vulnerable places.