TWYCC@COP27: a Wrap Up
Our Events in Sharm el Sheikh
- Public Speech at COY17: Youth Climate Actions at Campus and the Challenges (article) (November 3, 2022)
- Street Theater Project at COY17: “Warming University” (article/video) (November 2–4, 2022)
- Public Speech at Sweden Pavilion: “COP27 Expectations on outcomes.” (video) (November 7, 2022)
- Public Speech at Climate Justice Pavillion: Youth Panel “Climate Justice, Climate Action and 21st-Century Climate Leadership”(event page) (November 10, 2022)
- Official COP27 Side Event: “Climate Education: Empowering Youth and Adults with knowledge and skills for a sustainable future” (video) (November 14, 2022)
- Public Speech at Korean Pavilion: “Asian Youth Dialogue on Methane Pledge” (article) (November 17, 2022)
Media Exposure
- Blog (Environmental Information Center): “Not only ‘Taiwan can Help’. What does COP27 mean for Taiwan?” (link) (Mandarin only) (October 31, 2022)
- Blog (Vision Project Organization): “Taiwan young people speak up for climate justice in COP27.”(link) (Mandarin only) (November 7, 2022)
- Live Interview (Global Views Monthly): “A Conversation With the Younger Generation.” (link) (Mandarin only) (November 8, 2022)
- News (Radio Taiwan International): “Taiwanese NGOs attend UN climate summit.” (link) (November 9, 2022)
- News (TVBS): “Young people from Taiwan participate in COP27.” (link) (Mandarin only) (November 11, 2022)
- Opinion (CommonWealth Magazine): “COP27: The Taiwanese view.” (link) (November 13, 2022)
- News (United Daily News): “Climate Justice faces great difficulties in COP27” (link) (Mandarin only) (November 15, 2022)
- News (PTS Taigi): “Taiwan announced Net Zero by 2050: How can we achieve it?” (link) (Mandarin only) (November 17, 2022)
- Blog (Vision Project Organization): “Just Energy Transition Program isn’t ‘just’ at all” (link) (Mandarin only) (November 21, 2022)
- Blog (Vision Project Organization): “Connecting Asian Climate Youths with our Street Theater Project in COP27” (link) (Mandarin only) (November 21, 2022)
- Blog (Vision Project Organization): “Kickstart youth dialogue on methane pledge in Korean Pavilion” (link) (Mandarin only) (November 21, 2022)
Hear from Our Delegates
(listen to full mandarin interview podcast on Spotify)
Regina Chang (Head of COP27 Delegation)
I have loved ancient culture since I was a child, so visiting Egypt is my dream. Too bad that I didn’t see pyramids.
The COP27 negotiation focused on starting a “Loss and Damage Fund”. On the other hand, not much progress happened on other topics that most people are looking forward to, such as Article 6. But I think Taiwan, as an export-oriented economy, should still pay attention to these issues (e.g. carbon tariffs, carbon fees) so we can be prepared for the international trend.
Unlike COP26, there was no climate march on Friday on the street. There were only small-scale events such as the anti-fossil fuel campaign organised by FFF Ukraine. The Egyptian government demands every public event apply in advance. And the events most take place inside the venue.
In terms of youth participation, this year a “Children & Youth Pavilion” was launched as an open space with comfortable tables and armchairs inside the COP venue. We met lots of youth organisations there. It’s a good place to meet up and network. Yet people were also concerned about “youthwashing”. Lots of pavilions invited youths to speak. But the impact depends on the organisers’ mindset. Do they really want to hear from us, or maybe they just need an icon?
For students who are interested in participating in COP in the future, you can start by acquiring related knowledge, such as the history of UNFCCC, the mandate of the summits, and the structures of UNFCCC, to understand who they are and how they work. And most importantly, try to combine it with your own expertise or interest. For example, how is your interested topic being discussed and developed internationally inside and outside the conference? With that in mind, then you can come to the venue and follow the latest trend.
Ellen Cheng (Deputy Head of COP27 Delegation)
Beginning from 2022, I joined the International Affairs Team’s Sunday training and discussed climate change issues with my teammates every week. I also summarise climate news on a bi-weekly basis, so I can keep up to date with my interested topics.
This year inside the venue, Taiwan had cooperated with some countries to demonstrate their achievements in their national pavilions. It is because Taiwan had been working with countries, such as Saint Kitts and Nevis, on agricultural technology exchange or other climate change-related projects. Although Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, I think we are still responsible for climate change, since it’s an issue shared by the world, by all humankind.
We met youths from different parts of the world at the venue. But to my surprise, most of our meaningful engagements happened on shuttle buses. We spent almost two hours every day on a bus. So we started small talks with the passengers sitting next to us. They could be delegates of other organisations or even high-level national delegations! I remembered one of the delegations told us about how she felt about her job: Frustrated. Since they must stand for their government’s position. There is not much they can do.
For students who are interested in taking climate action, my first advice is to join student societies related to sustainability or climate change. You can meet like-minded youths and learn how to start actions. Secondly, you can urge your school to be responsible for climate change. Finally, join climate change empowerment projects, such as TWYCC’s Climate Education Team, so we can bring climate change to campus.
TWYCC COP27 Delegates
- Jia-Yi Lin: Project Manager of the International Affairs Team
- Regina Chang: Head of COP27 Delegation
- Ellen Cheng: Deputy Head of COP27 Delegation
- Natasha Wei: Leader of the Negotiation Team
- Ina Liao: Member of the the Negotiation Team
- Leon Yang: Member of Delegation
Authors: Shun-Te Wang and Hui-Shan-Hu
Editors: Regina Chang and Ellen Cheng
