On 19th to 22nd July 2019, BCAA was invited to the 2019 International Youth Summit on Energy and Climate Change, IYSECC. The IYSECC was launched with the goal of inspiring youth leaders to better face the opportunities and challenges stemming from global green transformation. The 2019 International Youth Summit on Energy and Climate Change convened on the theme of "Climate Change PLUS", and centered on three major topics:"Multi-Level Climate Governance", "Climate Change and Biodiversity", and "Effective Strategies in Climate Action". Thesummit particularly focused on the intersections between climate change and other social issues, with the aim of inspiring youth to intersect across fields, and understand the implications of climate change from diverse perspectives. By promoting the collaborative involvement of different stakeholders in climate action, IYSECC aims to maximize the positive impact of collaborationin order to bring a more sustainable future.
Tonny Xie, Director of BCAA, participated in the “A Hothouse Earth Approaching: How to Protect Human Health?” session and present a conference speech entitled “TheCo-Benefits of Air Quality and Climate & C Square Initiative”. Dr. Manorama Bakshi, Senior Adviser Outreach and Partnerships of India Consensus and Mr. Huang Cunrui, Head of Department of Health Management, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University both participated in this session.
Director Xie said in the conference,"WHO released a report which pointed out that around 7 million people were killed by air pollution each year, this number was more than 1.2 million in China. Air pollution can cause many diseases that are unknown to many people.For example, Lung cancer is a well-known disease caused by air pollution, but lung cancer due to air pollution takes only 6%. Stroke and coronary heart disease due to air pollution can take up to 40%. Air pollution makes health risks extraordinary high for everyone. "
"It is impossible to simply change this notion. We all said that we should avoid the path of Western countries that first polluted and then managed. But then I realized that this path might be unavoidable. If there is no serious pollution, you will never know what pollution is like, and how terrible it is." Mr. Xie said, "Because ofthe intense sensory characteristics, air pollution can bring about a restoration to the value of the environment. Developed countries in Europe and America pay more attention to climate change because they have experienced this evidential pollution in the last century. These countries have experienced severe various pollution incidents. If you watch fiction movies from the 1970s and 1980s, the plot of the atmospheric layer vanishing, and everyone living in the ground with a cover, etc. was a common one. People formed a kind of awe of nature because of these pollution incidents at the time. When you genuinely revere nature and fear pollution, you can genuinely have the motivation to protect the environment and change the influence of values from the heart."
Moreover, Mr. Xie emphasized that since airpollution and greenhouse gas emissions are mainly from the use of fossil fuels, the prevention and control of air pollution would bring about a vast co-effectof reducing greenhouse gases. In this respect, China has made very significant progress. Under the pressure of dual challenges of air pollution and climate change, China has explored a green development path with Chinese characteristics, that has proved to be an example for many developing countries.
IYSECC was hosted by China Youth Climate Action Network (CYCAN), co-organized by Shenzhen Youth Development Foundation and China Youth Leaders. China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings Co., Ltd and The China Merchants Charitable Foundation as strategic partners.
