Seychelles Nation - 21.12.2009
A group of students from all schools on Mahe met recently at a one-day conference
to voice their concerns on climate change and set up projects to reduce its effects.
Dr Payet addressing the audience at the conference
Held at the National Theatre, Mont Fleuri, the conference followed a call for action by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco) world conference on education for sustainable development held in Bonn, Germany, earlier this year.
That conference involved youths in designing and drawing up projects on sustainable development.
During the recent conference here, the students listened to presentations on the causes and effects of climate change and their relevance to biodiversity, marine life, water and sustainable living.
Their views and concerns were compiled and submitted to the National Climate Change Committee members who took part in the Copenhagen Conference, as well as to local policy makers and Unesco.
Through group work, the students were able to start on different themes – such as a sustainable lifestyle for children to fight climate change, and schools and climate change mitigation and adaptation – to prepare them for International Year of Biodiversity in 2010.
In his opening remarks, President James Michel’s special adviser on the environment Dr Rolph Payet said that being a small island state, Seychelles is vulnerable to the effects of climate change and there is a need to change our way of life and be more resilient.
“We need to educate our young people on its effects and help them understand that we will need to change our way of life to adjust to those changes,” he said.
