Hounslow Council today hosted 40 students from six different schools across the borough to deliver a student climate conference in parallel with the ongoing COP28 in Dubai.
Published: Monday, 11th December 2023
Modelled after the style of the global negotiations happening as part of COP28, the event took place at Hounslow House offices. The key argument saw the students’ call on the world’s nations to urgently phase out the use of fossil fuels, and to transit using renewable energy without delay.
During the two-hour conference, students worked in small teams and engaged in structured climate negotiations. They debated on what can practically be implemented to accelerate carbon reduction – both locally and globally – and decided on how best to move forward following the debates.
Before the conference, students conducted research on the climate decisions of the 2015 Paris Agreement and focused on four themes: cities, energy, forests and food, and oceans. Exploring how countries would collaborate on ‘education and awareness raising’ and ‘climate finance’, the students devised creative ideas across the four themes, each being assigned a country. This preparation enabled students to deliver a one-minute opening statement for their country, and decide on more ambitious climate actions with other nations.
In addition to negotiating global issues, students at the conference also met with the Council’s Eco-Schools team, experts from the Council, and partners including Groundwork (an organisation that supports community volunteering), and University of West London. Ideas were shared on how they could improve carbon reduction at their schools, such as improving waste management and recycling processes, increasing active travel (walking and cycling), and joining the Eco-School Green Accreditation programme.
Councillor Katherine Dunne, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, said:
I’d like to thank schools and students for their contributions to the Council’s Climate Conference this year. Empowering the next generation to speak out is a hugely important part of effective climate action globally, and it will only have a positive effect on our borough too. Hounslow Council is a leader when it comes to nationwide climate action, and giving young generations a voice and a platform is crucial to a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable borough in years to come. We are very proud to work with our community to build a sustainable and healthy borough.
Councillor Lily Bath, Cabinet Member for Education, Children, Skills and Employment, said:
Hounslow children and young people have expressed that they want to live in a sustainable environment where they can stay physically and mentally healthy. The Council is striving to make parks and green spaces safe and accessible, work closely with schools to reduce carbon emissions and encourage students to share and adapt creative ideas for tackling environmental issues.
Mr Lee Thomas, Head of School, The Green School for Girls, said:
Hounslow Council’s climate conference is a great opportunity for young people to experience the decision-making process of international organisations. Our students have become more aware of global issues like climate change, feel confident in public speaking and strengthen their research and negotiation skills. I’m sure they can apply their knowledge and contribute to building a greener and low-carbon environment for the school community.
The climate conference today is in keeping with the Council’s recent work to empower future generations to build a greener and more sustainable borough, ensuring that young people’s voices can influence the future of Hounslow and London.
As part of the Council’s pioneering circular neighbourhood pilot, ‘Heston in the Loop’, three primary schools in Heston host ‘refill shops’ with the support of organisation Pupil’s Profit, offering monthly pop-up shops that encourage households to cut down on single-use plastics. Two students fromChatsworth Primary School in Hounslow have also recently seen artwork they created for the Council’s flagship No Time to Waste, waste and recycling campaign selected (as competition winners) and installed onto the borough’s recycling vehicles.
Hounslow’s Youth Climate Network offers young people aged 19-25 the opportunity to design and deliver environmental projects and is an ongoing voluntary group for Hounslow residents. Residents can sign up here
As a follow-up to the climate conference, the Council, with support from the InterClimate Network (ICN), will host a series of Climate Action workshops for local secondary schools in 2024. These hybrid workshops will help students create a ‘Climate Action Toolkit’ for developing tangible action plans to build a greener school environment. More details will be available soon. Please contact ICN via email address: michila.critchley@interclimate.org if your schools are interested.
