ASUN president attends climate change conference
Katie Nieland
Issue date: 1/15/08 Section: News
Though global climate change is a daunting issue for many to think about, an entire delegation of young people dedicated themselves to environmental policies over winter break.
David Solheim, the president of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, spent 16 days in Bali, Indonesia as a part of a youth delegation at the U.N.'s negotiations on climate change to press for changes in global sustainability policies.
The conference was attended by leaders in politics, business and environmental industries, including representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Renewable Fuels Association. It also included groups of young people ages 13 to 26 from high schools, colleges and the business world.
Solheim, a senior economics and international studies major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, attended the conference with the U.S. delegation of 21 young people.
Richard Graves, the communication coordinator for the youth delegation, said the international delegations made an impact on industry and world leaders.
"We were meeting with world leaders and seeing the creation of one of the first world agreements to tackle global warming," he said.
The U.N. and others promised after the conference to launch climate change negotiations, dubbed the Bali Roadmap, for 2012 and beyond.
Solheim said a usual day at the climate negotiations included meeting with other young delegates, hearing lectures on environmental topics and attending official proceedings. He also coordinated blogging efforts for the delegates, using the U.N. Foundation's blog as well as others.
While in Bali, Solheim said he saw sustainability first-hand in a school made from bamboo and partly powered by a water wheel.
Graves said global warming is a topic for the next generation. Young people will inherit the problems of climate change, he said, so they are the ones that must put an heavy interest in it.
"On the global climate change problem, something that is so huge, it can seem overwhelming," he said. "But we learned that even if you're a student, you can have a pretty significant impact on what happens."
David Solheim, the president of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, spent 16 days in Bali, Indonesia as a part of a youth delegation at the U.N.'s negotiations on climate change to press for changes in global sustainability policies.
The conference was attended by leaders in politics, business and environmental industries, including representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Renewable Fuels Association. It also included groups of young people ages 13 to 26 from high schools, colleges and the business world.
Solheim, a senior economics and international studies major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, attended the conference with the U.S. delegation of 21 young people.
Richard Graves, the communication coordinator for the youth delegation, said the international delegations made an impact on industry and world leaders.
"We were meeting with world leaders and seeing the creation of one of the first world agreements to tackle global warming," he said.
The U.N. and others promised after the conference to launch climate change negotiations, dubbed the Bali Roadmap, for 2012 and beyond.
Solheim said a usual day at the climate negotiations included meeting with other young delegates, hearing lectures on environmental topics and attending official proceedings. He also coordinated blogging efforts for the delegates, using the U.N. Foundation's blog as well as others.
While in Bali, Solheim said he saw sustainability first-hand in a school made from bamboo and partly powered by a water wheel.
Graves said global warming is a topic for the next generation. Young people will inherit the problems of climate change, he said, so they are the ones that must put an heavy interest in it.
"On the global climate change problem, something that is so huge, it can seem overwhelming," he said. "But we learned that even if you're a student, you can have a pretty significant impact on what happens."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Haythrower
posted 1/15/08 @ 2:17 PM CST
Dave Solheim, you should read yesterday's article on China by Kiah Haslett. No matter what you do in the US, it will be completely swamped by the events in China in the very near future, unless the world can get them to change their current policies on emission control. (Continued…)
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