Climate Change Administration

Highlights

The "Future Generations" session of the conference was successfully held on November 22nd as the fifth event in the series. In the face of climate emergency, today's climate decisions directly affect the living environment of future generations, including children and youth, who are also vital actors in driving climate action. This session focused on the long-term impact of climate action on future generations and explored how climate policies, education, and civic participation can provide young people with opportunities to voice their opinions and engage in decision-making. The goal was to enhance their understanding of their responsibilities and rights while strengthening intergenerational justice in climate action.

The session was moderated by Dr. Tze-Luen Lin, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University. With his expertise in political science and extensive public policy experience, Dr. Lin guided the discussions and encouraged active exchanges of ideas and experiences. Remarks were delivered by Legislator, Yueh-Chin Lin, who emphasized the importance of children's and youth participation in climate adaptation and sustainable development for future generations. She highlighted that climate change is directly related to both life and livelihood, making it an issue of critical importance that cannot be ignored.

The conference also invited various domestic and international government representatives, youth leaders, and climate action advocates. The first speaker, Yu-Yung Wen, Director of the Climate Change Administration at the Ministry of Environment, shared insights from the Ministry’s Youth Participation in Climate Change Workshop held on October 25. This workshop brought together nearly 20 youth representatives to discuss and promote youth involvement in climate policy, showcasing specific cases to inspire greater youth participation. Next, Jefferson Estela, Co-Founder of Youth Strike 4 Climate Philippines, connected with the conference from COP29 in Baku, offering an international perspective on youth climate action, sharing his COP youth participation experience, and introducing climate action practices in the Philippines. Following that, Wan-Chien Tu, a Committee Member of the Tainan City Government Youth Affairs Committee, focused on local-level youth participation and climate issues, exploring the impact of climate change on children and youth, including concerns related to dengue fever, and shared her personal experiences in youth engagement with climate issues. The final speaker, Pin-Han Huang, Senior Project Manager at the Mom Loves Taiwan Association, discussed the Global Youth Declaration and the important role of youth in climate action. She emphasized the integration of generational justice into climate finance principles and called for more ambitious climate finance policies, while also advocating for increasing Taiwan's participation in international climate affairs.

The discussions during this session were lively, with each speaker providing insightful and interconnected presentations that deeply explored the role of future generations in climate action. Speakers emphasized the importance of future generations actively engaging in global climate action to effectively address the challenges of climate change and to continue driving policy and action. With COP29 being referred to as the "Finance COP," future generations must also prioritize green finance issues to support climate mitigation, adaptation, and disaster risk management. Lastly, the speakers encouraged youth and future generations to actively participate in climate action, engage in policy development, climate action, and innovative thinking through education and action, cultivate environmental awareness and responsibility, and work collaboratively with youth worldwide to face the climate challenge.