COP22: Winners emerge in youth climate video competition

Two young climate activists from Tunisia and Vietnam who tell their inspiring stories of climate action and building public awareness have been selected as the winners of the 2016 Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change.

The winners, chosen through online public voting, are Faouzia Bahloul from Tunisia and Phuong Vu Hoang from Vietnam. They will travel to the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech in Morocco in November and will work with the communications team of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in covering highlights of the meeting.

The video “Think Renewable” by the young Tunisian Faouzia Bahloul is about the need to increase the use of renewable energy, and explains the research she has been doing on biogas produced with the help of microalgea. In his video entry, Phuong Vu Hoang talks about the vulnerability of Vietnam to climate change explains how he deploys his graphic design skills to make posters to inform the public about more sustainable lifestyle choices.

UNFCCC SpokespersonNick Nuttall said: “In Marrakech, countries will be celebrating the entry into force of the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement, and taking the next crucial steps towards low carbon and resilient societies. As they do so, they can be heartened by the enthusiasm and commitment of young people working on concrete ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The video contributions underscore the fact that governments are not alone in constructing a more sustainable world – civil society, cities, businesses, investors and not least young people around the world are intensely engaged in helping to construct greener, safer and more prosperous societies and envision a better world for their communities and for the globe.”

Young people between the ages of 18 and 30 took part in the competition, with entries submitted from young people in 77 different countries, from France to Fiji.

The competition was launched by the UNFCCC secretariat’s “Action for Climate Empowerment” initiative, in partnership with Television for the Environment (tve) and supported by the Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.