So my weekend in Sydney was pretty amazing. I learnt so much at the Power Shift conference. I was inspired and encouraged by so many other young people who also want to make a difference about the way we consume and use resources on this planet.
I heard stories of the incredible Indian Youth Climate Movement; the despair and anxiety of Pacific Islanders, who will be the first to suffer if we do not act on climate change immediately; and from politicians and policy makers.
The main thing I wanted to get out of this conference was more of an understanding about certain issues and also how to go about creating a change in my circles. I learnt a lot more about politics and in particular the CPRS scheme (which I will attempt to explain in simple terms in my next blog).
I also learnt more about campaigning and advocacy and I really want to put this into practice and do all I can to promote sustainability to my family, friends, church, work colleagues and my peers at uni.
The two big things the conference focused on was 1) a shift away from fossil fuels to renewable energy (and NO that does not mean nuclear) and 2) a push for the government to support and create more green jobs.
The seminars I went to were National Climate Change Policy and Legislation, Campus Climate Challenge and Introduction to Advocacy. Unfortunately I missed out on the Green Jobs and Careers fair because my train was 2 hours late thanks to Sydney track work! :(
So this is just a brief report and I will talk about the CPRS in a few days time. I really didn’t know much about it a couple of months ago, and I’m no expert now, but I think it is really important for everyone to understand what it’s about, because it plays such an important part in our Earth’s future. So I will attempt to give you an overview.
Thanks for reading
Carly
