Climate change is here and it is happening now. In October last year, NASA and several other global organisations have predicted that 2020 is set to be the warmest year on observable record , with the first nine months of the year seeing unprecedented concentrations of major greenhouse gases – such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide – despite a global pandemic that halted much of the planet’s activities.

Although we are aware that climate change is already severely impacting our daily lives, we are only scratching the surface as we begin to understand how this phenomenon is going to change humanity and our civilization in the future. What is in store for our future generations and the preservation of our culture in a warming planet?

The degradation of cultural rights and the displacement of indigenous communities are just some of the many issues that are not actively discussed when talking about climate change. In addition, many young people are left out of the conversation when they, as the leaders of tomorrow, will eventually inherit a hostile planet to fend for themselves.

On February 4, 2021, the British Council Malaysia organised a forum on Youth, Climate Change and Cultural Rights, held as part of the ‘Awareness, Resilience and Collaboration’ (A.R.C.) Challenge Malaysia series. The forum brought together young people as well as climate and culture experts to share their ideas on building a world that they would like to live in, and to discuss the impacts of climate change with a focus on cultural rights.

In the current climate change discourse, the human rights crisis is well-acknowledged, but cultural rights and the preservation of different cultures in different communities are often overlooked.  A changing planet would affect ways of living, thereby threatening cultural diversity, including the loss of traditional jobs, knowledge and ways of life, as well as the skills needed to respond to such a change.

Read the full article about empowering youth to tackle climate change by Florence Lambert at avpn.