Arthur Li and Carter Li during their live video presentation

An event overview Photos on the page: Courtesy of the interviewee

The 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) was held this week in Baku, Azerbaijan during which an important side event was organized under the theme of "Vulnerable Cities under Climate Impact." Having represented Chinese youth concerns at COP28 in 2023, Arthur and Carter Li from Shenzhen, China, were in attendance again for COP29 to share their views and help continue to drive change. At the event, the brothers detailed efforts they made in the past year to encourage their peers to take action on climate issues, emphasizing how small steps can result in massive progress. 

Through their inspiring actions, they demonstrated the younger generation's commitment and resolve to address climate change head-on.

This year 2024's COP29 conference, held from November 11 to 22, focused on urging nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat global climate change, and support sustainable development worldwide. The "Vulnerable Cities under Climate Impact" side event highlighted the resilience challenges facing developing cities, bringing together young leaders, UNICEF representatives, global climate education organizations, and sustainable business leaders. The discussion centered on how young people's perspectives and innovative approaches can strengthen climate resilience in these vulnerable cities.

At just 13 years old, the Shenzhen brothers Arthur and Carter Li were the first youth speakers at the event. With humor and creativity, they shared their journey in raising climate awareness among their peers. Starting in 2023, they began conducting climate awareness surveys at their school, later presenting their findings at COP28. In 2023, they pledged to help their classmates become some of the most climate-conscious youths in Shenzhen. In their speech this year, they reflected on their journey to fulfill that promise - their thoughts, efforts, challenges, and successes.

Arthur and Carter acknowledged the challenges they faced in their journey: Switching schools meant they had to rebuild their network, invitations went unanswered, and events were canceled due to scheduling conflicts. Despite these setbacks, they learned invaluable lessons along the way - primarily, how to break down complex goals into specific tasks and find solutions to achieve them. 

Over the past year, the brothers have organized various activities, inviting a COP28 expert to speak to their classmates about climate issues and organizing a field trip to a zero-carbon community in Shenzhen. 

By engaging in hands-on activities, they were able to help their peers better understand how carbon neutrality and sustainability connects with everyday life. Additionally, the brothers created fun climate-themed quizzes to keep classmates engaged.

As they wrapped up their presentation, the teens reaffirmed their goal: to continue educating young minds in Shenzhen and around the world. They also shared their plans to improve their survey response rate by collecting feedback and expressed the hope to share their findings at COP30 in 2025. 

True to their promise, they vowed: "We will keep going!"