In December of 2007, seven Sierra Youth Coalition members changed the course of history. We were part of the groundbreaking Canadian Youth Delegation to the United Nations Climate Convention in Bali, Indonesia. The Canadian youth presence was a visible voice of reason, ensuring that Canadians knew what their government was doing in Bali and that our government negotiators heard the concerns of young Canadians. We followed the talks closely and kept our finger on the meaninfgul policy decisions. We met with the Canadian negotiators as well as leaders from many countries. We presented a petition of what is now over 105,000 Canadians asking for Canada to take on a constructive role in Bali. We blew the story on the Minister of Environment's failure to present the government's climate change plan. We staged dynamic and creative actions that summed up in one image more than could be said in hours of rhetoric. We were leaders in coordinating the international youth movement to fight climate change. We provided a window to the world, and especially to Canada, by sharing our honest and informed perspective through over seventy media interviews and features, blogging articles, online video posts, and viral messaging – reaching an audience of millions.

Unfortunately, we witnessed a dismal performance by our government at these talks. This will follow them home. Thankfully not all of us have to go to an international negotiation to be effective (and we shouldn't). The real action happens inside Canada – we need to let our government know we will not compromise on our future. Let's be smart and knowledgeable and strong and they will have no choice but to move forward. The times are changing.

But what actually happened in Bali? Well, world leaders met to discuss the future of negotiations that govern the international effort to slow down climate change. Progress was slow and halting, mostly due to the uncooperative stances of a few countries (Canada being one of them). Thankfully, final decisions don't have to be made until 2009, when we need to nail down the details of the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol. Yes, we could have done more in Bali, but considering what was at stake and the reluctance of countries like ours to accept the inevitable switch to a decarbonised world, the fact that the talks didn't fall apart is a cause for celebration. We have to keep the momentum up.

What we need is an international consensus to eliminate fossil fuels in our lifetime. Scientists (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to be specific) are calling for "world leaders and their policymakers to take all necessary steps to cause average global greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2015 and then to decline quickly afterwards". And if we don't, we've heard the story: severe food shortages causing large scale human starvation, displaced communities and mass species extinction of plants and animals. Even the most ambitious targets talked included in these negotiations only ensure a 50% chance of preventing dangerous climate change. Who in the world is willing to take that risk? We're certainly not. As young people we must be adamant that runaway climate change will not be part of our future. And given that over half the world's population is under 30, in just a few years we'll be a majority. Yep, the times are definitely changing.

Adam McIsaac attended the Bali talks along with other SYC leaders Liz McDowell, Joanna Dafoe, Josh Darrach, Rosa Kouri, PJ Partington, and Lise Richard.

See their videos and blogs from Bali and visit the Canadian Youth Delegation site for additional Canadian Youth Delegate information. For more information on the Sierra Youth Coalition please visit here

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