Youth summit seeks answers to problems facing the world

Bryant Zebedey, a youth representative from Marshall Islands, addresses the 2015 One Young World Summit in Bangkok of Thailand. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Editor's note: Prior to the world climate summit in Paris, 2015 One Young World summit was held in Bangkok. Youngsters from 196 countries and regions got together to talk about the climate change and the world. Most of them want to do something to their countries and the world. Claire Sun, a freelancer, joined the meeting. Here's the story that she brought us from Bangkok.

I have been back from Bangkok for a week. It was a week full of catching up with work left behind. It was as busy as usual.

But there has been more on my mind. This piece comes from my days in Bangkok, in the One Young World summit 2015, where young people from 196 countries got together to connect, inspire and discuss solutions for some of the most pressing issues in the world.

It was four days with overwhelming inspiration, moments that the entire audience applauded and at times that I felt tears in my eyes.

I share my favorite two with you.

If we islanders survive, I promise you, the whole world will survive.

Bryant Zebedy comes from the Marshall Islands, a nation of more than 1,000 islands in the North Pacific, with a population of more than 100,000. Besides university, he runs organization to protect the environment by cleaning beaches and underwater garbage.

But Bryant cannot sleep well.

It is said that, if global warming reaches 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, his country will not exist.

Bryant said that the ocean had always been a source of power and resources, but thinking about the ocean now hurts his people. They cannot sleep well, because they don't know when the next waves will come. People have been building sea walls to stop coastal erosion and protect their homes.

"We all know this is not a sustainable way. But 2 degrees of greenhouse gases? It will drown my people," he said.

The 100,000 people are at the risk of becoming climate refugees.

It rings a bell in my mind. It's not only a consequence potentially faced by small island nations, but to all of us.

It would just be a matter of time if we do not care, or not care that much.

I have learnt about the world's 'global warming' again and again from when I was six years old, but hearing the story from Bryant was one of the moments I felt most related to the severe consequence of 'global warming'.

"This is why we must consider 1.5 degrees global warming to be the official temperature limit. We must make stronger climate movement in order to keep the sustainability of our planet," Bryant said.

Bryant, representing island countries, called for world leaders' commitment in the coming Paris Climate Conference.

More than 40 percent of greenhouse gas comes from the way we produce, consume and dispose of products. If you are able to make an impact in part of these, please think about the story from Bryant.

Instead of the difference, she was able to see the similarities of the two religions

I met Arizza Nocum at a networking party. Cheerful and talkative, she was adorable at first sight. She told me she was a student at university in the Philippines, with a major in mechanical engineering. I had no idea about how far she has gone until her speech in the next day.

The Philippines has been among the countries with the most terrorist attacks. 85 percent of Filipinos are Christians and 11 percent are Muslims. The Muslim minority is poor and oppressed, as an inevitable consequence this leads to unequal treatment in the communities. Some Muslim' response is terrorism.

Born in a half Christian and half Muslim family, Arizza's parents showed her the co-existence of the two religions under one roof.

That pushed her to do something.

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