Speech of young people in the Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit Conference

Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit Conference about climate change and the future generations takes place in Rovaniemi on 12-13 November. The group of young people from Rovaniemi brought their message for the conference to share their ideas on how to prevent climate change.

Behind the speech is the group of young people between 13–19 years of age who have gathered several times during the past year to think about concrete actions they could do themselves. By doing this they want to challenge others for a more sustainable way of life.

The Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit promotes the dialogue of young people, decision makers and scientists. The conference is organized by the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland and City of Rovaniemi.


The speech of young people 11 November, 2019:

The future is ours, and the future is in danger. That’s why you should listen to us.

Hello. We are local youth here to talk about climate change, and what we can do about it. Here are some ideas for preventing the crisis that are on our minds.

First, we’re going to talk about wood buildings. The pros easily outweigh the cons:

It’s healthier for humans, it’s more eco friendly, and it’s cheaper in the long term.

And if you want to save on energy, consider using self-made energy from solar panels.

Yes, it will cost you money, but climate change will cost us the planet.

Money shouldn’t affect us wanting to save our only home.

Second, we need better quality school lunch, made from local ingredients. It will prevent students from throwing food away. Also, vegan school lunch should be more easily available. At the moment, we have to get a proof from a doctor you don’t like eating meat.

Third, bottle recycling deposit. Here you can get 10 to 40 cents from returning a single bottle, which helps discouraging people from just throwing them on the street, because if you throw a plastic bottle away, it will remain there for centuries.

Bottle recycling deposit should be implemented to the entirety of Europe.

The environment stays cleaner, people get money for recycling, and large companies don’t have to pay as much for bottles.

It’s a win-win.

Also, we would like to invite schools from around the Arctic Circle here to Lapland within the next year to discuss and implement these things further.

Thank you for listening to us.

And remember, saving the planet is not something we can procrastinate.


More information:

About cooperation of young people:
Teacher Tuija Ylipeura
tuija.ylipeura(at)roiedu.fi
+358 16 322 5042, +358 40 741 4726

About the conference:
Head of Science Communication Markku Heikkilä
Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
+358 40 484 4300, markku.heikkila(at)ulapland.fi

Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit: Climate Change and the Future Generations
12.–13.11.2019
www.rovaniemiarcticspirit.fi
#ArcticSpirit