August 17–20, 2009
Inuvik, Northwest Territories
"I hope that leading up to Copenhagen, along with other young people from across the country, we can make our government listen and build a stronger Canadian position going into Copenhagen. These young people are on the right track and their message is important."
For four days in August, 2009, young leaders converged in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, to discuss climate change, share their stories and build their skills.
The goal of the summit was to empower young leaders to tackle the greatest challenge facing the planet—climate change.
On August 20, the 60 young Canadians who particpated in the summit
issued a declaration that laid out a call for action on northern
climate change. The declaration highlights four areas of
concern about the progress of climate
change issues and upcoming
negotiations and concludes with a call for action.
For More Information:
- Read the final report.
- Read the media release.
- Read the declaration.
Media Articles:
- Read "We Must Act Now: Climate Change," by Maia Lepage in Tusaayaksat, Volume 22, No 8, Fall 2009. Published by the Inuvialuit Communications Society.
- Read "Inuvik Youth Summit Calls for Climate Action," by Robin Urquhart in the Yukon News.
- Read "A Call for Action on Climate Change," by Katie May in the Northwest Territories News/North.
- Read "Young Leaders Tackle Climate Change," by David Malcolm in Above & Beyond.
Agenda
The action-packed four-day summit included a mixture of outdoor field-trips, indoor lectures and participatory activities. The agenda is available here:
Green Event Plan
The summit co-hosts prepared a Green Event Plan to minimize theenvironmental impacts of the Young Leaders' Summit on Northern Climate Change. The summit hosts are striving to achieve a carbon neutral event and to reduce or eliminate any negative environmental consequences of the event.
As part of the Green Event Plan, carbon offsets were purchased to address greenhouse gas emissions associated with the summit. The Carbon Offset Certificate covers the round-trip travel of nine facilitators to the event, as well as the electricity used to operate the Midnight Sun Recreation Centre in Inuvik during the four-day summit.
Thank You Young Leaders!
The co-hosts of the Young Leaders' Summit on Northern Climate Change would like to thank summit participants for their enthusiasm, ideas, creativity and commitment to the summit. Read the letter here.