Kew Gardens' Youth Explainers recreate COP26 in a Kew greenhouse
On 30 October, Kew Gardens' new group of Youth Explainers took part in a model COP summit, taking on and exploring the differing responsibilities and priorities of our world leaders, and considering the impacts of climate change on diverse sets of communities.
The young people worked together to create presentations from the perspective of vulnerable groups such as island and indigenous communities, before presenting at the summit and demanding action on suggested solutions.
Over the course of the day, the Youth Explainers came to understand the key role of collaboration between world leaders and the importance of keeping social justice at the forefront of discussion.
One young person stated:
'Before today I hadn’t even heard of COP, but now I get the importance of keeping global warming under two degrees, and also the ways that governments can work together to make that happen'.
Youth Explainers
The Kew youth volunteer programme offers young people the chance to work with Kew experts and explore ways to engage the public in plant science and conservation.