MANILA, 29 July 2020 – For the 11th episode of “Stories for a Better Normal: Pandemic and Climate Pathways,” Pinoy Climate Reality Leaders including House Deputy Speaker and Antique Congresswoman Loren Legarda will gather for a special episode on “Youth Climate Activism” and discuss how youth leaders are driving and sustaining their climate initiatives, even during the pandemic. 

Climate Reality Leaders are individuals from diverse backgrounds and fields of discipline who have undergone the training of The Climate Reality Project (TCRP), which is founded by former US Vice President Al Gore, a climate activist himself who was awarded the Nobel Prize for the film “An Inconvenient Truth”.

Legarda recalled her visit with Al Gore in Tacloban in 2016 to talk to the families affected by Typhoon Yolanda, as well as the training of more than 800 aspiring Climate Reality Leaders, including herself, also in 2016. 

In this upcoming episode, Legarda will be joined by youth Climate Reality Leaders Ms. Christine Paula Bernasor, Project Manager and Experience Designer from Talisay, Cebu; Mr. Johnny Altomonte, CEO and Founder of Verne Energy Solutions; Dr. Renzo Guinto, Chief Planetary Doctor of PH Lab; Ms. Ruzzel Morales, Committee Chairperson for Environment of the 12th National Youth Parliament; Ms. Jessica Wu, Co-founder of Lesstics; Mr. Carl Alonsagay, Project Liaison Officer of the ClimatEducate Project; and Ms. Hilary Hao, Business Development Associate of AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation. 

Mr. Ethan Spaner, Director of TCRP’s International Program and Ms. Nazrin Castro, Manager of the Philippine branch of TCRP Philippines, will also join the discussion.

The episode will air on Thursday, 30 July 2020, 10:00 AM, via Facebook at facebook.com/conglorenlegarda and facebook.com/CCCPhl/.

Legarda, author of the Climate Change Act, noted that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recognizes the role of youth as key actors in raising awareness, running educational programs, promoting sustainable lifestyles, conserving nature, supporting renewable energy, adopting environmentally-friendly practices, and implementing adaptation and mitigation projects.

She also noted that, according to the UN Joint Framework Initiative on Children, Youth, and Climate Change, the youth constitutes the majority of the population in many countries and have an increasingly strong social and environmental awareness. She added that youth aged 15 to 24 years represent 16% of the world population and will reach 1.3 billion people by 2030.

This upcoming episode will provide a platform for young Climate Reality Leaders to present insights and experience in helping solve the climate crisis and to call for urgent actions from the country’s leaders. 

As an online discussion to promote health, environmental consciousness, and climate-adaptive practices, Stories for a Better Normal aims to change the mindset of individuals, families, and communities by demonstrating ways in which a ‘better normal’ can be realized within our communities.
    
This online discussion is organized in partnership between the Office of Deputy Speaker Legarda and the Climate Change Commission, with support from the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, The Climate Reality Project-Philippines, and the Mother Earth Foundation.