Facilitating Climate Adaptation Workshops for 2023 US Local Conference of Youth

“For every $1 going to [fund climate] mitigation, only 10 cents goes to adaptation.” That's what NOAA Administrator, Dr. Richard Spinrad, told the US’s Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) delegates this past weekend.

As co-facilitator of LCOY’s adaptation workshops with Hailey Campbell and Rehman Hassan, I was particularly dismayed to hear this news. Simply put, adaptation efforts are crucial for communities to build resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change. Pretty important, right?

That's why we led three sessions with youth delegates to draft the youth's top national and international adaptation priorities for the US’s second-ever National Youth Statement.

Here’s some of what we discussed:
- Establishing a mandated dialogue for addressing the climate refugee crisis at SB60 
- Emphasizing the need for early investment in adaptation efforts in partnership with subnational governments 
- Enhancing climate information and knowledge sharing by including climate risk awareness campaigns, community-based adaptation training and early warning systems into the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)
- Adopt global indicators for adaptation focused on resilient agriculture and infrastructure, health and well-being, climate refugee support systems, and climate resilience design guidelines
- Establish a global moratorium on new development in climate-vulnerable areas, including flood zones, and sea-level rise exposure areas

Once finished, this report will be shared with national leaders, policymakers, corporations, and key stakeholders. It will also be incorporated into the Global Youth Statement for YOUNGO, the official children and youth constituency of the UNFCCC UN, and will be shared with global leaders at COP28 DUBAI.

Thank you to the LCOY team for working tirelessly to make this conference happen, to the youth delegates for sharing their perspectives on key adaptation priorities, and to my inspiring co-facilitators for helping to lead productive, inclusive and engaging discussions.