Youth from across the world hold signs addressing global climate change in Copenhagen during a Climate Change Summit in which Templeton High School student Kayla Clark was one of only a handful to attend.

At 17-years-old, Templeton High School junior Kayla Clark traveled to Copenhagen to witness the Climate Change Summit.

Clark, along with Cal Poly student Michael Symmes, made the trek halfway around the world last December to watch global leaders attempt to come to an agreement on how to curb the effects of climate change scientists have predicted.

Clark is a member of the International Climate Champions, which is part of the British Youth Council. Locally, she is part of the California Climate Champions, which is with the Air Resources Board and British Council. The international group includes youth from 36 counties.

She applied with International Climate Champions to attend the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen and had her way paid for by the organization.

"It was really exciting to go that way," Clark said.

Clark was one of 25 youth that went as part of the program. She was one of only two youth from the United States - the other also from California.

"There were a lot of youth from Asia," Clark said.

She flew from the U.S. to London to Brussels and from there took a carbon neutral train to Copenhagen.

"It was [solely] for people going to the Climate Change Summit," she said. "It was really cool. Everything was [sustainable]."

While in Denmark, the champions stayed in a small school 15 minutes outside Copenhagen, where they took a train into the city each day.

"We slept in the gym on mattresses," Clark said.

While other youth delegations were able to meet with their countries' delegations, Clark said that despite numerous requests to speak to the U.S. delegations, they were "ignored."

She said there was a lot of different stuff going on during the summit, and they had to "pick and choose" what they went to. Clark attended workshops on developing countries. She said what she found interesting was "climate justice," which is where developing countries are more impacted by climate change due to actions by developed countries.



For the complete article see the 01-29-2010 issue.

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