Students and teachers from Korea and Papua New Guinea were inspired to share about their countries during their Live Class on Friday, July 30. The program was an intense 2-week program exchange between students with meaningful exchange activities. For one student from Papua New Guinea, “over the course of these two weeks, IVECA has helped broaden our understanding on various sustainable development goals and other pressing issues that are affecting the global communities.” Led by their teachers, the student groups had been researching climate solutions to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13, to take urgent action to address climate change and its impacts. Students tackled climate issues such as sea-level rise, deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of their proposed solutions for climate change, students suggested government partnerships to further the climate agenda. Additionally, some groups recommended youth coalitions to lead awareness campaigns in their countries. Both Korean and PNG groups realized that additional support would be needed to make the most impact on their climate solutions. Students from both countries also proposed technological solutions to the issue of climate change. Ideas ranged from social media campaigns to satellite remote sensing equipment to help combat the effects of climate change. Although the solutions for climate change varied greatly, both countries realized their shared passion for finding innovative solutions together. “It was very impressive that through better awareness of people about climate change and its effects, our countries would be able to combat climate change,” said a student from Daedeok High School in Korea.