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UN Child Ambassador for the SDGs

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Youth Strike for Climate March 15, 2019 – Media coverage

April 1, 2019

Thousands of children across the Anglia region join school strike for climate – by ITV News

Ten-year-old Nico Roman, Child Ambassador for the SDGs – on strike for Climate Justice – video taken from ITV News

Schoolchildren across the Anglia region have joined others across the world in leaving classes to protest against climate change.

Schoolchildren in Cambridge have set up an eco-council to work together to learn about, and find solutions to, the climate and ecological crisis

“We are truly in a climate emergency, and we need to act quickly to prevent an unimaginable future of heatwaves, extreme weather events, crop failures, and eventually wars over resources such as land, food and water. We are afraid for our own future and for generations of children to come, and the terrifying changes are already happening.”
OPEN LETTER FROM CAMBRIDGE SCHOOLCHILDREN

Organisers of the Youth Strike 4 Climate say events will take place in more than 100 towns and cities around the UK in the second walkout for climate action in the UK.

Driven by what students say is “an alarming lack of government leadership on climate action”, the strikes are part of a global day of walkouts and demonstrations by young people in more than 100 countries

Youth Strike 4 Climate in Cambridge: Video and galleries from day of action

by Cambridge Independent

Climate strike Cambridge March 15, 2019 – video taken from Gemma Donnelly

An open letter written by Cambridge school children has been sent to more than 40 schools in the area, urging teachers and pupils to attend the strikes and inviting them to join the Cambridge Schools Eco-Council. The letter follows the successful inaugural meeting of the eco-council on March 9, and the second school strike this year on March 15, which saw 500 school pupils take to the streets of the city to highlight the seriousness of the climate crisis.

The open letter says: “We are truly in a climate emergency, and we need to act quickly to prevent an unimaginable future of heatwaves, extreme weather events, crop failures, and eventually wars over resources such as land, food and water. We are afraid for our own future and for generations of children to come, and the terrifying changes are already happening.”

The school strike for climate movement was started by 16 year-old Greta Thunberg in Sweden last year and has now spread worldwide.

“I have a message for everyone… even the smallest child can make a BIG difference! Our new eco-council brings together pupils from schools all across Cambridge, to share our concerns, to cooperate, and to speak out!
We are hosting these Youth Strikes for our Climate in Cambridge, because we are petrified. We care about all the kids here locally and worldwide who will be hurt, or even die in typhoons, floods and droughts.
In school, we learn to be kind, to care for others, and to be responsible. Destroying our whole planet is totally NOT ON. Maybe our decision-makers need to go BACK TO SCHOOL.
Any schools here today are welcome to join the Eco-Council – just come find me with an email address!
And here’s a new chant, for later – Carbon breaks the golden rule; Decision-makers, back to school!”
Nico Roman, 10, from King’s College School in Cambridge, co-chair of Cambridge Schools Eco-Council, and a UNESCO Voices Child Ambassador.

Youth Strike 4 Climate: Hundreds of Cambridge students march through city

by Cambridge Independent

Inspired by Swedish climate activist 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, students are calling for the government to take action on global warming.

Up to a 1,000 schoolchildren and university students gathered outside Shire Hall in Cambridge for the Youth Strike 4 Climate at 9.30am.

Youth Strike 4 Climate protest outside Shire Hall in Cambridge by Paul Brackley

Waving banners and chanting, the students will march from Shire Hall to the Guildhall from around 10.30am.

It is the second time city students have taken to the streets for climate change. In calling for climate change to be declared an emergency.

Youth Strike 4 Climate protest outside Shire Hall in Cambridge by Paul Brackley

The campaigners came from schools and colleges across the region including Chesterton Community College, Impington Village College, Parkside, Coleridge Community College, King’s School, Hills Road Sixth Form College, Witchford Village College and Cambourne Village College.

More media coverage

School pupils of all ages have gathered outside Shire Hall and The Guildhall – Cambridge News

Thousands of pupils protest over climate change – The London Economic

Hundreds of Cambridge schoolchildren strike in protest of climate change – Varsity

Global Climate strike – 15 March 2019 by PSIglobalunion

Youth Strike For Climate – Cambridge by
Gemma Donnelly
Child Ambassador for the SDGs Nico Roman co-chairs First Cambridge Schools Eco-Council

March 13, 2019

Outside Michaelhouse Cafe, in front Nico Roman, 10, King’s School; back row from left are Snaedis Fridriksdottir, 14, of Coleridge School; Ella Hone, 11 and Samaya Hone 18, Chesterton School and Helena Davis, 18, of Hills Road Sixth Form College; Jona David, 13, King’s School; and Junayd Islam, 15, of Parkside School.

First UK school eco-council set up in Cambridge

by Cambridge Independent

Cambridge Schools Eco-Council inaugural meeting, Michaelhouse Cafe, March 9, 2019.
From left are Arthur Pledge, 12; Aarifah Islam,12; Junayd Islam, 15; Ella Hone, 11; Nico Roman, 10; Samaya Hone, 14; Helena Davis, 18; Jona David, 13; Snaedis Fridriksdottir, 14; Tommy Harris, 16. Picture: Mike Scialom

I’ve co-chaired a meeting for the first-ever schools eco-council!! this is our (children) response to the threat of climate change on future generations.

The Cambridge School Eco-Council held its inaugural meeting in the chapel at Michaelhouse Cafe on Saturday (March 9).

The establishment of the eco-council comes after the Schhol Strike on Friday (Feb 15) and ahead of the global school strike for climate on Friday (March 15). For the second time children across Cambridge walk out of school in a bid to speed up the political and economic response to the climate crisis.

Outside Michaelhouse Cafe, back row from left are Snaedis Fridriksdottir, 14, of Coleridge School; Nico Roman, 10, King’s School; Samaya Hone, 14, Chesterton School and Helena Davis, 18, of Hills Road Sixth Form College. Front from left are Jona David, 13, King’s School, Ella Hone, 11, Chesterton School and Junayd Islam, 15, of Parkside School. Picture: Mike Scialom

We -Cambridge pupils- issued a ‘Declaration and Eco-Plan on the Climate Emergency’ this weekend which highlighted the drastic action now required to stabilise climate change.

“If we continue burning fossil fuels, building unsustainable infrastructure and degrading our environment, children like us all over the world will hurt or even die” and outlined action plans on three fronts:

– Schools: To educate about lifestyle choices, adopt an eco-code including “an eco-audit and act on all its recommendations, so that all schools are eco-schools”.

– Town & Country: To “commit to carbon neutrality well before 2030”, to “declare a local climate emergency and mean it”, “support local renewables” and impose carbon taxes “to be spent on carbon sequestration and climate change programmes”.

– Country: to “make national and international transport sustainable”, “stop fossil fuel subsidies”, “start energy rationing” and “change food and agriculture systems”.

Check the full article by Cambridge Independent
Symposium on Protecting the Environment, Honolulu, Hawaii

March 12, 2019

In September 2018, I was invited to give a presentation on my role as UN Child Ambassador for the SDGs, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Speakers photo of the 2018 Symposium on the Role of International Courts in Protecting Environmental Commons

I was the only child there, but I think it went quite good.

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TSL 2018 International Schools Debates SDG14 – OCEANS, The Seychelles

March 12, 2019

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The Seychelles hosted the TSL 2018 International Schools Debates with more than 90 international delegates (students and teachers) from all over the world.

The competition theme was Oceans (SDG #14), and the debates were hosted by the Seychelles government on Mahe Island in July 2018. We (students) were welcomed by the Seychelles’ ministers of education, environment, and tourism.

The opening ceremony followed the launch of the book ‘Voices of the Future’ with the UNESCO’s Voices of Future Generations initiative and Bloomsbury Books.

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Primary Schools Debate was in collaboration and teamwork of students (ages 7-11) set about developing a shared plan for conserving the world’s oceans, seas and marine resources. I gave an individual speech on the topic ‘My plan to protect and manage our oceans, seas and marine resources.’

My speech: ‘My Big Plan to Protect the Ocean for Tiny Sea Turtles and All Life Below Water’

We (students) were assigned to one of four groups, where we discussed and debated with the help of facilitators. We worked together with the aim of achieving a commonly shared plan to save the world’s ocean, seas and marine resources by 2030. We prepared arguments either pro or con, on the motion, ‘This House believes that the targets of UN Sustainable Development Goal #14 are achievable’

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The exciting, five-day program included a Children’s Ocean Conference, where children from around the world worked with local Seychellois youth organizations and marine conservationists to protect the seas of the Small Island Developing States, and teachers attended a special workshop on improving educational resources on oceans, seas, and marine resources.

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The field trip program included visits to a marine park, a fishery, a maritime academy, and a marine discovery station, and the program closed with a Cultural Evening.

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Our Blue Planet banner arrives back from the 2018 Trust for Sustainable Living International Schools Debates in the Seychelles to King’s College School, Cambridge,
UNESCO VoFG Child Author Jona David’s school in the UK, along with the ‘Voices of our Future’ Bloomsbury book, and are presented to Headmistress Mrs Yvette Day and TSL Teacher Champion Mrs Helen Barker, along with Eco-Society lead teacher Mr Angus Gent, and (me) Nico Roman, UN Child Ambassador for the SDGs. —
MY BIG PLAN PROTECT OUR OCEANS FOR TINY SEA TURTLES AND ALL LIFE BELOW WATER – By Nico Roman, 9

June 21, 2018
TSL Essay

By Nico Roman, 9

A turquoise sea-turtle hatches beside her siblings in their golden sandy nest. She blinks her jewel eyes. She is just a baby – small, vulnerable and endangered. She has only one chance in 2,500 to survive, a symbol for all life below water if we cannot change our ways. Like sea-turtles, I have lived on Pacific and Atlantic coasts, swimming Baltic, Salish and Caribbean seas. To save this TINY life and all ocean creatures, we need real change, fast.

We Need Oceans Laws and Compliance

Overfishing and illegal fishing must stop. We need new international and national laws to end subsidies. People must only buy sustainably caught seafood (with escape hatches in nets preventing by-catch of turtles) and not endangered species. Waterproof cameras on boats should film tweets and blogs, making citizens act more responsibly. Coast guards, communities and kids can enforce laws on water and land. By law, people will look out for our tiny turtle as she escapes into the sea, starts her migration, and hunts for food to grow.

We Need a Global End to Ocean Rubbish

Dangerous chemicals are polluting our oceans with run-off from fertilizers and pesticides from the land, industrial chemicals, and untreated storm-water. Plastics are collecting in huge islands, hurting sea-turtles, whales and birds. We must end all harmful practices that drive ocean pollution, changing all agriculture and industry so it is clean and healthy. People must reduce, re-use and recycle all waste, cradle-to-grave, especially plastics. This way, pollution won’t poison or strangle our tiny turtle as she swims thousands of kilometres on her migration across the oceans.

We Need New Marine Plans, Protection and Measurement

There are not enough marine protected areas, and many are degraded. Ecosystems are threatened, like bleaching of coral. Climate change is causing serious impacts. Clear targets and plans must guarantee protection for all threatened marine ecosystems, respecting scientists and communities. Kids clubs and everyone can help, including tourists. With safe zones, and better measurement and on-ground action, we can ensure that our tiny turtle, and all her friends have a safe and resilient home. Our sea turtle, not so tiny now, can return to lay her own eggs in the sand. Her hatchlings will be protected, maybe by teams of children like me, as they start their own journeys.

Even the tiniest child can make a big difference for sea turtles, for our oceans and for our future.