Young people will contribute to future climate policies at COP31

Hüseyin Atahan Kubat, a second-year student at the Department of Economics at Istanbul Technical University, who was appointed as the COP31 Youth and Climate Ambassador, told the AA correspondent that young people are among the generations that will feel the effects of climate change the most, and that the decisions to be taken at the conference will play an important role in shaping the future.

Stating that he became interested in the climate crisis during his high school years, Kubat stated that he will participate in panels and youth meetings representing young people during the COP31 process and will work in coordination with the presidential team.

Kubat emphasized that he is interested in problems such as biodiversity loss, drought and soil loss, as well as climate change, and explained that he continues his work in the fields of green economy and green finance.

Expressing that it is important for young people to come together and work together at COP31, Kubat pointed out that the climate crisis is a global problem that goes beyond the borders of countries.

We will take over the decisions to be made

Reminding that Türkiye has a 2053 net zero emission target, Kubat said that the decisions taken and commitments made today will directly affect future generations.

Underlining that the fight against climate change is a long-term process, Kubat stated that young people should assume responsibility in this process.

Kubat made the following assessments, stating that future generations may face very different living conditions if climate targets are not met:

"Of course, the age group that will be most affected by whether these targets are achieved or not will be today's young people. The commitments we make today are binding on us, our children, because we have a marathon to run and targets to complete. By the year 2100, if we have not achieved the degree and many targets we have set, the world we face will really be nothing like the one we have today. Our clothes, our homes, our lifestyle will be very different. We, as young people, are approaching this issue seriously. The question is, what will happen to us and the generation after us?" "We are aware that it will affect the situation as much as possible, so we will take over the decisions to be made and work to move it forward."

Pointing out that the climate crisis concerns the future of not only humans but also other living things, forests and soil, Kubat added that it is important for young people from different countries to act together.