Youth must take the lead in climate affairs – Sri Lankan tells UN Climate conference

Sri Lankan Undergraduate Delivers Stark Message at COP30, Declaring Time is Ticking Like a Climate Timebomb for the World’s Youth.

Jayasanka Sandun Jayasuriya, a 25-year-old undergraduate from Rajarata University, has seized the global stage, delivering a high-impact address at the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Brazil. Selected as the sole speaker worldwide on Climate Change Adaptation and Youth Responsibility in the Global South, Jayasuriya stressed that youth are the most vulnerable and yet the most capable community for change. His core message, that educated youth must urgently shift from fighting and protesting to applying their knowledge, is a clarion call for immediate, eco-centric action.   

• “A study from 2023 goes on to clarify youth are most affected by climate change. Present and future youth are also identified as a vulnerable community.”

Jayasanka Sandun Jayasuriya had been busy these days featuring in print media and TV talks shows barely days since arriving after delivering a speech at the United Nations Climate Conference of Party’s (CoP) 30, held this month.   
A fourth-year undergraduate from the University of Rajarata, he took interest in this topic ever since the day, in fact, the first year in his university, when he went on to form a climate forum.   
Speaking in Belem, Brazil, on Climate Change, on the exact topic of Climate Change Adoption and Youth Responsibility in Global South, the 25-year-old said there were only three speakers selected to speak on this subject.   
“There were two other topics along with this – Climate Change Mitigation and Resilience. For my topic of climate change adaptation, only I was selected from 481 applicants worldwide. There were also events conducted on these topics, where youth speakers had to present them”.   
Speaking Experience
“Amazing”, he recounted, adding that, “I spoke to an audience of over 500, including diplomats and even heads of state. Speaking for an hour was amazing. This was my debut delivering a speech at a global stage of this magnitude”.   
“At the outset, I was quite nervous. However, my past experiences, ranging from school to the research I had carried out all held me in good stead. In my talk, I went onto define lot of changes and impacts in climate change related to the Global South (developing countries).   
This means how much developing countries, including Sri Lanka, are hit by climate change. A study from 2023 goes on to clarify youth are most affected by climate change. Present and future youth are also identified as a vulnerable community”, Jayasuriya, a resident of Katupotha, Kurunegala, explained.   
Bulk of his speech was based on his learnings, knowledge, and exposure.   
“Youth are not only future leaders, but they are also current innovators”, he said speaking on behalf of youth worldwide, reiterating this through his talk.   
He also drove home the tagline of “think globally, act locally” to professors, diplomats, speakers, and leaders.   
Urge to Apply for this
In 2021, when his Environmental Management studies started in the Social Sciences and Humanity’s faculty, he launched a forum called “Youth Environmental Key”. After establishing, many countries joined in and today it is called – Environment Key Global.   
He has now gathered foreign friends from all parts of the countries who joined in this venture.   
“Through our sessions, with a participation of 100-200, we share knowledge and awareness. These were joined by my foreign friends too. Therefore, through these forums, I got the opportunity.”   
“In fact, last year I attended this online, and this time, I was there, physically,” he added.   
During the application process, he had sat for 18 rounds of interviews, among 481 applicants.   
Taking interest in this topic
“In the beginning of my university days, we had a subject called – Climate Change. I started studying, researching and found a soft spot in that topic”.   
“I had also won the Dean Award for Environmental Management. Since those days, I have been in touch with this topic, reading, writing, hosting sessions and researching extensively.   
Youth’s roles and responsibility
He, in his address itself, began saying youth must take the lead in addressing the issue.   
“Firstly, we need to find the problems and solutions in climate change. All wait until things happen, rather than being proactive, find problems and address the issue. Youth must make an effort in solving these issues”.   
“If youth become eco-centric, climate related problems will die down. Eco-centric has become a sensitive issue.   
Secondly, he said our awareness and knowledge should be passed onto the younger generation.   
“We carry local, indigenous, and technical knowledge. For instance, some are equipped with water management skills. Therefore, they should come forward with their best practices, their findings and share them with others, especially with the next generation.”   
Thirdly, he added, the time has come for the youth to lead.   
“That is, in our subject and society. We must initiate and take leadership. When I launched the Youth and Environment Forum, no one told me to. We must also come forward and start a green future”.   
Is Climate topic liked by most Youth?
Answering this he said this is not greatly followed because of less awareness. Despite a study showing youth are the most affected, not many youth communities and youth forums hold much awareness. The biggest problem has been the knowledge gap. For instance, the youngsters from rural communities are hit by this, however, they do not know the ways and means of addressing the knowledge gap.   
“They do not know how to manage, mitigate and resolve these. But surely disturbed by climate change. To fix this issue, the responsibility does not lie with the government, professors, university lecturers, however, on the educated youth environmentalists”, he said.   
“In fact, myself speaking at the CoP 30 was one way of addressing the issue. Only environmentalists and climate change activists gathered and I too said this is possible only by those who are fond and following the subject”.   
His message
He said in his main message, we should act on this responsibility as soon as possible.”   
“We are already late, and time is ticking like a timebomb. Purposeless staging a protest on this, fighting on this, instead of a holistic approach with our abilities and gathering support from worldwide, we need to find a panacea for these problems.”   
Sandun concluded by calling every educated youth environmentalist, locally and globally, to find answers and actions.