On Friday 27th January, Year 12 students Hema N, Rosie T and Mansi V attended a Model United Nations assembly to represent the views and proposals of China on the issue of climate change. Fortunately, China has recently taken a very positive stance, agreeing to the limits on greenhouse gas emissions agreed in Paris in 2015 and fleshed out at Marrakesh last year. Much more controversial was the new stance taken by the group representing the USA!
The team responded positively to proposals for a global fund to help countries most at risk from climate change, subsidies for renewable energy projects, targets for the reduction of harmful emissions from agriculture and food manufacture, and research into low carbon energy production. The Howell's girls contributed fully to the negotiations and drafting of an amended resolution, having put forward China's recent progress on these issues to the whole assembly.
It was a lively, informative and very positive session. The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales said that she wished the current representatives to the UN were as constructive and forward-thinking!