Starting Point
Shane Zhao speaking to the participants of the COP 15 'China-US Youth Workshop: Our Shared Future'
Shane Zhao, China Youth Climate Action Network and leader of China Youth Delegation COP 15 , August 19, 2010. A mission completed signals the start of a new one.
The time between now and May 2009 has passed in the blink of an eye. Now I return to my ivory tower in America. They say that society destroys and rapes the ideals of the young. Yet my ideals remain bright, illuminating the darkness ahead. In addition to the purity of ideals that everyone is born with, I have developed pragmatism and composure. Although I have seen the ugliness of society, I realize that only light can change it—and I have seen those that represent the bright light of hope: us youths and the Chinese youths who attended the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
When I reflect on what moved me to suspend my studies and stay in China to initiate the COP15 China Youth Delegation, I believe it was passion and a sense of mission. This passion, well, every youth has passion—and it doesn’t take a saint to have a mission. At the time, I firmly believed that Chinese youths should—as their counterparts in the US and India have done—cry out on the international stage for the earth and the disasters caused by climate change. I firmly believed that Chinese youths would be one of the forces to create harmony between man and nature. At that time, I even more firmly believed that Chinese youths would be a force to resolve environmental and other social ills in the future. With these firm beliefs, I didn’t think about failure; with our firm beliefs, the delegation has succeeded. When I examine my passion rationally, I discover that I did what I should have done when I left school.
“Copenhagen” has been life changing for many conference attendees. Most of them have been long and deeply concerned about climate change, and they use rational and objective perspectives to analyze the so-called “political climate” objectively. The journalists at the conference continue to adhere to their share of social responsibility by writing fair and objective reports to influence public awareness. For students returning to campus like me, “Copenhagen” has given us a clearer understanding of how to practically apply the esotericism of academic learning. Others are currently promoting social enterprises in China, a concept unfamiliar to the mainstream, and achieving social innovation while focusing on climate change issues. These organizations are planting the seeds of hope and influencing everyone around them, trailing light to guide those who will follow their lead in later years.
Mostly importantly, our words and deeds have proven to other young people that, when you stop listening to lectures and ignore society’s money-oriented outlook, you can live your passions and convictions. Our time and our society need people—such as you and I—to make her better. Some people say we are not mature or knowledgeable enough; some may say that we could have done better.
But I say: Copenhagen is over, but we have just begun.
起点
人生中某个使命的完成,也预示着一个新的使命的到来。
从09年的5月到现在,转眼间一年过去了,当时的那个暑假可能要比我想象的漫长。而现在自己又要回到象牙塔,回到美国读书了。有人说,在这个社会里,青年人的理想会被磨灭,会被强奸。而今天,我的理想依旧在人生中闪耀,而且它更清晰地照亮了前方的黑暗。除了这每个人生来就有的纯洁的理想,我也更多了一份理性与沉着。社会上的沉沦,我看到了,但只有光明可以照亮污浊,而我也看到了这代表光明的希望——它来自我们青年人,来自这群参加到哥本哈根联合国气候变化大会的中国青年。
当我反思是什么力量使我决定休学留在中国发起“COP15中国青年代表团”时,我想那是当时的激情和使命感。这里的激情是每个青年人身上都有的激情,而这里的使命,也并非是道德上的圣人才能拥有的使命,它是历史与时代的潮流赋予我们中国青年人的使命与责任。那时我坚信,中国青年应该像与我们同龄的美国青年和印度青年那样,在国际舞台上为地球呼喊,为气候变化所带来的灾难呼喊;那时我坚信,中国青年必会是未来创造人与自然和谐的力量之一;那时我更坚信,中国青年应该成为未来解决环境及社会问题的生力军。我的坚信使我没想到过失败,团队的坚信使我们最终获得成功。如今,当我用理性的目光去审视当时的激情,我发现,我做了我应该做的事。
“哥本哈根”成为了很多团队成员心中改变人生轨迹的经历。他们中的大部分都在长期而深入地关注着气候变化领域,他们用自己客观理性的视角去分析所谓的“气候政治”。团队中的新闻工作者,一如既往地坚持着那份社会职责,用公正客观的报道去影响大众的认知。而像我一样回归校园的学生们,是“哥本哈根”使他们更清晰地了解到如何才能学以致用。还有一些人正在中国推动着大家都还很陌生的社会型企业,社会创新成为他们在关注气候变化问题后的延伸领域。这些青年人成为了希望的种子,在无时无刻地感染身边的人,用自己的光芒去为后来者指引方向。最重要的是,我们用事实和行动向其他的青年人证明,当你听惯了身边无数的说教,当你习惯了社会的向“钱”看时,你可以通过自己的努力去实践你的激情与信念,去反驳那些否定你的说教,去用不同的方式来证明人生的意义。我们的时代,我们的社会,需要你和我,作为合格的公民,使她更加美好。
有人会说,
我们那时还很不成熟;
我们还需要更多的知识;
我们其实可以做的更好。
我想说,
“哥本哈根”虽然已经过去了,但我们才刚刚开始……
赵祥宇
团队发起人,总协调
2010年8月19日
The time between now and May 2009 has passed in the blink of an eye. Now I return to my ivory tower in America. They say that society destroys and rapes the ideals of the young. Yet my ideals remain bright, illuminating the darkness ahead. In addition to the purity of ideals that everyone is born with, I have developed pragmatism and composure. Although I have seen the ugliness of society, I realize that only light can change it—and I have seen those that represent the bright light of hope: us youths and the Chinese youths who attended the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
When I reflect on what moved me to suspend my studies and stay in China to initiate the COP15 China Youth Delegation, I believe it was passion and a sense of mission. This passion, well, every youth has passion—and it doesn’t take a saint to have a mission. At the time, I firmly believed that Chinese youths should—as their counterparts in the US and India have done—cry out on the international stage for the earth and the disasters caused by climate change. I firmly believed that Chinese youths would be one of the forces to create harmony between man and nature. At that time, I even more firmly believed that Chinese youths would be a force to resolve environmental and other social ills in the future. With these firm beliefs, I didn’t think about failure; with our firm beliefs, the delegation has succeeded. When I examine my passion rationally, I discover that I did what I should have done when I left school.
“Copenhagen” has been life changing for many conference attendees. Most of them have been long and deeply concerned about climate change, and they use rational and objective perspectives to analyze the so-called “political climate” objectively. The journalists at the conference continue to adhere to their share of social responsibility by writing fair and objective reports to influence public awareness. For students returning to campus like me, “Copenhagen” has given us a clearer understanding of how to practically apply the esotericism of academic learning. Others are currently promoting social enterprises in China, a concept unfamiliar to the mainstream, and achieving social innovation while focusing on climate change issues. These organizations are planting the seeds of hope and influencing everyone around them, trailing light to guide those who will follow their lead in later years.
Mostly importantly, our words and deeds have proven to other young people that, when you stop listening to lectures and ignore society’s money-oriented outlook, you can live your passions and convictions. Our time and our society need people—such as you and I—to make her better. Some people say we are not mature or knowledgeable enough; some may say that we could have done better.
But I say: Copenhagen is over, but we have just begun.
起点
人生中某个使命的完成,也预示着一个新的使命的到来。
从09年的5月到现在,转眼间一年过去了,当时的那个暑假可能要比我想象的漫长。而现在自己又要回到象牙塔,回到美国读书了。有人说,在这个社会里,青年人的理想会被磨灭,会被强奸。而今天,我的理想依旧在人生中闪耀,而且它更清晰地照亮了前方的黑暗。除了这每个人生来就有的纯洁的理想,我也更多了一份理性与沉着。社会上的沉沦,我看到了,但只有光明可以照亮污浊,而我也看到了这代表光明的希望——它来自我们青年人,来自这群参加到哥本哈根联合国气候变化大会的中国青年。
当我反思是什么力量使我决定休学留在中国发起“COP15中国青年代表团”时,我想那是当时的激情和使命感。这里的激情是每个青年人身上都有的激情,而这里的使命,也并非是道德上的圣人才能拥有的使命,它是历史与时代的潮流赋予我们中国青年人的使命与责任。那时我坚信,中国青年应该像与我们同龄的美国青年和印度青年那样,在国际舞台上为地球呼喊,为气候变化所带来的灾难呼喊;那时我坚信,中国青年必会是未来创造人与自然和谐的力量之一;那时我更坚信,中国青年应该成为未来解决环境及社会问题的生力军。我的坚信使我没想到过失败,团队的坚信使我们最终获得成功。如今,当我用理性的目光去审视当时的激情,我发现,我做了我应该做的事。
“哥本哈根”成为了很多团队成员心中改变人生轨迹的经历。他们中的大部分都在长期而深入地关注着气候变化领域,他们用自己客观理性的视角去分析所谓的“气候政治”。团队中的新闻工作者,一如既往地坚持着那份社会职责,用公正客观的报道去影响大众的认知。而像我一样回归校园的学生们,是“哥本哈根”使他们更清晰地了解到如何才能学以致用。还有一些人正在中国推动着大家都还很陌生的社会型企业,社会创新成为他们在关注气候变化问题后的延伸领域。这些青年人成为了希望的种子,在无时无刻地感染身边的人,用自己的光芒去为后来者指引方向。最重要的是,我们用事实和行动向其他的青年人证明,当你听惯了身边无数的说教,当你习惯了社会的向“钱”看时,你可以通过自己的努力去实践你的激情与信念,去反驳那些否定你的说教,去用不同的方式来证明人生的意义。我们的时代,我们的社会,需要你和我,作为合格的公民,使她更加美好。
有人会说,
我们那时还很不成熟;
我们还需要更多的知识;
我们其实可以做的更好。
我想说,
“哥本哈根”虽然已经过去了,但我们才刚刚开始……
赵祥宇
团队发起人,总协调
2010年8月19日
China-US Youth at COP 15
Group photo of COP 15 'China-US Youth Workshop: Our Shared Future'
Garett Brennan, executive director, Focus the Nation June 7, 2010 As I think back to my experience at COP15, I remember fondest the interactions with the Chinese Youth Delegation. It was not an experience that I necessarily anticipated or sought out. It was not on my "agenda," you could say. Which is why I think it was so refreshing, considering we were all in an environment where every minute of every day and every person seemed to have a loaded agenda. But as I think back, the opportunity to connect and the interactions that occurred with Chinese Youth are the ones that felt most natural, most human. And I am grateful for it. It is what I carried home.
The interactions gave me tremendous hope. Our dinner together. Our collaboration to understand our respective values and community landscapes. The share the global social change we both seek, yet have to approach in very different ways. I come from a country founded on dissent and dreams of fairness, opportunity, and happiness....yet in all my travels as an American, a shadow of my country's past lurked. It is one of conceit, of bullying, of righteousness. That is the side I am not proud of. So as the interactions with Chinese Youth unfolded, I was thrilled at the idea of presenting a better side of America. To hopefully share with you that there are people in our country that want to work together. That believe in collaboration. I absolutely loved listening to your stories of where you live, what inspired you to travel to Copenhagen, why you are motivated to be a part of the solution and how hard it can be at times because of how your government is structured and how life is just simply different in your country.
I was so incredibly impressed with every person I met in your delegation, and even though the meeting with Secretary Locke was frustrating, I was so happy to help make that happen because I think we all learned so much from sitting at the table with him. I think we learned a lot about what we're up against with American politicians---about how hard it is for politicians to be real and sincere. With their stories, with their heritage, with their passion or motivation. Oddly, it was that particular moment that gave me hope as I looked across the table at the Chinese and US youth sitting together and I thought to myself, "We can do this differently. We are the ones inheriting this and we will approach the solutions we need in different ways. We are motivated by something deeper than commerce." Our two countries tremendously need each other right now. And the world needs us to lead together if we are serious about making clean energy the cheapest option of powering our lives.
After meeting all of you, I have confidence that our two countries can collaborate in unprecedented, exciting, historical ways. And that we can help each other's businesses, governments and communities drive the innovation toward living in a clean energy world.
I am not a politician. Nor a scientist. I am songwriter at heart, and a lover of real human stories. Changing humanity's energy story in a way that lifts people up is what inspires me. I see it as a way to finally live our better selves. And I think the Chinese and US youth can be the example.
The interactions gave me tremendous hope. Our dinner together. Our collaboration to understand our respective values and community landscapes. The share the global social change we both seek, yet have to approach in very different ways. I come from a country founded on dissent and dreams of fairness, opportunity, and happiness....yet in all my travels as an American, a shadow of my country's past lurked. It is one of conceit, of bullying, of righteousness. That is the side I am not proud of. So as the interactions with Chinese Youth unfolded, I was thrilled at the idea of presenting a better side of America. To hopefully share with you that there are people in our country that want to work together. That believe in collaboration. I absolutely loved listening to your stories of where you live, what inspired you to travel to Copenhagen, why you are motivated to be a part of the solution and how hard it can be at times because of how your government is structured and how life is just simply different in your country.
I was so incredibly impressed with every person I met in your delegation, and even though the meeting with Secretary Locke was frustrating, I was so happy to help make that happen because I think we all learned so much from sitting at the table with him. I think we learned a lot about what we're up against with American politicians---about how hard it is for politicians to be real and sincere. With their stories, with their heritage, with their passion or motivation. Oddly, it was that particular moment that gave me hope as I looked across the table at the Chinese and US youth sitting together and I thought to myself, "We can do this differently. We are the ones inheriting this and we will approach the solutions we need in different ways. We are motivated by something deeper than commerce." Our two countries tremendously need each other right now. And the world needs us to lead together if we are serious about making clean energy the cheapest option of powering our lives.
After meeting all of you, I have confidence that our two countries can collaborate in unprecedented, exciting, historical ways. And that we can help each other's businesses, governments and communities drive the innovation toward living in a clean energy world.
I am not a politician. Nor a scientist. I am songwriter at heart, and a lover of real human stories. Changing humanity's energy story in a way that lifts people up is what inspires me. I see it as a way to finally live our better selves. And I think the Chinese and US youth can be the example.