Challenge Europe advocate from Ireland, Dylan Townsend will speak at the Eco-UNESCO’s National Eco-Youth Forum in Dublin on Wednesday 26 November. The event entitled ‘What’s so hot about climate change’ will bring together young people aged 15-18 from across Ireland to explore, debate and take action on issues related to climate change and sustainable development. At the event, Dylan will talk specifically about media and climate change including his work on the Challenge Europe project, ‘Climate Change Exchange’. For more information on Eco-UNESCO in Ireland, please visit the following website: www.ecounesco.ie

Climate advocates from Ukraine joined cyclists to support Car free day in Kyiv on 21 September 2008. Some of them were riding in polar bear costumes to highlight the danger of polar bears becoming extinct due to global warming. The slogan of the bike ride was “Kyiv is the city of parks, not parkings lots”. The 26 km-long ride in Kyiv took place in the pouring rain, but a press conference, climate change photo exhibition, eco-quiz and concerts by Ukrainian youth music groups, were just some of the rewards participants could look forward to after finishing their ride. Unexpectedly, musicians from the Absdolts band borrowed the polar bear costumes of our advocates and began an improvised performance with environmental slogans and stories. The first Car free day was a real success thanks to a huge amount of enthusiasm from the climate advocates and other organisers as well as the further action plans it managed to generate, despite the weather!

On Thursday, 6 November 2008, the UN Association of the UK hosted a one-day conference on climate change in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Climate Challenge equipped 120 delegates with practical ideas for reducing individual CO2 emissions, evaluating government climate policy, and taking stock of progress in UN-led negotiations towards a strengthened global climate deal. As part of the conference, one of our NI/Ireland Challenge Europe advocates, Claire Hanna, was given the opportunity to talk about the British Council’s international climate change programme and more specifically about her group’s ambitious electric car proposal, ‘Project Better Place – Ireland’. Her presentation was both lively and informative and tremendous interest and enthusiasm was generated among the delegates. Well done, Claire!

Two Czech climate advocates attended a seminar on the 29 of October on Europe’s leading role on competitiveness and the transition to a low carbon economy. The day was organised by the British Embassy in Prague in cooperation with Respekt Institute for senior officials, NGO workers and representatives of academia and science. Although the topic was the necessary transition to a low carbon economy, the impacts of the recent financial crises to this process were also widely discussed. The seminar was opened by Caroline Flint, British Minister to Europe, who also met privately with our advocates to discuss Challenge Europe and Czech climate challenges.