Youth power: we ought to do our best to save the world before changing it

By Wang Ruoxin and Zhang Andi

“China's youth in the new era care about their family and country, and share that concern for the rest of humanity,” the white paper “Youth of China in the New Era” said.

In the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, more and more Chinese young people have shown their awareness of and responsibility for building a community of life for man and nature and a shared future for all life on Earth. And many of them have been making proactive efforts.

Guangming Online invited Zhang Daqian, who works for the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), to share his experience in the “saving the world” activities and the ideas he wants to convey to the world in terms of biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.

Guangming Online: How long have you been working for CBCDGF? Have you always wanted to work in this area, or was there an opportunity that pushed you into this?

Zhang Daqian: I have been working here for two years, since I graduated from UIR. I was aiming for changing the word via absolving the language barriers when I was in colleague. After reading “The Limits to Growth” (LTG) and “The Sixth Extinction”, I think we ought to do our best to save the world before changing it. That being said, I focus on details as well: how did we help the beekeepers, raise awareness in terms of animal welfare, etc. During the Spring Festival in 2020, Lao Zhou was laid off from the farm.The CBCGDF hive fund later helped with the transportation and the promotion of his honey online. I am the one that spread that story across the board.

Guangming Online: What kind of projects have you been involved in at CBCDGF? How exactly do these projects operate and what results have been achieved?

Zhang Daqian: We usually guide our local volunteers and help with on-site conservation. We also write guidelines and standards for all sectors’ reference. So far, I participated in the setting of three standards. The latest Recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence published by UNESCO adopted our suggestions(The one that I co-wrote). Previously, "Biodiversity" was not mentioned in their drafts. I have been mainstreaming Biodiversity: CBCGDF's emphasis on biodiversity to many policies/regulations have been successful in China and beyond. But this is far from enough. We need all sectors of society to join us

Guangming Online: How did you contribute to the setting of three standards and what are they?

Zhang Daqian: I wrote T/CGDF 00007—2021 “Green textiles and clothing standards”, Carbon Emission section (2021.04), T/CGDF 00008—2021, “Biosafety general standards”, International Cooperation section(2021.07), and, just as we speak, the Restoration standard, Restoration of grassland.

Guangming Online: Have you attended any global conferences or forums?

Zhang Daqian: Global Forum For Children and Youth 2021 (CY21) and Plenary Session II on "People's Participation on Sustainability: The BRICS Experience".

Guangming Online: What spirit and idea are you trying to convey to the world?

Zhang Daqian: It’s a waste to be a climate change doomer. There’s always more to be done than to be complained about. Participation matters. Put yourself up on that pedestal.

Guangming Online: In the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, what kind of awareness and sense of responsibility do you think young people should have?

Zhang Daqian: Vote in you ballot and vote with your wallet. Choosing environmentally friendly products makes them understand that green products can be more attractive to consumers. Then give back to the community you are in. Carrying out Biodiversity Conservation in our Neighborhood (BCON) is not as difficult as it seems. Finally, start changing from yourself, and others will follow.

Guangming Online: What do you think is needed to achieve the goal of building a community of life for man and nature and a shared future for all life on Earth as proposed by President Xi Jinping?

Zhang Daqian:We need to let companies know what kind of impacts over-consumption will cause, and how it will lead to biodiversity loss. We need to let decision-makers around the world know that they need to do more on climate change and emissions reduction. As a member of social organizations, we need to participate more aside from the conservationists. Another thing is One Health. This approach is more important than ever as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is zoonotic, which means it can spread between people and animals. The One Health approach is crucial to addressing new disease threats that affect both people and animals. Finally, A sustainable recovery should speed up the transition from fossil fuels - especially coal and oil - and aim to create decent green jobs. This means we should include more industries besides steel and coal to join in, and let more people be linked/ affected by carbon offset and other environment-related standards. (e.g. Green label.)