On 25 May 2023, Zhongshan Xiaolan Low-Carbon Development & Promotion Center, as the implementation agency of the first IKI Small Grants project in China, hosted a kick-off event for the Guangdong Youth Low-Carbon Education Program. The project aims to strengthen climate change education and mitigation in primary schools in Guangdong province. It is financed through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) Small Grants program supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Ms HE Yiqing, director of Zhongshan Xiaolan Low-Carbon Development & Promotion Center, joined the event emphasizing the potential and role of youth in climate action, especially in the context of rural areas. Ms CAO Yun, GIZ Advisor of Sino-German Cooperation on Climate Change (SGCCC), congratulated the successful kick-off of the first IKI Small Grants project in China. She stressed that organisations like Zhongshan Xiaolan Low-Carbon Development & Promotion Center will be supported as one of the selected local actors for climate and biodiversity protection, which hopefully results in greater ambition and broader participation for a sustainable transformation. Ms YANG Junjie, GIZ Specialist of SGCCC, handed over the “Low-Carbon Guardian” flag to two student representatives.
(Photo Credit: Zhongshan Xiaolan Low-Carbon Development & Promotion Center)
During the kick-off event, students from the Shenwan-Yucai Primary School, one of the primary schools demonstrating low-carbon development in Zhongshan, gave their commitment to climate action as a team. The program will encourage young students to be aware of the climate crisis as a global challenge and strive more for climate action in their schools, families, and local communities at the municipal and county levels.
(Photo Credit: Zhongshan Xiaolan Low-Carbon Development & Promotion Center)
One of the special sessions invited students to explore the “3060 information station” constructed with retrofitted containers which included well-designed info-boards and interactive equipment to showcase basic concepts of climate change, China’s dual climate goals, and daily behaviour choices for GHG footprint reduction. Moreover, young participants learned about how to manage waste recycling through interaction in small groups. . Students were motivated to focus on learning and eager to transfer the newly acquired knowledge and skills into their daily activities.
Experienced trainers were also invited to the kick-off event to moderate an interactive workshop with students to discuss the necessary actions to implement a low-carbon school’s transformation. Students actively participated in the discussion round, raising important perspectives including canteen management, transport, energy sources, building renovation, and waste recycling. Imagining the role of a schoolmaster, young students were encouraged to design a shared low-carbon future for their primary school. It came to their mind that the role of the local community can have an essential impact on climate mitigation through measures such as the electrification of shuttle buses.
(Photo Credit: Zhongshan Xiaolan Low-Carbon Development & Promotion Center)
Under the guidance of the Zhongshan Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, the project will enable the transformation of learning into climate action and provide suggestions on policymaking at the municipal and county levels. Additionally, the project plans to organise capacity building and systematic training in Zhongshan through diverse approaches such as a training of trainers program, student participation and practices, low carbon champion awards, as well as a peer learning network.
With the IKI Small Grants scheme, the German federal government aims to promote the work of small national, regional and local organisations in developing and emerging economies to encourage active citizen involvement and local approaches through the financing of the proposed projects, accompanying capacity development measures and network expansion.
