"COP26 leaders, don't lead us to climate destruction"

Nomundari shares how climate change affects children's nutrition and demands better information and action from the world's governments.

In Mongolia, climate change isn’t a really well-talked about issue. However, young leaders are trying their best to raise awareness and take steps to help in response to the climate crisis, and how it affects crops, wildlife, the environment, food and nutrition.

Due to agricultural production constraints, Mongolians are accustomed to importing food products. Although we are self-sufficient in meat, wheat and potatoes, crop and livestock productivity remain low and this limits our ability to meet growing domestic demand. Climate change’s impact on food also greatly influences imports from other countries to Mongolia. A bad climate affects the quality of food and harvest.

This leads to a situation where schools and public places buy and make food using ingredients that aren’t so fresh. This in turn impacts the health of children by weakening our immune system and putting us at greater risk of COVID-19, which results in children not going to school and getting a proper education.

Action to address climate change

In my opinion, young leaders are doing a lot and if given the chance we would like to do even more. However, we need more information on what government officials are doing, what kind of action they are taking and whether it has worked or not.

In famine-stricken countries, governments should send support and aid packages to families affected by climate change, and try to amend their current CO2-inducing ways of generating electricity and power. 

Of course, for this to happen, first they need to act on the Paris climate agreement. In 2015, almost all of the world's countries pledged to limit global warming to "well below" 2˚C above pre-industrial levels and to strive to keep temperatures at 1.5˚C by the end of the century. However, countries are "significantly off-schedule" to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement, a UN-backed report warned recently.

Governments must accept the fact that climate change is indeed a serious issue. If we do not take immediate action, they will be leading the world close to destruction.

I am passionate about this issue and think it’s so important to continue to raise more awareness among my peers. No matter what governments do at COP, I will keep on raising my voice, being heard, and sharing my opinion on the topics that I’m passionate about. I’m hoping at the end of this COP we’ll finally have some more information and real plans from governments like I’ve been asking.

Nomundari, 16, is a climate change activist who is in charge of the Fridays For Future movement in Mongolia, young leader with World Vision Mongolia and member of Child Rights Connect’s children’s advisory team