Vicky Barron, a former Project Trust volunteer in China, has been chosen as part of the UK Youth Climate Coalition (YCC) delegation to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month.

The conference, due to be visited by President Obama, is what many see as the most significant climate summit for many years, with world leaders being pushed for a meaningful agreement. Vicky will be present for the entirety of the conference, which begins on the 7th December. The YCC delegation will lead their appearance at the conference with the slogan, ‘How old will you be in 2050?’ The idea of the slogan is to make people think who will actually be responsible, but more importantly who will have to deal with the consequences of climate change in 2050.

The former volunteer spent 8 months in Gansu Province with Project Trust from 2003-2004. ‘Having travelled with Project Trust, I got to see how beautiful the world is, first-hand. Living and working in Gansu Province, which is largely desert and has a lack of readily-available water, now makes me think that similar areas will only get worse with continued climate change. Although growing up with a natural compassion for the environment, my volunteering with Project Trust opened my eyes to the world and its worries.’

After Project Trust, Miss Barron went on to University and recently completed an MSc in Environmental Technology at Imperial College, London. She also spent a year studying in Sweden and it was during this time that the issue of climate change really came on to her agenda. ‘The attention to things like equality and recycling in Sweden is much greater than in the UK and really got me thinking about how I could personally have an impact on slowing climate change.’

The group of 20 young people, all under the age of 25, hope to put pressure on both UK and Global politicians, and also to communicate back to young people in Britain about the issues surrounding climate change. The delegation has scheduled meetings with various groups, including with Ed Miliband, the UK’s Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Vicky has had to fundraise for the trip and this has resulted in a partnership between her and ASDA Wal-Mart. At the moment there are discussions for a YCC blog on the ASDA website, accepting the invite to challenge them on their green potential.