As delegates from 160 countries met in The Hague,

25 Nov, 2000

T2 Supplement

Tom Barton, 19, is studying politics at York University

The past weeks have been dominated by the environment: fuel protests, severe flooding, a Government paper on green cities and this week the global warming conference in The Hague.

But what is global warming? Basically it is the planet heating up - 1990 was the hottest decade of the century and scientists say temperatures could rise by up to another 8C over the next 100 years. This is thought to be at least partly due to rising levels of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas generated by burning fossil fuels such as coal and petrol. These gases trap the sun's heat by acting like a huge blanket.

This temperature rise could mean more droughts in some areas, flooding elsewhere, higher sea levels and more frequent storms. The ice caps could melt and flood low-lying countries such as The Netherlands.

Politicians tend to focus on what will win them votes in six months time, not what the world will be like in 20 or 30 years, so what can we do?

Last weekend I chaired the first Youth Environment Conference in Birmingham - organised with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Youth Clubs UK - to find out what young people think.

More than 170 14 to 25-year-olds turned up for the debate and had the chance to grill a panel of politicians including Don Foster, Liberal Democrats Environment Spokesman, Damian Green, from the Conservative party, and Phil Hope, from Labour.

One of the concerns was the use of fossil fuels for cars and generating electricity. Also the lack of green alternatives such as wind or hydro-electric power, or more recycling schemes. Damian Green said local authorities should provide these.

But the main issue to come out of the day was what we can do to make a difference. Lots of people don't understand what's happening to the planet so we need to show how important the environment is. If enough people think about this when they vote, then politicians will start to take note. Many of them don't think anybody cares and the only way we'll get them to do something is by demonstrating that we do care.

Contact Tom about these issues or the Youth Environment Conference at tom@tombarton.co.uk

To find out about the RSPB's environmental work, call 01767 680551.

What we can do:Tell friends and family how important the environment is

Demonstrate. This week, 200 American college students protested against their country's attitude at the Hague talks. "The USA represents only four per cent of the world's population yet we are responsible for nearly a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions," they stated.

Write to MPs, businesses and banks and ask how they are tackling pollution, promoting recycling and raise other issues you feel strongly about. Make them take note!

* Conserve energy. Recycle, don't throw things away. See Friends of the Earth's green tips at http://www.foe.co.uk. * The Government has advice at http://www.doingyourbit.org.uk and http://www.schools.detr.gov.uk/global/index.htm