TakingITGlobal

www.decarbonize.me Section I: Moving Forward on Climate & Water Issues As representatives of a world-wide alliance of youth, we recognize our role in a movement of global citizenship, and our responsibility as part of a global mobilization. To this end, we propose adding the following goals to our climate change response. Oceans and Water Challenges to ocean sustainability and water security remains major global issues. Industries, inefficient policies, and unsustainable farming practices contribute to water insecurity. Now is the time to explore possibilities and develop solutions to save our oceans and water sources. We propose the following possibilities: • regulate and ban industry contamination of water sources, including runoff from farms, sewage from municipalities, dumping from factories, and mining waste. • regulate the fishing industry by targeting overfishing and creating protected marine areas. • enact policies to conserve water and restrict overuse by targeting households and agricul- tural industries. Every year, oceans are polluted with millions of litres of raw sewage and toxic runoff. Ocean contamination influences human activity. For example, in Ghana, residents refuse to swim on the coasts off their cities. In a world where over one billion people do not have clean water to drink, industry contamination of our water sources must be regulated. is calls for policies to be adopted that address water contamination caused by industry, such as runoff and dumping from farms, factories, mining, coral dredging, sewage disposal, and ship ballast dumping. Regulations are necessary because if le unchecked, unregulated industries will result in the destruction of marine biodiversity and limit the access to clean water globally. We recommend policy to ensure that all manufacturing companies have sustainable alternatives to manage industrial waste and that governments have the legal means to impose penalties on violators. "We only think of ourselves and let others suffer the consequences of our mistakes" Lincoln Community School - Accra, Ghana "Every person from every corner of the globe needs to realise that no matter their lifestyle or location, they are not safe from their own impact on the environment." Pimlico State High School - Townsville, Australia

• Cover