Cairo: A 16-year-old Hyderabadi boy Ankith Suhas Rao is representing India at the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.
COP27, which began in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on Sunday, November 6 and will continue until Friday, November 18.
Ankith Suhas Rao, a class 10 student of Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, is part of an elite group of five students (one each from North America, Egypt, India, Africa and the Philippines)– who have been selected to speak on behalf of youth at the summit.
At the COP27 summit, Ankith will present a paper on his learnings and observations.
Ankith, who aspires to be a climate scientist, told News18, “We have taken it upon ourselves to tell people that climate change is happening and that it’s happening very fast.”
As per media reports, Ankith said he was very happy to represent India at COP27.
“It’s a great and wonderful educational opportunity. This will give me a broad exposure where I will be able to connect and influence other students to work on solutions to climate issues and contribute to building a better, safer and more sustainable world,” he added.
Rao is not the first student from the institution to attend a UN summit. At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, Pavan Trishu Kumar was chosen to deliver a statement on behalf of students from 54 countries.
Ankith, as part of this opportunity, will also be at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY17). In the 10-day programme, he will get a chance to interact with world leaders and other like-minded people.
About COP27
The United Nations Climate Conference COP27, which will continue until November 18, kicked off in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday.
The conference, which brings together leaders and representatives from nearly 200 countries, aims to clarify the rules of the new global climate compact, and aspires to take action on a range of climate issues, including— urgently reducing greenhouse emissions, building resilience, adapting to the inevitable effects of climate change and fulfilling climate action financing commitments from developed countries to developing countries.
The beginning of such conferences dates back to 1992 when world leaders met in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in what was known as the Earth Summit, which aimed to discuss climate issues and come up with an international plan of action to deal with environmental issues.
The Earth Summit was also held to mark the 20th anniversary of what may be the first meeting of humans to discuss climate issues, in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, in 1972.
The Rio de Janeiro summit was the first seed for the launch of the Conference of Parties (COP) on climate change, and it has been held annually since that time, leading to the 27th edition that was launched this year in Sharm El Sheikh, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.
