YSEALI Summit 2022 participants gathered in Brunei for a beach cleanup
Headlines bombard us with harrowing news around the world of an impending disaster. One that a great many of society’s changemakers are urgently mobilizing positive change in hopes of a liveable future. It goes by many names, each one more ominous than the next - global warming, boiling point, scorched Earth.
Southeast Asia is globally known as a biodiversity hotspot, alas it is also known to be the most biologically threatened. On a worldwide scale, the region has one of the highest rates of deforestation, towering rates of mining in the tropics and approximately the greatest number of hydropower dams under construction. An Ecosphere research has also reported parts of Indonesia and the Philippines have already lost over half their original forest cover, leaving entire ecosystems in mortal danger.
Climate change feels like an unstoppable titan that we are losing the battle against. Climate news can feel heavy sometimes, but there is cause for optimism.
A participant partaking in the Summit's EcoChallenge. Photo submission by Supatchaya Techachoochert
The pursuit of environmental hope is here. Although the science behind it is not that simple, it is also resoundingly clear. We know what climate change is now more than ever and there are copious solutions discovered to create a healthier, more just, and sustainable planet. People across the globe are working hard to make it happen. What is most important is that we have known this for a long time now, and we are not holding this fort alone.
As the majority of the world's resources are now being directed towards recovering from the pandemic, there is a tantamount need to remind the world about an encroaching climate crisis and the urgency to take concerted action.
The U.S. Embassy in Brunei Darussalam launched the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Summit 2022 on tackling climate change issues in Southeast Asia, in partnership with Biji-biji Initiative and Big BWN Project.
Participants gather for a virtual group photo after a session
The Summit committed to empower more than 100 aspiring youth leaders to bring forward innovative climate change solutions to the region. The month-long hybrid Summit kicked off with jam-packed dialogues on climate issues, innovative technology, and elemental in-person site visits in the land of Brunei. The Summit also embraces action and community to drive sustainable habits, EcoChallenges were taken part as offline activities that participants can log their hours and perform Project Drawdown-inspired solutions to global warming as a group and as individuals.
Regional Ambassador of Asia-Pacific & South Asia COP26, Ken O'Flaherty delivers his remarks at the opening of the Summit in June.
To transform emerging youth leaders into regional climate leaders, the Summit equipped participants with a deeper understanding of climate change complexity, innovative solutions, stakeholders, transformational technologies with the help of esteemed climate leaders around the world. Spectacularly, with the full might of participants across Southeast Asia, the Summit has completed over 100 EcoChallenge activities, effectively avoiding & removing a total of 5,688 kg of Emissions (kgCO2e) to kick-start green recovery in Southeast Asia.
The Summit held an exhilarating pitching competition for the Small Grants Track; seven winning teams were given a small grant of USD 3,500 each to implement their regional climate projects with the guidance of their mentors.
The winning teams emerged as true changemakers with ingenious pitches ranging from tackling fashion waste to attempting to solve issues of malnutrition.
Team ElectrifyASEAN at the YSEALI Summit 2022 Small Grants Pitching Competition
Re Up Laos consists of three talented women whose goal is to tackle climate change in Laos by bringing up waste materials and fast fashion issues.
Summitters 2.0 pitched their project on tackling the increase and improper management of e-waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Project Com-mA designed a project to raise awareness to eliminate illegal activities and save the rainforest in the South Sulawesi region, Indonesia. The team plans to implement this project's participatory process and community mapping technology.
Team Food Connect Asia pitched to provide accurate information on sustainable food by creating a database website to easily locate sustainable producers, suppliers and distributors.
Green Pan proposed creating an eco-friendly cookbook to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions produced through food production and increase food carbon print awareness.
SEAFoodies will be attempting to solve the growing problem of malnutrition and the coexistence of undernutrition and overnutrition in Southeast Asian countries. The team plans to collaborate with communities, implement meal planning workshops, webinars, etc.
ElectrifyASEAN, consisting of seven team members from five different countries, proposed emphasizing the importance of electric vehicles to reduce noise and air pollution emitted from the internal combustion engine of motorcycles, cars, trucks, and buses.
Another 18 participants of the Summit were also selected to partake in the virtual Career Fellowship Track through placements in partner organizations working on climate solutions for three months.
The Career Fellowship winners that will be starting their Fellowship journey with host organization, Comcrop
Yayasan Rumah Energi (YRE) has taken four participants to undergo placement in their organization. YRE is an Indonesian NGO supporting grassroots communities in poverty alleviation, climate change mitigation, and disaster risk reduction. The project fellows will be working on is the Indonesia Domestic Biogas Program.
New Energy Nexus has chosen three participants from the YSEALI Summit, to be their fellows working on the project Thailand Ecosystem Landscape Map. New Energy Nexus is an international nonprofit organization that supports clean energy, climate entrepreneurs and startups.
Comcrop, Singapore's only rooftop commercial farm utilizing greenhouses to produce food close to communities, has five ambitious fellows participating in the High Tech Agriculture and Engaging Youths in Sustainability project.
Health Care Without Harm has chosen three dedicated fellows to be part of the Innovation for the People and the Planet project. Health Care Without Harm is part of an international nonprofit organization that seeks to transform health care worldwide to reduce its environmental footprint.
Bioloop exists to feed Malaysia sustainably and affordably by using black soldier fly larvae ingest pre-consumer agro-waste. three participants have been chosen to be fellows under Bioloop working on the Democratizing Black Soldier Fly Insect Protein project.
The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative is a pioneering opportunity powered by the United States Department of State. The initiative creates opportunities for cross-country collaboration and collective capacity building among emerging youth leaders from Southeast Asia. To learn more about YSEALI and to subscribe to future opportunities, visit their website.
