COP30 & What You Can Do To Be More Environmentally Conscious

Understanding COP 30 and Climate Action – Special Children's Day Episode

In this special Children's Day episode of Takaro Kids, we discuss the significance of COP 30, a critical meeting on climate change hosted in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil. We explore major topics including the move from promises to action plans, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and global clean energy initiatives. We also address the importance of spreading accurate climate information and the impact of climate change on public health. Join us as we share practical tips for kids to contribute to environmental sustainability, highlight indigenous voices, and round off with a fun quiz!

00:00 Welcome Back to Takaro Kids!
00:11 Recap of Last Week's Episode
00:54 Celebrating Children's Day
01:37 Introduction to COP 30
02:17 The Importance of COP 30
03:15 Challenges and Criticisms of COP 30
05:16 Steps Towards Clean Energy
11:02 Health Impacts of Climate Change
12:41 Indigenous Voices at COP 30
13:58 Tips for Kids to Help the Environment
19:57 Interactive Segment and Quiz

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Transcript

Kiran Menon 0:00

Takaro Kids. I am back, and Takaro, as you know, is a weekly podcast that helps kids of all ages understand the events that shape the world around them. Debbie, did you miss me last week?

Debkanya 0:14

Not at all. I had a superb guest last week, in fact, and I

Kiran Menon 0:18

Ouch. That hurt.

Debkanya 0:21

Yeah, yeah. But it's true. I mean, she was, she was so great. Talking all about

Kiran Menon 0:26

It was a great,

Debkanya 0:27

Cup.

Kiran Menon 0:27

Great show.

Debkanya 0:28

miss that episode, I would recommend that you go and listen to it. We are talking all about the Indian Women's Cricket team and about their amazing victory at DY Patil, where they won the finals against South Africa. And, you know, we got a lot of behind the scenes information, so yes. Listen to the episode if you are into cricket or into sports, and generally, you know, wanna know about the big buzz around that big story.

Kiran Menon 0:54

Most importantly, we are recording today, November 14th. Happy Children's Day

Debkanya 1:01

Oh

Kiran Menon 1:02

because it is the most important day of the year. It is happy Children's Day to all of you

Debkanya 1:09

Why do we celebrate

Kiran Menon 1:11

of us.

Debkanya 1:11

Children's Day Kiran?

Kiran Menon 1:14

Go for, I know you have this story.

Debkanya 1:17

Well actually Children's Day is celebrated because we are actually celebrating the birthday of a very, very important man. He was our first

Kiran Menon 1:25

Mm-hmm.

Debkanya 1:26

Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, Chacha

Kiran Menon 1:29

Yep.

Debkanya 1:29

he was called. He was very, very fond of children, and that's why his birthday is celebrated as Children's Day in India.

Kiran Menon 1:38

Today on this Children's Day episode, we actually have something very, very important that we're gonna be talking about, right? We're gonna be talking about the world and the environment and sustainability, and very specifically, COP 30.

Debkanya 1:53

COP30. Sounds like there were lots of cops involved.

Kiran Menon 1:58

Oh, great joke. Amazing.

Debkanya 2:01

I think it was a good one. I think it was a good joke, but no, no, I mean there were some cops involved. Actually, when we go into the story a little bit more in detail, there were some cops involved unfortunately, we'll come to that in

Kiran Menon 2:13

Always.

Debkanya 2:14

Yes, but Cop 30, what is it? Basically it is a giant world meeting, is on climate change, right? It's happening in Brazil, in Belem, uh, in, in the Amazon rainforest in fact, this year. And it's a place where a lot of people who are working on finding solutions to climate change, who are working on finding solutions to a lot of problems that are affecting people in the world, they come together and they talk about a lot of things. They debate a lot of things and they make a lot of important decisions to make things better and to make the world a better place. So basically very important

Kiran Menon 2:49

Yep.

Debkanya 2:51

activists, leaders from around the world, and a lot of young people. Also, by the way, a lot of students also go and attend COP 30. So what does COP stand for? Conference of the parties. What is 30? This is the 30th, such meeting that's been taking place.

Kiran Menon 3:06

Yeah, and, and I think, uh, you know. The COP 29, 28, 27. It's been said that, you know, all these leaders, all these big people come together. They say a whole lot of, you know big things like, oh, we have to protect forests, we have to help poor countries. We have to do so much, but nothing really happens, right? It's just words. And I think, uh, COP 30, the whole theme for Cop 30 was to kind of move away from just those words and actually create an implementation plan.

Debkanya 3:34

Yes.

Kiran Menon 3:34

a specific action plan to say, okay, this is exactly what we're gonna do over the next 12 months, 18 months, three years, whatever it may be, right? And in fact, some of those themes went down to Hey, let's use less coal, oil, gas, all the natural resources. The reason for fossil fuels, or, you know, natural resources, is basically to burn up and use it for energy, right? So when you think about coal. It is one of the biggest, biggest sources of electricity. In fact, India, a lot of our electricity is generated by coal. A significant majority of it is produced through coal. Oil and gas, obviously, oil for your vehicles, gas for your cooking. So all of this comes from the earth and we are constantly drilling to get all of this from Earth. But the idea was to let's use less coal, oil and gas.

Debkanya 4:29

Yeah, that's right. So that's one of the main things that's been talked about. And to your point, Kiran, I mean, we've been talking about reducing our reliance on fossil fuels for a while, but in

Kiran Menon 4:39

Mm-hmm.

Debkanya 4:39

this COP30 people are coming up with actual step-by-step plans to make sure that this happens., The whole

Kiran Menon 4:46

Yep.

Debkanya 4:46

Of this COP 30 is it's being called the implementation COP, or rather the action cop, um, where they're, they're done with making promises. No more pledges because in the past people come say, Hey, you know what, by 2030 I'm gonna do X, Y, Z. But then that never happens. And then another meeting happens and say. Okay. Actually, you know what, by 2040 we'll do X, Y, Z. So that's the thing people are getting a little impatient with, right? So this year they're being very, very tough and talking about a step by step, exact plan to switch over to clean energy. What is clean energy? Clean energy is things like energy from solar, solar energy from the sun.. Wind is another one. Hydro, which is water, is another one. So these are all forms of clean energy. So how do we tap into that and actually phase out fossil fuels?

Kiran Menon 5:33

And, and in fact, you know, it's.

Debkanya 5:34

Yep.

Kiran Menon 5:35

It's not all doom and gloom, right? Things are happening because, if you think about it, just a month ago, I think the BBC reported that it was the first time ever renewable energy overtook coal as world's biggest source of electricity, which is huge. Coal is the biggest source of electricity around the world. For the first time ever, the renewable energy overtook coal, which means renewable energy is everything from, you know, hydro to, uh, solar to uh, wind, energy, all of that coming together to actually generate more electricity than coal has, which is an amazing, amazing achievement for all of us. Right. Develop economies. China actually being one of the largest producers renewable energy for electricity.

Debkanya 6:28

Yeah, taking over and I mean, I think a lot of people are saying hello. The US should take note because they are actually going backwards when it comes to help stop climate change. But again, that's a separate topic but another group of countries, which is mainly Europe, is again saying this time at the COP 30, another big development is that they are going to, cut greenhouse gases. Again,

Kiran Menon 6:52

Mm-hmm.

Debkanya 6:53

going to reduce the amount of pollution. Now they have set a very, very ambitious target for themselves. They have said they wanna cut 90% of its pollution by 2040, right? So they wanna clean up everything in 15 years. Now, this is, again, not just talk because European Parliament, the European Parliament is what -leaders from different European countries, they all come together just like we have a parliament in India, there's a. Parliament that sits, that has different European, leaders representing their countries and they come together and make decisions for that region. So the European Parliament has actually approved a plan to cut the European Union's greenhouse gas emissions, like I said, by 90%, so that again, very, very concrete step because unless it's passed by parliament, it

Kiran Menon 7:37

Yeah.

Debkanya 7:37

become action.

Kiran Menon 7:39

Of pollution by 2040, that's like in 15 years cleaning up everything, which is ridiculous, right? I mean, that's an amazingly ambitious plan and.

Debkanya 7:49

Yeah.

Kiran Menon 7:50

But like you said, you know, the US government or the US is kind of moving backwards, but even though the US government was not there, because Donald Trump very clearly says climate change does not exist. That's his point of view the governor of California was there because California has always been one, which is kind of talking about clean energy and you know, sustainability. And so the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, he actually came to Cop 30 and which was, which was very interesting. I mean, the governor of the state comes, but there's no representation from the country, right.

Debkanya 8:22

We should all take a lesson out of that. It doesn't matter if you know everybody doesn't agree with you, if you have a strong enough point of view, no matter who you are, you can also make a difference. Right. And Gavin Newsom, being in the COP 30 this time, is definitely sending a very strong message to everybody. One other interesting thing, by the way, Kiran is very few US Media houses also came to COP 30 this year. You know what that means, right?

Kiran Menon 8:49

That's,

Debkanya 8:49

Yeah,

Kiran Menon 8:51

so terrible.

Debkanya 8:52

Because basically if TV channels and or other journalists from the US don't come to the COP 30, that means they're not talking about the, you know, all these important things like the fossil fuels or in pollution and all these pledges that are

Kiran Menon 9:06

Yeah,

Debkanya 9:07

And if this news is not there for everyone to know about, they're going to think, Hey, nothing's up. Right. You know, there's this

Kiran Menon 9:15

just so unfortunate.

Debkanya 9:17

If, if a tree falls in a forest and no one saw it, did it really fall? I, I know I'm, I've botched up that saying, but the, the sentiment is the same, right? If you don't report on it, and if I don't hear about it, did it really happen? And that's the thing that, that's the responsibility that a lot of journalists have. And by not going to the COP 30, it kind of tells you, it mirrors what the US government feels about it. And that's not a good sign. Right? I think it's, it's

Kiran Menon 9:42

Yeah.

Debkanya 9:42

for everyone to be aware.

Kiran Menon 9:43

One of the things about the communication piece is also, you know, the misinformation that happens now. You know, a lot of kids are getting online nowadays, whether it be on Netflix or on YouTube, or, you know, whatever else it may be. There's a lot of misinformation being carried out across all of these channels in multiple ways, not just about climate, but, you know, let's take climate for, uh, for our specific focus over here. A lot of false claims, a lot of, AI generated videos, a lot of fake videos. And so one of the key concerns at COP 30 was how do you kind of tackle this from a climate perspective?

Debkanya 10:21

Hmm.

Kiran Menon 10:22

So how do you avoid the spreading of wrong information? It slows down people, makes people ask the wrong questions. How do you stop that? And, and I think that's really, really important for all of us listening. How do we kind of go online and how do we know whether it is the right news or whether it is fake news, whether it is made up, whether it is AI driven, whether it is actually a real video. For all the parents listening as well, that's a very, very important topic for, you know, you to have with your kids. How do you kind of differentiate between real versus fake and misinformed content?

Debkanya 11:02

The other thing that comes up a lot when we talk about climate change and sustainability in general, we are talking about the health of the planet. Yes. But we have to ultimately remember the health of the planet is going to impact our health as well. If we have an unhealthy planet, which is polluted, if we have air that is not clean, that you can see, for example in Delhi right now. If you live in Delhi, your house is probably full of air purifiers, right? So think about it. That impact, the impact that it has on your health. Your ability to breathe is huge. And now population's health is a Big, big thing that a country needs to worry about because it is expensive to provide healthcare for so many people. When so many people fall sick, it affects how a country can grow, whether it can grow, whether it can thrive, or whether it can have business. You know, so many things are, are impacted by the health of its population, right? And climate change is a big factor, and especially in India where we have so many People who do not have access to, for example, a air purifier in their home. What are they going to do? So the government has to then step up and say, Hey, you know what, we'll have to spend a lot more money on making sure that people can be healthy or people can have a safe environment to live in. Right? So these are all factors. So while there are certain countries that contribute more towards climate change, there are a lot, many more countries that are affected even though they didn't do anything right. Uh, again, island nations, we spoke about it in another episode, water levels, rising islands are affected. So yeah, there's so many things. We are all connected to each other. So I think that's what was the main thing that came up at Cop 30. Another interesting thing though, Kiran, that I don't want to, end this episode before is a group of indigenous folks. Now, what does indigenous mean? Indigenous means local tribes, right? A group of tribes from the Amazon rainforest actually tried to break into the building where the COP 30 meetings were taking place. Okay. And this is super interesting. Why did they do that? they were upset that all these people, all of you are talking and you know, saying all of these things. But ultimately it's our rainforest, it's our land that is on sale. And we are not okay with it because, you know, ultimately these tribes have been living in these forests for generations and generations, and they've been protecting these forests and they've been watching as their environment has been getting, you know, affected so badly. They've been watching their rivers drying up, they've been watching their forests being cut down around them. They were watching Animal Life getting affected around them, and they're living in these forests, right? So they're like, we need to be heard because we are experiencing this every day. So, yeah. So there was a big clash that happened actually at the COP 30, where these folks wanted to be let in so that their voices could be heard.

Kiran Menon 13:50

Hope we will take that Into consideration going forward as well. Like to include everyone, right? Not just small groups, but everyone. So let's round up this episode with just a few quick pointers on what we could possibly do

Debkanya 14:05

Mm-hmm.

Kiran Menon 14:06

at home, And, maybe I'm speaking to all the kids out here, right? How could you actually contribute to being environmentally conscious, environmentally being environ, more sort of responsible. The first one is a very cool term. Be a 'power guardian' at home, A power guardian that's very, very cool is basically when, when you as a kid look around your house and you see, you know, lights are on, the fan is on, things are on, and TV is left on for like half an hour, 45 minutes when no one's watching it. Are all ways in which we are consuming electricity for no reason whatsoever. So be the power guardian and go turn them off. Unplug those chargers when they're not in use. Use natural light whenever it's possible. You know, try not to use lights when there's enough light outside and, and yeah, be that 'power guardian' at home. What do you think about that?

Debkanya 15:05

I think some parents will really appreciate this. Kids don't get mad, but it's true. Try to use your devices a little less as well, time yourself. See how much time you're spending on a device. Every little bit counts. The other one that I think, you know, for my kids especially, be a water saver! How much time do you spend in the bathroom? How much time do you spend in your shower, reduce the amount of water you're using, and when a lot of people believe that, if you start having bucket baths instead. That's better for you. Really Depends. If you're gonna have a quick two minute, five minute shower,

Kiran Menon 15:37

Yeah.

Debkanya 15:37

that's good for you as well. But whatever it is, ultimate goal is just try to reduce the amount of water you're using -while brushing your teeth. Are you switching the tap off, right? Are you, are you letting it run.

Kiran Menon 15:47

Mm-hmm.

Debkanya 15:48

Are you, are you reusing water, for example, like if you have a garden, do you have plants? Can you take dirty water and maybe water the plants with that instead of filling fresh water from the taps. So there are many, many ways in which we can save water, and that again makes a huge difference.

Kiran Menon 16:03

Another one is, uh, think about what you wanna buy

Debkanya 16:08

Hmm.

Kiran Menon 16:08

because, oh, I know kids nowadays. Just so much, so many toys, so many stuffed toys, so many, you know, books and random things that are lying all over. Do you really need it, right? Because the reason I ask is not for you to stop, you know, buying yourself things or not asking for things from your parents. Every time you buy something and you don't use it. You know, potentially something that's left behind or waste that needs to be thrown away. The moment it gets thrown away, it's most likely going into a dump, into a waste dump, And that garbage dump will become bigger and bigger because it's not biodegradable. For example, if it's a toy or a soft toy, it's not biodegradable. So. Think about maybe how you could also reuse stuff, how you could recycle stuff. Um, you know, maybe there is someone else who can use it and you don't need it anymore, so then give it to that person. But what's very, very important is maintain that toy, maintain that thing

Debkanya 17:16

care of it.

Kiran Menon 17:16

you cannot give it to someone else. Yeah. Take care of it. Because you cannot give it to someone else if you don't take care of it. So take care of it to start with. Use it and then when you're done with it, see if there's someone else who can possibly use it and maybe ask for less.

Debkanya 17:29

I think this is not just for kids, Kiran, it applies to all of us, even grownups, right?

Kiran Menon 17:34

all of us. All of us. Yeah.

Debkanya 17:36

need to consume less, and I'm sure we can. again, connected to, you know, shopping and buying things. It's a very, very simple thing. Everyone knows about it. Can we use less plastic? When you're making a choice, can you make a better choice? Can you say, Hey, I'm gonna carry my own cloth bag. I'm gonna carry my own reusable bag, or a reusable cup every time we go and get, you know, maybe a milkshake or a juice from somewhere. Can I make sure I'm not using a plastic straw or a plastic cup? Maybe you don't need a straw at all. Maybe you can drink directly from the cup, right? But just avoid that plastic straw 'cause it's just so bad for the environment.

Kiran Menon 18:13

The other thing is be curious as well, right about everything. Just question everything. See what makes sense, what doesn't. There are multiple other things we can all do. Don't waste food and, uh, talk about it in school. Because even if one person talks about it, it makes a big difference. So don't think that you're alone. If you want your voice heard, in fact, here's the thing that we're gonna do. Um, if you have a message or if you have a way that you have been a water saver or a power guardian at home, send us that as a voice note and we will play it on the next episode so that all the other kids can learn from you. So if you have one example of how you have done it, send us that as a voice note and we'll, play it so that every other kid can learn from you. What, say Debbie?

Debkanya 18:57

I love it. So yeah, we need ideas and we keep saying, every little thing counts. And one thing, you know, one superpower that kids have, Kiran, that we grownups don't,

Kiran Menon 19:08

Mm-hmm.

Debkanya 19:09

Their superpower is that they see things with fresh eyes. They see things differently. See grownups, we've been around doing what we are doing. We read so much. We talk to so many people. Sometimes, you know, we can't see things with fresh eyes because you know, we just. Old, I guess. But kids, when you have a problem to solve, you can see it from a completely new perspective. Because it's not colored by all the things that you read and hear about, right? So we want to hear your ideas. What can you do or what have you done, to make this world a little better. Send it in to us at takarokids.com or send it in to us on Instagram. You can DM us and we will include it in our next episode. That's gonna be fun.

Kiran Menon 19:57

Before we go, we do have the quiz.

Debkanya 20:02

Yes, we have our quiz question, and this week's quiz question is a little tricky. Again, We are asking what human activity causes climate change. Okay. The options for you are cutting down forests, buying too many things, using a lot of plastic, recycling. What human activity causes climate change?

Kiran Menon 20:30

Is it just one or can there be multiple?

Debkanya 20:33

I'm not saying. I think our listeners are very smart and they will be able to tell us what the correct answer slash answers are!

Kiran Menon 20:41

It is a good one. It's a good one. Awesome. That's a good one. And last week we asked you who was the player of the match in the Women's World Cup final and we had one lucky winner from Delhi. Her name is Anya, 11 years old, and her answer was, Shafali Verma was awarded the Player of the Match. Good job, Anya. Yeah, it was an exciting, exciting match. So congrats once again, Anya. And uh, if you know the answer to this week's question, do send it to us on Instagram or send it to us on our website, takarokids.com. You'll be the lucky one. Could be the lucky one who could win a shirt, a special takaro kids t-shirt, and a gift voucher from us as usual. So go ahead, send it in. Doesn't matter when you send it, it's not the first person who send it. It's not how many times you've sent it. Go ahead and send in your answers.

Debkanya 21:45

Its

Kiran Menon 21:45

Bye.

Debkanya 21:46

us to say bye.