Second-year Dawson student Zhijian (Jian) Sun is in Antalya, Turkey as part of a youth delegation at the Decarbonize Student Climate Summit taking place in parallel to COP31, the United Nations climate conference taking place Nov. 9 – 20. The student summit, which is mobilizing hundreds of schools, is organized by the Centre for Global Education, UNESCO, and several partner organizations.

Jian is representing the youth of Canada and sharing his perspectives with delegates from around the world. He is a student in Dawson’s Enriched Health and Life Sciences program. Last year, with support from the Dawson College Foundation, Jian competed at the provincial and national science fairs and earned a silver medal at the Canada-Wide Science Fair.

From Atlantic coast to global stage

Jian says personal experience first shaped his commitment to climate action. Air pollution in his hometown affected his health and contributed to the family’s move to Canada, while growing up along the Atlantic coast gave him a lasting appreciation for its fragile natural environments.

“I hope everyone gets to experience (the East Coast’s) breathtaking, fragile beauty the way I did,” Jian said. He recommends the Fundy Trail to anyone looking to see that landscape firsthand.

That background has fuelled Jian’s involvement in sustainability projects and his participation in the Decarbonize program, which supports students worldwide in developing climate solutions.

A Canadian youth perspective

Jian hopes to bring forward concerns that Canadian young people are already confronting. “I think Canadian youth are already experiencing the effects of climate change, from extreme temperatures and increasingly severe wildfires to biodiversity loss and the impacts of Arctic warming on our environment and national security,” he said. “At the same time, I recognize how fortunate we are in Quebec to have a strong clean energy sector and to be a global example in this area.”

Jian says that Canada also has much to learn from youth in regions facing more immediate climate impacts.

“Canada has valuable experiences to share, but just as much to learn from young people in other parts of the world,” he said.

Climate education on the agenda

At COP31, Jian plans to advocate for a Global Child Manifesto that he participated in developing with young leaders from around the world. “I’m especially proud of the section on universal and practical climate education, which calls on governments to fund and legislate climate education as a mandatory subject in all schools,” he said..

Jian will present the manifesto in the official Blue Zone at the Canadian and Australian pavilions, as well as to the Quebec government delegation. The Blue Zone is the restricted UN-managed area where official negotiations and accredited events take place.

Their message comes at a moment when climate commitments face political rollbacks in several parts of the world. Jian argues that young people must keep momentum through “concrete and collaborative action.”

Bringing it home to Dawson

When Jian returns to Montreal, he intends to turn the summit experience into local action through a biodiversity-focused project with Dawson’s Office of Sustainability. The project is intended to benefit both the College and the wider community.

Jian praised Dawson’s institutional commitment to sustainability and said he looks forward to sharing that vision with delegates and young leaders at the conference.

He also thanked Anthony Johnson of the Dawson College Foundation and Jennifer de Vera of the Sustainability Office for helping make the trip possible.

Why COP31 matters

COP31 is bringing together representatives from nearly 200 countries in Antalya to push for implementation of existing climate commitments, with discussions focused on emissions reductions, adaptation, clean energy, finance, and protecting communities from climate risks. Youth and education are among the conference’s 10 priority themes, making Jian’s advocacy especially timely.