HEADS of Bruneian environmental conservation organisations are hopeful for more commitment from countries to achieve carbon emission reduction targets in the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) which started in Paris yesterday. In a phone interview with The Brunei Times, Lin Ji, president of BruWILD - a non-government organisation aimed to inform Bruneians on climate change - said countries attending the summit should be more determined in their efforts at curbing climate change. Understanding the difficulty in reducing green house gas emissions, she added that it is crucial the countries achieve their targets as it doesn’t just affect the environment but all aspects including social, political and of economy.   She noted that the biggest contributors of carbon emission include China and the US and if they reach a decision which…

YOUTH leaders in Brunei regard social gatherings and talks as platforms for seeking opportunities for collaborating with other agencies to conduct programmes and activities. They said attending invited talks isn’t only about meeting people but also creating opportunities for joint projects. In an interview with The Brunei Times during a talk held by global educator d’Arcy Lunn on the United Nations’ global goals, Izzah Zakaria of non-governmental organisation Green Brunei said having sharing sessions is ‘good’ as youth can learn about the other organisation better. “Beyond that (attending the talk), we’re meeting all these people from organisations that we can learn from; what they’ve done that we can do with our organisation,” she said. She said there’s a lot more than just learning from speakers in a talk. There is…

YOUTH who are inspired, motivated and filled with passion can become individuals who can accomplish just about anything. Here in the Sultanate, there are quite a number who can prove just that and The Brunei Times had the privileged of retelling some of their journey to greatness.   Inspirational youth   Ambitious, determined and passionate would be some words that come to mind upon meeting Khairunnisa Ash’ari, an advocate for youth development and climate change action and the co-founder of Green Brunei, who has won the Youth Service Award in 2013, ASEAN Youth Day Award in 2014 and the Queen’s Young Leaders Award in June this year. Based on its website, the prestigious UK-based award recognises and celebrates youth from the Commonwealth, aged 18 t0 29, who are examples in…

FOUR students from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School (SMSA) participated in a national consultation to discuss climate change issues within the country with other youths from various environmental organisations. It was the first time the pre-university students - Abdul Muqsit Hj Jafari, Asila Hanum Hj Ahad, Muhd Zulqarnain Hj Zulaihi and Nur Hanis Nazihah Ideris - participated in such discussion, where they shared their insights and ideas on the matter. According to Abdul Muqsit, it was an interesting discussion with 16 other youth representatives from different environmental groups in Brunei, which gave them a valuable learning experience and golden opportunity for those unfamiliar with the issue. “We hope what has been discussed will help solve the issue, not only locally but internationally,” he said. As the `other participants are on a…