Youthpower:weoughttodoourbesttosavetheworldbeforechangingit_GuangmingOnlineByWangRuoxinandZhangAndi“China'syouthintheneweracareabouttheirfamilyandcountry,andsharethatconcernfortherestofhumanity,”thewhitepaper“YouthofChinaintheNewEra”said.Inthefaceofclimatechangeandbiodiversityloss,moreandmoreChineseyoungpeoplehaveshowntheirawarenessofandresponsibilityforbuildingacommunityoflifeformanandnatureandasharedfutureforalllifeonEarth.Andmanyofthemhavebeenmakingproactiveefforts.GuangmingOnlineinvitedZhangDaqian,whoworksfortheChinaBiodiversityConservationandGreenDevelopmentFoundation(CBCGDF),tosharehisexperienceinthe“savingtheworld”activitiesandtheideashewantstoconveytotheworldintermsofbiodiversityconservationandenvironmentalprotection.GuangmingOnline:HowlonghaveyoubeenworkingforCBCDGF?Haveyoualwayswantedtoworkinthisarea,orwasthereanopportunitythatpushedyouintothis?ZhangDaqian:Ihavebeenworkingherefortwoyears,sinceIgraduatedfromUIR.IwasaimingforchangingthewordviaabsolvingthelanguagebarrierswhenIwasincolleague.Afterreading“TheLimitstoGrowth”(LTG)and“TheSixthExtinction”,Ithinkweoughttodoourbesttosavetheworldbeforechangingit.Thatbeingsaid,Ifocusondetailsaswell:howdidwehelpthebeekeepers,raiseawarenessintermsofanimalwelfare,etc.DuringtheSpringFestivalin2020,LaoZhouwaslaidofffromthefarm.TheCBCGDFhivefundlaterhelpedwiththetransportationandthepromotionofhishoneyonline.Iamtheonethatspreadthatstoryacrosstheboard.GuangmingOnline:WhatkindofprojectshaveyoubeeninvolvedinatCBCDGF?Howexactlydotheseprojectsoperateandwhatresultshavebeenachieved?ZhangDaqian:Weusuallyguideourlocalvolunteersandhelpwithon-siteconservation.Wealsowriteguidelinesandstandardsforallsectors’reference.Sofar,Iparticipatedinthesettingofthreestandards.ThelatestRecommendationontheethicsofartificialintelligencepublishedbyUNESCOadoptedoursuggestions(TheonethatIco-wrote).Previously,"Biodiversity"wasnotmentionedintheirdrafts.IhavebeenmainstreamingBiodiversity:CBCGDF'semphasisonbiodiversitytomanypolicies/regulationshavebeensuccessfulinChinaandbeyond.Butthisisfarfromenough.WeneedallsectorsofsocietytojoinusGuangmingOnline:Howdidyoucontributetothesettingofthreestandardsandwhatarethey?ZhangDaqian:IwroteT/CGDF00007—2021“Greentextilesandclothingstandards”,CarbonEmissionsection(2021.04),T/CGDF00008—2021,“Biosesafetygeneralstandards”,InternationalCooperationsection(2021.07),and,justaswespeak,theRestorationstandard,Restorationofgrassland.GuangmingOnline:Haveyouattendedanyglobalconferencesorforums?ZhangDaqian:GlobalForumForChildrenandYouth2021(CY21)andPlenarySessionIIon"People'sParticipationonSustainability:TheBRICSExperience".GuangmingOnline:Whatspiritandideaareyoutryingtoconveytotheworld?ZhangDaqian:It’sawastetobeaclimatechangedoomer.There’salwaysmoretobedonethantobecomplainedabout.Participationmatters.Putyourselfuponthatpedestal.GuangmingOnline:Inthefaceofclimatechangeandbiodiversityloss,whatkindofawarenessandsenseofresponsibilitydoyouthinkyoungpeopleshouldhave?ZhangDaqian:Voteinyouballotandvotewithyourwallet.Choosingenvironmentallyfriendlyproductsmakesthemunderstandthatgreenproductscanbemoreattractivetoconsumers.Thengivebacktothecommunityyouarein.CarryingoutBiodiversityConservationinourNeighborhood(BCON)isnotasdifficultasitseems.Finally,startchangingfromyourself,andotherswillfollow.GuangmingOnline:WhatdoyouthinkisneededtoachievethegoalofbuildingacommunityoflifeformanandnatureandasharedfutureforalllifeonEarthasproposedbyPresidentXiJinping?ZhangDaqian:Weneedtoletcompaniesknowwhatkindofimpactsover-consumptionwillcause,andhowitwillleadtobiodiversityloss.Weneedtoletdecision-makersaroundtheworldknowthattheyneedtodomoreonclimatechangeandemissionsreduction.Asamemberofsocialorganizations,weneedtoparticipatemoreasidefromtheconservationists.AnotherthingisOneHealth.ThisapproachismoreimportantthaneveraswenavigatetheCOVID-19pandemic.ThevirusthatcausesCOVID-19,SARS-CoV-2,iszoonotic,whichmeansitcanspreadbetweenpeopleandanimals.TheOneHealthapproachiscrucialtoaddressingnewdiseasethreatsthataffectbothpeopleandanimals.Finally,Asustainablerecoveryshouldspeedupthetransitionfromfossilfuels-especiallycoalandoil-andaimtocreatedecentgreenjobs.Thismeansweshouldincludemoreindustriesbesidessteelandcoaltojoinin,andletmorepeoplebelinked/affectedbycarbonoffsetandotherenvironment-relatedstandards.(e.g.Greenlabel.)Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.