{"id":6023,"date":"2020-07-21T01:06:40","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T09:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/?p=6023"},"modified":"2020-07-27T18:18:40","modified_gmt":"2020-07-28T02:18:40","slug":"lets-talk-about-climate-change-teen-climate-activist-lance-laus-green-daily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/blog\/6023\/lets-talk-about-climate-change-teen-climate-activist-lance-laus-green-daily\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s talk about climate change: Teen climate activist Lance Lau\u2019s green daily"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

11-year-old Hong Kong teenager Lance Lau cares about the impact of climate crisis and has been proactive in taking action to raise public awareness. Greenpeace has interviewed Lance last month on his activist journey <\/a>and would like to invite him to further share with us now on how he walks the talk in fighting climate emergency. <\/p>\n\n

Teen climate activist in the making<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

We are curious. What does a teen activist look like at school? What is his favorite subject? \u201cHe likes everything except lessons,\u201d Lance\u2019s mom beamed. \u2018Yes,\u2019 Lance laughed, \u2018And I do love Science and Visual Arts.\u2019<\/p>\n\n

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Lance\u2019s DIY Climate banner. He first estimated the length of the cardboard needed for the banner message, and then started creating his masterpiece. A mixture of science and visual arts – two of his favorite subjects! \u00a9 Patrick Cho \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Lance loves Science and adopts a scientific mindset to pursue what he cares about. Facing a subject that he finds interesting, Lance will deep dive into it and read a whole lot. As he is especially concerned about climate issues and environmental protection, Lance reads extensive English materials as most of the latest information is not in Chinese. Subsequently, Lance has boosted up his English ability a lot. \u2018Lance\u2019s language proficiency in Chinese is like an average 11-year-old, but his English is way above as he reads a wide range of English materials concerning the Climate,\u2019 Lance\u2019s mom explained. <\/p>\n\n

Lance\u2019s green tips on daily life <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Inspired by the Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, who initiated #FridaysForFuture movement in 2018, Lance started his very own climate action at school in September 2019. He wanted to just spread the message of climate emergency to his schoolmates when he first started, but as time went by, he wanted to aim higher and build up a bigger power base in Hong Kong to fight climate emergency together.<\/p>\n\n

A climate warrior does not necessarily fight in a war in a real sense. To Lance, walking the talk in day-to-day life is the actual and crucial battlefield in protecting the environment. \u201cIn personal capacity, what we can do immediately is to reduce meat consumption or shift to plant-based diet. I know some people hesitate to stop eating meat, we can take it step by step and try quitting beef and lamb first as they generate more carbon dioxide,\u2019 Lance said.<\/p>\n\n

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Lance is sharing his vision on how to save the climate outside his school. \u00a9 Patrick Cho \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

On the other hand, Lance suggests Hong Kongers to bring their own utensils and lunch box when dine out. \u201cPlastic pollution is one of the biggest damages to our oceans. We can make a difference just by bringing our own cutlery, cups, straws, and lunch box,\u201d Lance brings his reusable cup every time he wants to buy a drink, \u201cThe waiter will call out loud and say \u2018Eco Cup!\u2019 when my drink is ready. It\u2019s fun!\u201d <\/p>\n\n

To further cut down carbon emission, Lance also reminds people to take public transport when possible and consider taking train and bus instead of plane when traveling.<\/p>\n\n

Climate and biodiversity<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

To Lance, climate emergency is of utmost importance, but it is never the only issue on his list. \u201cWe must be concerned about biodiversity and green living too,\u2019 Lance said.<\/p>\n\n

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Lance is joining hands with Greenpeace to advocate for a green future! \u00a9 Patrick Cho \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Living in Tung Chung on the Lantau Island, Hong Kong, Lance cares about the ecology in Lantau a lot, especially the mangrove forest. The forest was being relocated from Chek Lap Kok due to the reclamation work of the new airport years back, and now they are under a new threat. The mangrove forest is now located in an easily accessible place, where it is popular for people to go for digging clams. Lance once saw a tourist \u2018playing around\u2019 with crabs cruelly. \u201cYou can still see horseshoe crabs in Tung Chung, they are endangered species. If you see them next time, please do not disturb them. If you are visiting the mangrove forest, please remember to be kind to the animals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Lance is worried about the white dolphin too. \u201cThe construction work of the airport 3rd runway will impact their habitat (Sha Chau, Lung Kwu Chau and Tai O Region) on a remarkable scale,\u201d Lance said.<\/p>\n\n

Lance\u2019s green future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

\u2018Green living\u2019 is also on Lance\u2019s radar, what does that mean to him?<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt is not just about planting trees or building more green facilities. In Taiwan, a green building impressed me most, say if you have 10 elevators, only 5 of\u00a0them are switch on 24\/7 and all 10 only depending on the demand for example lunchtime. Same for lights, it will only be switched on when there are people around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

A green city in Lance mind must be all-rounded, not just being environmentally friendly superficially. Besides having green architecture as hardware, a real green city also needs to have supported facilities such as renewable energy supply, energy saving and water saving measures, and good quality public space for everyone to enjoy. All in all, a real green city must uphold the model of circular economy which allows sustainable use of materials. <\/p>\n\n

So, what does Lance envision himself in future? He wants to be a green engineer as he cares about the environment and climate crisis. Greenpeace wishes Lance all the best in achieving his goal!<\/p>\n\n

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Let us join the force together. Climate Action! \u00a9 Patrick Cho \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

About \u201cLet\u2019s Talk about Climate Change\u201d series<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Climate change is not only here, but it has also evolved to \u201cClimate Emergency\u201d. As global citizens, we should not ignore the crisis we are in. Yet sometimes if not all, we might feel the issue is too big for us or too far away. We are inviting people in our local community, from all walks of life, to share with us how they connect to and make the effort to deal with climate change. Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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