Young people from 9 schools in and around Bristol had their say about what should happen on climate change in Mock COP26 negotiations.

In a one-day role-play event hosted by the University of Bristol Cabot Institute for the Environment, teams of 16-18 year-olds took on the roles of negotiators and international organisations to debate and vote on resolutions that mapped the real negotiations taking place in Glasgow at the time.

See them in action in this 2-minute film funded by Bristol City Council and produced by Particle Productions.

Councillor Asher Craig, Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Children's Services, Education and Equalities attended the event and said to the young people: “Today you have shown your ability to debate the same issues as global leaders, and can I just say I think you’ve done a brilliant job”.

Cllr Kye Dudd, cabinet member for Climate, Ecology, Waste and Energy, said: “it’s encouraging to see Bristol schools putting climate change on their agenda, and inspiring hearing so many young people in Bristol speaking passionately about it. [This film demonstrates that] Mock COP was a great opportunity for students to develop their debating and public speaking skills. It was also a positive example of Bristol organisations working together to bring a project to life, this kind of collaboration is needed to reach the city’s climate ambitions.”

Participant Jessica Webber said: “It really makes me interested in what I want to do in the future, and to learn about environmental politics”

Participant Humairaa Iqbal said: “I think the most important thing is staying positive because we do have time, and if we have a really enthusiastic youth, I think we can make a huge difference.”

The resource has been shared with other members of the UK Universities Climate Network. Several Universities and local councils utilised the resources to run their own Mock COPs.