Humphrey Fellows Discuss Climate Change

November 25, 2014
video

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

brings young and mid-career professionals

from countries in states of development and transition

to the United States for a year of non-degree graduate level study,

leadership development and substantive professional collaborations with U.S. counterparts.

My name is Titilope Ojo, a Humphrey Fellow at Cornell University.

I'm from Nigeria and I'm an entrepreneurship development professional and a SME-consultant.

My name is Athar Waheed. I'm a Police Officer from Pakistan.

I'm at the Human Rights Center, University of Minnesota.

Humphrey Fellowship, this program is a non-degree program

but at the same time we can take courses and class.

I've learned a lot about food policies. I've learned about emerging markets

which I've never learned before.

It's not just books. It's not just theories.

It is just pragmatic, practical program of learning about the cultures.

[VOICEOVER] Each year Humphrey Fellows participate in a Global Leadership Forum

in Washington, D.C.

Global Leadership Forum is an opportunity provided by the State Department

here for the Humphrey Fellows.

They came here together to talk about the specific issue of the global climate change.     

We all have different backgrounds, different universities.  

I'm the one who will present thoughts about journalism and climate change.

We would like to tell and encourage people to use digital media

to mobilize the support of climate change.

We've never had it so worse.

With these facts before us, what are governments doing?

What are the people doing?

The global climate change is about us, about the human beings.

So if we have done something wrong

to the mother earth; to the nature.

So we should share responsibility to resolve this human catastrophe.   

Even though China is the biggest country in greenhouse gas emissions.    

but that is because of globalization and it's because of the economy.

not only because of the Chinese.

So we should work together to deal with this problem.

And so for people that say, "What's my business with climate change? It doesn't affect me."

I think the question for me, to them is, "Okay, is it going to affect your children?

Is it going to affect your children's children?

Is there something you can do about it now?

And if the answer is yes, then do something about it.