AT the age of 14, Gladys Habu noticed that an island near her home was beginning to disappear. Five years later the island where her grandparents had lived was gone, swallowed by the sea.

The vanishing of the culturally important Kale Island was just one of the signs of climate change making life ever harder for Habu and her family.

Growing up on the Solomon Islands her upbringing involved constantly having to relocate their home on stilts, planting new mangroves, or building stone walls along the shore to protect what was left of their beachfront.

Since then, as well as qualifying as a pharmacist, the 25-year-old has tried to raise awareness of the effects of climate change and the challenges it poses for most of the Global South.

She is just one of the many young people taking part in Mock COP26 to fill the void left by the delay of the climate summit due to be held in Glasgow this month.

More than 350 young delegates from 150 countries have united at the online international youth-led climate conference to show the world what would happen if young people were the decision-makers at the postponed COP26 next year.

The event will mirror the process of the climate summit, and provide a global platform for young people to outline how they want world leaders to act.

They will hear from leading climate scientists, economists and health professionals in talks that will inform the creation of a final statement outlining their demands for world leaders. This will be presented to Nigel Topping, the High Level Climate Action Champion for COP26 at the mock event’s closing ceremony.

The two-week conference will prioritise marginalised voices and countries that are most affected by the climate crisis. Countries from the Global South have been granted more young delegates and more speaking time than developed nations, to allow them a greater say in the final statement. The majority of the keynote speakers during Mock COP26 are from non-white backgrounds.

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Each country’s delegation will deliver a speech sharing the concerns from young people in their country and their vision for climate action at COP26 and beyond.

Alongside the key demands, to be revealed in the final statement, Mock COP26 delegates are calling for young people to be a part of every COP26 country delegation, so that young and diverse views are tabled.

“Young people were disappointed when COP26 was delayed,” said Mock COP26 organiser from Ecuador Dom Jaramillo. “We are living in a climate emergency and we can’t wait a year for climate action.

“We are pleased that the COP26 team is engaging with our Mock COP26 and hope that it leads to conversations with other nations about the role young people can play in finding the solutions that are so urgently needed in order to tackle the climate crisis together.”

Habu, who is a Mock COP26 coordinator, said the very real losses and damages from climate change had to be recognised both nationally and internationally.

“We need to allow the personal experiences of people who are directly impacted by climate change to be told truthfully and loudly to people all over the world,” she added. “As a young person who has lived and experienced life on the frontline of climate change, I am grateful to be part of this passionate group and take responsibility in the fight for climate justice.

“Mock COP26 not only allows me to be part of an important global youth led climate initiative, it also allows me to amplify the voices of countries who are lesser represented in Oceania, yet directly impacted by climate change.

“I see Mock COP as an incredible opportunity for the growth and development of our youth population, and a platform that is capable of leading the world to realistic climate action.”

Mock COP26 will have significantly lower emissions than COP26, as it is a virtual event. The carbon emissions of a “real” COP is estimated at 59,020 tonnes of CO2, whereas MockCOP26 will produce only 39 tonnes of CO2 and this will be offset.

Mock COP26 is being either live-streamed or recorded and uploaded onto Mock COP26 YouTube and fringe events are being held before, during and after the conference.

People can keep up to date with Mock COP26 on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, and by following the hashtags #MockCOP26 and #ForTheYouthByTheYouth.