International students from Asian countries call for more concrete actions, from energy-saving habits in daily life to organizing new campaigns, to promote a greener future ahead of the upcoming Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025.
The conference, scheduled for March 25 to 28 in Boao, South China's Hainan Province, has the theme "Asia in the Changing World: Towards a Shared Future. " It will focus on development, foster dialogue, explore innovative formats and value tangible outcomes.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), several Asian youths studying in China shared a raft of measures people can take daily to promote green development.
"I think a simple way of making an impactful step for our environment is definitely try to use more public transportation instead of using private vehicles, but I definitely also think that we need to improve on our public transportation as well," said Celia Annetta from Indonesia.
"I believe young people can make big differences by making little actions every day, like reducing waste, saving energy, so turning off the lights and unplugging devices when not in use and spread awareness about it, but also be more eco-friendly," said Adel Baktygulova, a student from Kyrgyzstan.
"By reducing waste, recycling and choosing eco-friendly products, we can minimize our environmental footprint, embracing sustainable habits like conserving energy and water, using green transportations and supporting renewable energy," said Do Pham Ngoc Die, a student from Vietnam.
The youths also shared their views on the roles that international students in China can play in promoting green development and addressing global challenges, including climate change and resource shortages.
"In the context of global changes, I believe that we as the young people can be very powerful. One of my friends from Malaysia is actively involved in many environmental awareness campaigns and he was also one of the executives in the Net Zero Future Association here at Tsinghua. Last year I was one of the hosts to host his campaign and we made a video that showcased how waste materials could be transformed into souvenirs like keychains and also the video highlighted how many creative ways for the waste materials to be repurposed. So this is the idea to spread a message of sustainability and also encourage others like the people around us to take actions and to promote a greener lifestyle," said Cheong Chee Wah from Malaysia.
"As international students in China, we can share our cultural perspectives on green energy, share how our governments, our countries are working towards a green and sustainable future. This can spark new ideas, new dialogues and new initiatives," said Adel Baktygulova.
"We can organize awareness campaigns, participate in campus sustainability activities and use social media to educate others about environmental issues. By collaborating on research, volunteering for local eco-projects and advocating for green policies, we can inspire other students and communities to adopt eco-friendly habits", said Do Pham Ngoc Die.
Int’l students on more concrete actions for greener development ahead of Boao Forum
Int’l students on more concrete actions for greener development ahead of Boao Forum
