26 October 2008: The UN kicked off its “UNite to Combat
Climate Change” campaign on 23 October 2008, with the “Paint for the Planet”
art exhibition. The exhibition was followed on 25 October 2008 by an auction
that raised US$21,000, which will be donated to children affected by
climate-related disasters.

The “UNite to Combat Climate Change” campaign calls
for a definitive agreement at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in
December 2009. The paintings will travel to climate change meetings for the
next 14 months, and will finally be displayed in Copenhagen in December 2009.
In conjunction with the campaign, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has
released results of a survey that it says highlights the concern of young
people about climate change.
The results show that youth worldwide believe
climate change to be a top concern. Moreover, they show that in the US, South
Africa and Brazil, at least 70% of youth surveyed believe that leaders are not
doing enough. Commenting on the results of the survey, Achim Steiner, UNEP
Executive Director, underlined youth are “seriously worried about what climate
change will mean in terms of their future on this planet.” [UNEP
Press Release on Paint for the Planet] [UNEP
Press Release on UNite to Combat Climate Change] [Paint for the Planet website] [UN
Press Release]