Sembang@WWF
The Sessions
Attention : As the Movement Control Order & Social Distancing measures are still in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, we have converted the Sembang@WWF 2020 into our first Webinar sessions, where you can view & listen to our storytellers from the safety of your homes.
About Sembang@WWF
What is Sembang@WWF?
Storytelling connects us to humanity because it helps us relate and empathize. With the magic of storytelling, we created a platform called ‘Sembang@WWF’ in our youth programme. The session gives an opportunity for students to speak on various environmental issues. It aims to engage and transport the students’ mind to stories on poverty, haze, wildlife poaching, shark finning and many more.
Sembang@WWF is an instrument for us to listen and share ideas on what we can do as individuals to make a change for a better environment. Through this platform, our programme aims to build youth leaders who are fluent in the concepts of climate change and are aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet. We need them to empower everyone with the knowledge to inspire action in defense of environmental protection.
The idea hinges on one of the steps advocated in the strategies of ESD - informing and involving society in their on-going sustainability initiatives in their respective schools, teacher education campuses, universities and even communities.
Sembang though it alludes to a laidback sentiment in Bahasa Melayu, will be the total opposite of its linguistic meaning in execution. The word was chosen because it embodies the spirit on inclusivity of ESD. It also symbolises aesthetic value and traditional knowledge promotion, which are among the core values of ESD.
Sembang@WWF 2019 speakers. Last year's Sembang@WWF was held at
Soka Gakkai, Kuala Lumpur.
Sembang@WWF 2020 -
New Deal for People and Nature: Mobilising Youth for 2030
Why is the theme this year
New Deal for People and Nature : Mobilising Youth for 2030 ?
Nature. It provides us with everything from fresh air and clean water to the food we consume for our survival. Without nature, not only our basic needs are threatened but our environment, economic, social and health will also be affected. In a report presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we have approximately 12 years before facing irreversible damage caused by climate change. A rise of temperature beyond 1.5 Celsius would cause damage across many aspects. Yet, we are still utilising natural resources faster than the Earth can replenish. Our current consumption pattern globally would need 1.7 earths to sustain.
Human activities have reached a remarkable development and civilisation throughout all these years. However, due to human actions, wildlife are killed in significant numbers or have lost many of their habitats. Natural habitats globally continue to be destroyed due to agriculture, mining, development, pollution and lately, climate change. Wildlife populations have fallen by 60% since 1970, according to the Living Planet Report. Species continuously decline due to unsustainable consumption from hunting or fishing, not forgetting human wildlife conflict factor as well. Oceans, forests, rivers, peatlands, and drylands are facing continuous destruction and degradation. Our consumption patterns, especially in the way we consume and produce food is taking a toll on the environment. From polluting water sources, depleting and loss of land and species, to greenhouse gases emission, more and more natural resources are being used at an accelerated rate. On the other hand, half of the world is also facing food shortages with a third of food produced is being wasted.
Therefore, business cannot be as usual. Loss of nature is continuous despite efforts to reverse it. Besides that, the Aichi targets set by the Convention on Biological Biodiversity will end in 2020. We need a New Deal for Nature and People(NDNP) for both humans and nature to co-exist and thrive. Business, government sectors, individuals and civil societies need to be part of the transformation, urgently. NDNP serves as a global commitment to stop and reverse the decline of nature by 2030.
The NDNP which is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals targets to:
Locally, we have the National Policy of Climate Change and Malaysia’s National Policy on Biological Diversity 2016-2025.
In response to the global NDNP and Malaysia’s climate change and biodiversity policy, we would like to invite Malaysian youths to come together and have an open sharing on their personal views on the New Deal for People and Nature at our SEMBANG@WWF 2020.
Check out what went down during
Sembang@WWF 2019 !
Sembang@WWF 2019 - 'What's with Plastics?'
WWF-Malaysia’s storytelling platform, Sembang@WWF saw hundreds of young adults came from all across Malaysia to witness their inspiring friends taking the stage to speak passionately about plastic pollution. Created five years ago, the event is an opportunity for students to speak on various environmental issues held each year in conjunction with the Global Earth Day.
Held for the second time at Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia, the event featured a forum discussion titled ‘Joining the Conversation: No Plastic in Nature’. In addition to the speakers sharing their views, a representative from the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, expert from the circular economy and WWF-Malaysia officials sat down to share the challenges and issues surrounding plastic pollution in our country.
Our Past
Sembang@WWF
Contact Us
Mathi Vatani
Programme Officer |
Eco-Schools Programme
WWF-Malaysia
Tel: +603 7450 3773 Ext. 6317
Email: mvatani@wwf.org.my
WWF-Malaysia
1 Jalan PJS 5/28A
Petaling Jaya Commercial Centre (PJCC)
46150 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia