Europe on Track is a project run by young volunteers who aim to raise awareness, to create a space for discussion and to capture the opinions of youth in Europe on important social issues. Thanks to Interrail, the  ambassadors in teams of 3 (one videographer, one photographer and one interviewer per team) will travel by train across 20 countries in one month to deliver workshops, interview young people and organise events in cooperation with 200 volunteers from 30 cities in Europe. Let’s take a closer look at this amazing project!

The AEGEEan: What is your definition of Europe on Track? 

Erifyli and Ola: For many people Europe on Track is the most exciting AEGEE project, also quite often called the “dream” one. The idea is that selected ambassadors travel by train across Europe for one month to deliver workshops, interview young people and organise local events in cooperation with AEGEE antennae about the main topic of each edition. But the aim of Europe on Track is not only to travel and have fun but above all to raise awareness, to create a space for discussion and to capture the opinions of youth in Europe on important social issues while having an amazing time and connecting different parts of our continent (or even further!). This is an unbelievable journey for everyone involved in the project – ambassadors, project team and local organisers. One month full of adventures, events with great content and visible outcomes.

Tell us more about the project’s past achievements. 

Erifyli and Ola: We are working now on the fifth edition of Europe on Track which means the project is already known by some AEGEEans (but not all of them and we want to change it!) and has many things
to be proud of! Each edition of the project tackled a different civic topic, relevant for European youth. The first edition of the project, launched in 2013, won the European Charlemagne Youth Prize which is awarded annually to a project that fosters a shared sense of European identity and integration among young people.
Last edition, Europe on Track 4, was the winner of the Franck Biancheri Award and organised an amazing kick-off conference in cooperation with AEGEE-Budapest and the Civic Education Working Group. During their journey, the ambassadors were able to reach 1000 young Europeans in 26 different cities. After last edition’s success, many people became interested in the project and decided to continue the journey with Europe on Track 5!

How is the team being formed?

Erifyli and Ola: Our Project Team, consisting of 16 people, was already selected in June and has been working on the project for six months! In August, three assistants joined our team to help us in specific areas – Fundraising and IT. Since the beginning we can count also on our CD appointed member Maria, who was the Content Manager of EoT 3 and 4, so she’s a really great help for us! In October we found 34 awesome AEGEE locals which will prepare Europe on Track stops in their cities. The local organisers are a crucial part of our project because thanks to them we can engage different people and be present at universities, have meetings with local authorities, NGOs etc. Now we are looking for the last important part of the team – our ambassadors! This edition, we don’t need six, but nine travellers who will join Europe on Track. To have a bigger impact, we decided to create three teams, one more than in previous editions, and we are currently looking for the perfect candidates! If you know someone who’s inspiring, wants to have a life-changing experience traveling all around Europe while discussing and giving workshops about Sustainability and Climate Change, share our Open Call with her/him.

How and why did you choose the topic for the new edition?

Erifyli and Ola: Firstly we collected ideas from the network. Then we split inside the project team into smaller groups and researched each of the 32 submitted topics: possible activities, grants, cooperation, funds, etc. It took us more than one month to select the final one! The topic of ‘Sustainability and Climate Change’ under the motto “Can you hear the ECO?” is extremely important these days! We are dealing with an environmental crisis caused by irresponsible human behavior but we don’t want to only talk about it, we want to take action. That’s why we will make our project CO2 neutral, we will plant trees (also in your name if you donate to our crowdfunding campaign) and we will gather opinions of young people and inform them about how to act and how to have an impact on the Earth.

What plans do you have in store?

Erifyli and Ola: We said in the beginning that we will take Europe on Track to the next level and so far we think we are doing it! Three routes, nine ambassadors, 34 hosting locals and our crowdfunding campaign are just the beginning of big surprises. We are focusing now on the Open Call for ambassadors and the crowdfunding campaign. Then we will work closely with locals to prepare high level and contentful events and to make them use the opportunity to be a part of big European project. We are also planning our kick-off conference in Thessaloniki and the Environmental Action Week. We are constantly working on Fundraising and External Relations. We hope to reveal some more big surprises very soon!

Who can become an ambassador of Europe on Track 5?

Erifyli and Ola: First of all, we are looking for people for specific positions: photographer, videographer and blogger. Also, we don’t mind if you can do two or all things, in the end you always have to choose one role!
We want to find people who are inspiring, have experience in travelling and delivering workshops as well as knowledge about Sustainability and Climate Change. You need to be open-minded, responsible and, what’s very important, resistant to stress and physical fatigue. Travelling for one month, sleeping in trains, changing place every two or three days can be tiresome and we need to be sure that our potential ambassadors are prepared for it. And in the end, we are looking for candidates with initiative who will make this trip an unforgettable
experience both for themselves and everyone involved in the project.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Erifyli and Ola: We think that what makes this edition special is that we have so many extremely motivated people working on the project and we are really aiming big! Our project manager, Jorge, was an ambassador of EoT4 and has a lot of experience so he always pushes us to do more, think out of the box and do things that have never been done before like having three teams or the crowdfunding campaign. We had a live meeting in Brussels in October and the atmosphere inside the project team is just great! Although the most important thing is that we really want to bring Sustainability and Climate Change closer to AEGEE and young people.

Our initiative is needed and we, as Europe on Track, want to act and help the planet as much as we can. And with our motivation and your help we believe we can do a lot!

Are you curious to find out what young people really think about Sustainability and Climate Change? Are you passionate about travelling? Do you like giving presentations and workshops? Do you want to spend one month doing all of these around Europe?

Then join Europe on Track 5!
Become an #ambassador! We are looking for photographers, videomakers and bloggers/interviewers who wish to travel for one month and bring the topic of sustainability and climate change closer to European youth. You can find Open Call for ambassadors here:bit.ly/ambassadorEOT5
Support our #crowdfunding campaign! Together with Youth 4 Public Transport we will measure our carbon footprint and plant enough trees to make our project CO2 neutral. We need your help for that! Check out our perks and more about our project from the 10th of November.
Organise and participate in local events! You can get involved in organising activities connected with Europe on Track during our Environmental Action Week, or during the route of our ambassadors. You’ll see the list of events on our website soon.
Follow our journey in Social Media!

Facebook: Europe on Track
Instagram: www.instagram.com/europeontrack/
Youtube: Europe on Track https://goo.gl/w1PCcv
Website: www.europeontrack.org

Written by Aliona Sytnyk, AEGEE-Berlin

In April AEGEE-Wien organised Model United Nations on Environment and Sustainable Development. For this reason they were chosen as the ACTive Local of the Month. We spoke to David Meinel to find out more!

ACT: Which emotions did you have when you found out that AEGEE-Wien has been chosen as ACTive local of April?

David: Well, at first we couldn’t believe it. We just freaked out. It is amazing to be chosen as Active Local of the Month and it is one of the biggest appreciations you can get.

Why did you decide to organise this activity?

It is crucial to teach the youth how difficult, but also how exciting international climate agreements are. Furthermore, it is necessary for them to develop a sustainable consciousness, think out of the box and overcome cultural obstacles.

What was the result of your activity?

The participants learned a lot and were grateful for the event. Most of them are already considering to join it next year as well. Just to quote some of our participants: “Everything about it was perfect and, moreover, the people were great.” or “Amazing!”. They learned how to develop a resolution while overcoming intercultural obstacles and positions of countries. In addition, they raised a lot of questions, while finding new ideas and solutions. Most of them made everlasting friendships.

How do you inform your members about the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

We inform them by our newsletter, Facebook page and website as well as by face to face talks.

Do you have any other activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

We organise different exchanges and try to become more involved with the Eastern Partnership Project.

Why should other locals organise activities related to the Action Agenda/Strategic Plan?

It promotes your antenna, it is obviously a lot of work, but on the other hand a great experience which pays back the invested time and effort.

Do you have any tips for organising thematic activities?

Try to find some cooperation partners to organise the event with you. It doesn’t only mean sharing of workforce, but also having more visibility for your project. In addition, try to plan as early on as you can, have the financial plan ready, the outline of your project and a well-structured team with clear competences.

Can you tell us a bit more about your local?

As Vienna is a preferred city by Erasmus students, we always have a bit of a fluctuation within our member base. Nevertheless, we have a quite stable base of active and hardworking members to organise several events, like European evenings, Summer Universities, exchanges or visits to the United Nations headquarter in Vienna. Our antenna was founded in 1993.

Characterise your local in one sentence.

Our antenna is so diverse, we can only describe it with three sentences. One vision, one dream. Just do it. Connecting friends, connecting Europe.

Written by the Action Agenda Coordination Committee

97% of scientists agree:  climate change is the most pressing issue of our time, but now it seems that politicians unanimously agree too. Between the 30^th of November and the 11^th of December, representatives from 196 countries have assembled in the COP21 in Paris. There they have recently signed an important treaty to combat climate change. Here are eight things everyone should know about the COP21.

1.   21 stands for years, not members

Unlike the G7, the Group of Seven (major advanced economies), the COP21 stands for the 21^st annual Conference Of the Parties. The first COP, COP1, took place in Berlin in 1995, from the 28^th of March to the 7^th of April.

2.   Every COP has a CMP since 2005

During the time period of each COP, there is also a meeting of the CMP, a meeting of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force in 2005. The CMPs are also held at the same place as the COP. The first CMP took place in Montreal. The COP21 in Paris this year is therefore also the CMP11.

3.   Kyoto Protocol?

The first international treaty to combat climate change was the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as The Earth Summit, and took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Kyoto Protocol, proposed at the COP3 in 1997, is a continuation of the plans to combat global warming, but was infamously not ratified by the United States. Later Canada revoked the pledges it made in the Kyoto Protocol. It was decided in Durban in 2011 that a new climate treaty should be established at the COP21 in Paris.

4.   COP 2 goals, 1 conference

At the COP21 members try to address two issues. (1) To limit greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the global temperature up by almost 2°C, and (2) to rethink human progress, meaning to rethink how people produce, farm, do business, and consume more ‘climate friendly’.

5.   The critical 2°C

Often in the news you hear about a threshold of 2°C. This is the critical spot that is usually referred to as the amount of warming when the damage of climate change will be too unpredictable or too undesirable. It is also the limit in the rise in the average global temperature that world leaders, such as the members of the COP21, would like to stay under, because it’s a simple, easy-to-understand, and achievable bar.

6.   Life or death battle

For many island states, that were present at the COP21, the issue of climate change is seen as an armageddon. If the projected warming of the planet persists, the sea will rise just enough to flood these nations, and bury them under the ocean as a modern day Atlantis. Climate change is also predicted to most severely affect the European island states like Ireland and the United Kingdom with extreme storms and unpredictable weather.

7.   Achievements

Member states of the COP21 have pledged to keep the rise in global temperature well below 2°C, and pursue efforts to keep it at 1,5°C. The general plan is that emissions of greenhouse gasses should reach their all-time peak soon, and then drop immediately. The equivalent of about 88 billion Euros per year are pledged to help developing nations to set up ‘climate friendly’ industries. Lastly, every five years there will be a review, if all countries are keeping up with their pledges.

8.   Critical reactions

Some voices say that, while this climate deal is progressive, it does not combat climate change well enough, and that many of the pledges that were made are not legally binding.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Water means life. Life begun IN water and no known living thing can function without it. From the smallest to the biggest organism, the simpler to the most complex; and in between, us. GOOD NEWS: 3/4 parts of the Globe are covered by water. BAD NEWS: only 2.5% of it is fresh water, and only 0.007% of the total amount is accessible to human use.

We depend on a reliable, clean supply of drinking water to sustain our health. Not only that: because of our developed techniques and demanding lifestyle, we also need water in a daily basis for agriculture, farming, manufacturing, energy production, recreation and many more. All these uses put pressure on water resources, but stresses are likely to be exacerbated by climate change.

But, are these two topics related? And if they are, what are the connections?

‘CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER AVAILABILITY’ was the topic of the 4^th Social Skype Meeting organized by the Environmental Working Group (EnWG), which gathered a big group of people concerned on and interested in the issue.

‘Oh, here it comes again. Climate change!? You guys are always buzzing about the same topic, on and on. What does climate change may have to do with water consumption and availability?’
-Well, it really does!

Water cycle is a delicate balance of precipitation, evaporation, and all of the steps in between. Warmer temperatures increase the rate of evaporation of water into the atmosphere, in effect increasing the atmosphere’s capacity to “hold” water. There are two direct consequences: excessive precipitation in some areas, while increased evaporation may dry out some other. 

Source: US EPA

Storms are bigger, more violent and unexpected

Water cycle is already changing. Over the past 50 years, the amount of rain falling during the most intense 1% of storms increased… by almost 20%!

Extraordinary runoffs or floods may erode and damage natural drains and slopes or land crops, dragging either pollutants or dissolved particles, and necessary nutrients from soil.

Urban sewer systems, designed for out-of-date, former drier conditions, may also collapse and overflow, allowing untreated sewage to gush and reach fresh water supplies.

In dry areas, water demand increases while water supplies shrink

Collection of rainfall for human purposes becomes harder and requires bigger-sized facilities due to longer periods of drought. Wells may dry up.

As temperatures raise, people, animals and plants need more water to maintain their health and thrive. Just think for a second how your consume of water boosts in summer: you drink more, you take more showers, you go to the swimming pool…; also, crops irrigation has to be increased due to higher evaporation, and so animals feeding. And like this, the amount of water available for these activities goes down as Earth temperature goes up.

Natural water reserves are shrinking

Warming winter temperatures cause more precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow. Rising temperatures cause snow to begin melting earlier in the year. This may threat the supply of fresh water downstream by modifying the natural timing of rivers that have their sources in mountainous areas.

Furthermore, glaciers are shrinking worldwide and with them present and future water supplies for millions of people, as they gather around the 70% of fresh water reserves on Earth.  Studies show a global-averaged 10-59 meters/year retreat rate, and it speeds up every year.

The Arctic Ocean will likely be free of summer-sea-ice before the year 2100. (goo.gl/vZtqX)

Sea level rising causes saltwater intrusion

Predictions say sea level may rise up to 80 cm (in only 100 years!), flooding coastal areas worldwide. Ok that does not sound ‘that’ bad, does it? Let’s see it from another angle: in flat or gently sloped coastal lands or beaches, a 5 cm higher sea level would imply several meters of saltwater advance inland.

When saltwater comes inland and reaches fresh water underground aquifers they mix in complex ways, depending on the soil characteristics. Because of their density differences and the regular human pumping of fresh water, saltwater may spread much further inland, spoiling the aquifer for human applications.

Saltwater intrusions reach the surface and help increase salinity of soils, turning productive lands into sterile deserts in few years.

There is an African proverb:

‘You think of water only when the well is dry’

Are you aware of the amount of water you use every day?

Statistics say ‘each one’ of the 700 million European citizens consumes between 100-200 liters a day! Just ‘do the math’.

Reducing water consumption is, today, more important than EVER in history.

And it may be surprisingly simple… Do your part!

Written by Pablo Laboreo, AEGEE-Santander and member of the EnWG