Young Chinese are increasingly making their voices heard and influencing world opinion as they take on more important roles in international organizations and global projects, at a ceremony in Beijing in April, singer and actor Karry Wang was made the national goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme by Eric Solheim, the organization's executive director.
"The youth are no longer merely onlookers when it comes to environmental action, nor should they be. I will spare no effort in doing everything I can to take care of our Earth, and I invite everyone to join me in generating a wave of positive action, " Wang said in his speech after the appointment. In 2016, Wang widely shared the online Wild for Life campaign, which gained 400 million views. A year later, he publicly spoke out on the urgent need to protect endangered wildlife, calling the animals the "superstars of the planet."
Beyond drawing attention to wildlife, he called on his followers to pledge to reduce their electronic waste, using the hashtag BEATPOLLUTION to highlight the issue. Within 24 hours, his post was retweeted 1. 67 million times and more than 400, 000 followers had pledged to reduce waste.
"Our actions will soon be the leverage to change the world, " Wang says, calling on the younger generation in China and around the world to raise their awareness of environmental issues.
Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment says, "It is inspiring to see the strong and determined voice of Chinese youth when it comes to the environment. When young people set their minds to change, it is incredible to see the great things that can be accomplished, We are very excited to work with Wang Junkai to create even more awareness about the environmental problems and solutions for these times. "
According to the UN report Youth in the Core of Sustainability in Asia Pacific published in March 2016, young people's participation will help achieve the sustainable development goals in the Asia-Pacific region set for 2030.
Besides Wang, other UNEP goodwill ambassadors include actress Li Bingbing, actor Li Chen, Ellie Goulding, Bertrand Piccard and celebrities from all walks of life both from China and abroad.
