Westport sixth grader wins 2nd place in worldwide video contest

A sixth grader from Westport earned a high spot in a world video contest for her clip concerning the unequal impacts of local weather change.

Jade Lan, a pupil at Coleytown Center Faculty in Westport, received second place within the twelfth annual World of 8 Billion contest held by Inhabitants Connection, a nationwide grassroots group that raises consciousness about overpopulation and its connection to international challenges, in accordance with a press launch. She is one among 18 winners chosen out of three,100 movies from 45 international locations and 47 U.S. states and territories and received a $300 prize for the distinction.

“I really feel extremely honored to have received second place on this competitors, particularly after being impressed by the creativity and impression of previous profitable movies,” Jade mentioned in an e mail. “I am grateful to be a part of this wonderful neighborhood that cares about local weather change and international inhabitants points.”

Candidates have been required to submit a 60-second video on one among three subjects: gender equality, waste or local weather change. College students additionally wanted to clarify its relation to human inhabitants development and suggest a sustainable answer.

In her video “Monitoring Local weather Injustice,” Jade describes how the world’s inhabitants development results in greater greenhouse fuel emissions and extra frequent excessive climate occasions. To make sure richer international locations uphold their climate-related pledges to poorer international locations, Jade proposed a worldwide dashboard that will observe the progress of the United Nations loss and injury fund.

Jade heard concerning the contest from her trainer, in accordance with Inhabitants Connection. She had gained a little bit of video enhancing expertise previously from her father.

“My dad performed an important position in encouraging me to take part on this competitors,” Jade mentioned in an e mail. “He spent a number of time discussing the subject with me and helped me discover varied sources.”

When researching the subject, Jade was “shocked to be taught that the international locations that put out the least quantity of emissions are additionally those most affected by local weather change impacts,” the web site mentioned.

She selected to deal with environmental injustice after studying a New York Occasions article a couple of Houston household who misplaced their new house because of a local weather catastrophe and believed it unjust that reasonably priced houses are sometimes inbuilt local weather catastrophe zones.

The annual contest was organized by Inhabitants Connection and its subsidiary, Inhabitants Training. A panel of 56 judges chosen the 18 winners from grades kindergarten by way of highschool. The competition started in the course of the 2010-11 faculty 12 months and have become an annual occasion after lecturers expressed in curiosity in incorporating it into their lesson plans.

This 12 months marks the primary time the competition’s identify from World of seven Billion to World of 8 Billion in mild of the worldwide inhabitants hitting 8 billion in November 2022.

“Our world of 8 billion and rising poses monumental challenges for the planet and the well-being of individuals all over the place,” mentioned John Seager, President of Inhabitants Connection, mentioned in a press launch. “College students grasp that and are inspiring us with their concepts for a extra equitable and sustainable future.”