There are many reasons why the term global warming has fallen out of disuse, and one of the main reasons is simply because it is not accurate to describe the threat that we now face. Today, I was fortunate to witness the effects of climate change, in person, as well as hearing from some amazing young people who are taking action to do something about it.

The desert in Inner Mongolia is rapidly expanding. In other words, this basically means that arable land falls into disuse, draughts continue to spread and millions of people are unable to sustain a livelihood – let alone feed themselves.

Yet against this backdrop, the Chinese, Japanese and South Korean governments have united to do something about it. Each year, they invest millions of yuan in taking action to combat this threat, most of which is given to projects mainly driven by young people.

One of those projects involves tree planting. Quite simply, a team of dedicated volunteers are working to build a strip called the “Great Green Wall of China” to effectively stop the desert expanding. Already, they have planted over 4 million trees and aim to continue. By planting different varieties of trees, they can stop the dust from spreading and mitigate the impacts of this climate change. The economic impact has been catastrophic and many livelihoods have been destroyed, but the Chinese government and Chinese young people acknowledge that climate change is the greatest threat to our generation and rather than standing around waiting to an outcome of the United Nations Climate negotiations, they are doing something about it.

Although climate change may feel like an issue on the other side of the world concerning a people with whom we no nothing about, like the issue I have just described, it is an issue which will affect all of us on a personal, local level.

It is for this reason that we should also be taking positive action today.

Neville Chamberlain took the same approach to eastern Europe before the second world war. He was reluctant to intervene and prevent the rise of Nazi Germany in Czechoslovakia so by the end of the decade, we were engaged in one of the most monumental wars of British history – an event which defined our country for years to come.

In the same respect, we too should have the foresight to see the impacts of climate change here in China and across the world, including the UK, and we should consider what we can do to take positive action today.

Yes climate change is a threat but it is also an opportunity. Green jobs can reduce the record number of youth unemployment which exists in the UK today, by living a sustainable lifestyle through buying local produce can invest in the local economy and return power to the local communities today and through banking ethically you can mitigate the negative impact that unethical banking can have on people overseas…today. I only need to mention the credit crunch to illustrate my point!

To phrase this rather differently, my name is Rob Clews and in 2050, I will be 60 years old. The decisions that we make today will have a positive impact on our generation and future generations. This may be selfish, but these decisions will impact on my life. It is for this reason that I’m taking positive action on climate change in order to preserve a cleaner, brighter future for tomorrow.

We can take action today and this is what young people across the world have done in increasingly large numbers over the past couple of years. In 2009, UKYCC trained over 500 young people in public speaking. This year alone, our partner organisation 350.org trained over 4,000 in Mexico – and this is only one aspect to the International Youth Climate Movement. From Africa to Europe, North America to Oceania and Asia to Latin America, young people are mobilising in their hundreds of thousands – if not in their millions. This is a chance for us all so we should seize it.

Over the next couple of days I will be blogging on the same positive action being taken by young people in their local communities here in China, and I hope you will join me in sharing this unique experience. I am here for the reasons outlined above, and also because our hosts last words were as follows, “We hope that the distinguish guests from Britain will pay more attention to this desert.”

We can not only hope for them but we can do something to make this happen.

Yes the Chinese have already come along way since work began in 2000, but they also need our help. This is why I am blogging on this issue to raise awareness and I hope it will inspire you to join the movement.

The fact of the matter is that we are not judged by what we say, we are judged by what we do. Climate change is the defining issue of our generation so let us not be judged by what we say, let us be judged by what we do.