The presentation looks at the role of leadership in creating awareness and driving regarding climate change among young urban people in Vietnam. It aims to explore specifically the information, attitudes and aspirations of young Hanoians in relation to the changing climate, and how the needs of the various clusters of urban youth could be best addressed by different leadership models.

1. LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES IN
BUILDING URBAN YOUTH
CLIMATE CHANGE
AWARENESS
GÁBOR SARLÓS, RMIT VIETNAM
@GABORSARLOS
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

2. SUMMARY
• URBAN YOUNG PEOPLE CONSIDER THEMSELVES TO BE
EXPOSED TO CLIMATE CHANGE TO A VARIED DEGREE
• IN SPITE OF HAVING ACCESS TO A WIDE RANGE OF
INFORMATION, THEY DEMONSTRATE MIXED LEVELS OF
AWARENESS
• VARIED LEVELS OF AWARENESS, ENGAGEMENT AND
MOBILISATION POTENTIAL THEY MIGTH RESPOND TO
VARIOUS LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES AND CALLS FOR
ACTION
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós

3. FACTS
‘NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT OF
CLIMATE SCIENTISTS AGREE
THAT CLIMATE-WARMING
TRENDS OVER THE PAST
CENTURY ARE VERY LIKELY
DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITIES’
SOURCE: NASA, CLIMATE.NASA.GOV
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

4. FACTS
‘SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR
WARMING OF THE CLIMATE
SYSTEM IS UNEQUIVOCAL’
SOURCE: INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE
CHANGE
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

5. FACTS
CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT THE
ISSUE, IT IS HERE WHETHER
WE ADMIT OR NOT.
BUT HOW WE TACKLE IT, IS THE
REAL ISSUE.
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

6. METHODOLOGY
Hanoi
Online survey
among Hanoi (+
agglomeration)
youth
Hanoi sample: 358
age 18-39
representative on
age and gender
agglomeration sample: 113
age 18-39
Representative on age and
gender
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

7. DO YOU THINK THE CLIMATE IS
CHANGING?

8. HOW WORRIED ARE YOU ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE / DO YOU FEEL
PERSONAL RESPONSBILITY?

9. HOW WORRIED ARE YOU ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE / DO YOU FEEL
PERSONAL RESPONSBILITY?

10. KEY FINDINGS – 1-4
Hanoi
Is climate changing? Definitely yes
How much have you
thought about climate
change?
Somewhat
How concerned are you
about climate change?
Very much + not at all
Is it caused by natural
process or human activity?
Rather human
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

11. KEY FINDINGS – 5-8
Hanoi
Personal responsibility? Above average
Would many people save
on energy?
Above average
Will governments take
action?
Quite likely
Ready to limit your own
use of energy?
Above average
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

12. FURTHER FINDINGS - 1
ABOVE AVERAGE LEVEL OF AWARENESS AND INTEREST:
• 31 - 39 YEAR OLDS (HANOI)
• EMPLOYEES (HANOI)
ABOVE AVERAGE SENSE OF PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY:
• EMPLOYEES (HANOI)
• WOMEN (HANOI, AGGLOMERATION)
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

13. WHAT THE RESPONDENTS SAY
”LACKING AWARENESS”
“I’M NOT WORRIED, MAYBE BECAUSE I’M IN
A CITY. I DON’T FEEL THE CHANGES, BUT IN
THE LONG-TERM, IF THERE WILL BE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER, I WOULD BE
WORRIED. ”
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

14. WHAT THE RESPONDENTS SAY
”LACKING MOTIVATION”
“IT IS SUPER HOT IN THE SUMMER AND FREEZING
IN THE WINTER. THE SEASONS AND WEATHER
CHANGE DRASTICALLY FROM HOT TO COLD AND
VICE VERSA”
“SOME YEARS WE DON’T EVEN HAVE WINTER,
AND SUMMERS NOWADAYS LAST FAR TOO LONG.”
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

15. WHAT THE RESPONDENTS SAY
”LACKING MOTIVATION”
“IN MY OPINION, BIG CORPORATIONS AND BUSINESSES
HAVE A BIG RESPONSIBILITY TO PLAY. MOST OF
RUBBISHES COME FROM FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS,
SHOPS, COMPANIES OR BIG SUPERMARKETS. YOU
COULD BE EASILY CRITICIZED WHEN DISPOSING OF
FOOD, DRINKS OR WRAPPERS BUT MAYBE LARGE
BUSINESSES COULD BE NOT”
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

16. WHAT THE RESPONDENTS SAY
”LACKING GUIDANCE”
“I WON’T CARE IF THEY’RE JUST GOING TO TELL
ME TO ‘SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT!’. IF THEY
SHOW ME PRACTICAL, DAILY THINGS THAT I
CAN DO, I’LL DO IT.”
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

17. COMMUNICATION ISSUES
Use of
language
is critical
‘Climate
change’ vs.
‘global
warming’
‘Science-
talk’ /
common
language
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

18. COMMUNICATION ISSUES
Obscurity
of
concepts
Environment
/ waste / air
pollution /
global
warming
Complexity
of issues
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

19. LEADERSHIP ISSUES
Different
leadership
models
Address
different
needs
Might be best
matched with
audience
clusters
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

20. LEADERSHIP ISSUES
AWARENESS RAISING
Therapist
model
Address
personal
anxieties
Help link
personal
issues to
climate change
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

21. LEADERSHIP ISSUES
MOBILIZATION
Messiah
leadership
model
Link global
challenge with
individual
gains
Mobilise
through
engagement
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

22. LEADERSHIP ISSUES
GUIDANCE
Eco
leadership
model
Build on
existing
awareness and
motivation
Engage
through easy
to learn steps
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

23. LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
• Adaptive
leadership
is needed
Positional vs
situational
leadership
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

24. LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
• Matching
leadership
on all levels
Global
problem /
national
solutions /
individual
participation
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

25. LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
• Credibility and
trust of
leadership is
critical
Awareness
generation
for the youth
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

26. KEY REFERENCES
Copsey,T., Nguyen Y. & Pham, P. H. 2012. How the people of Vietnam live with
climate change and what communication can do, BBC Media Asia, Climate Report
Gonzalez,G.A. 2006. Cities and climate change:Urban sustainability and global
environmentalgovernance,EnvironmentalPolitics 15, pp 135–137.Doi:
10.1080/09644010500418845
IPCC. 2014: Climate Change. 2014. Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working
Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri & L.A. Meyer (eds.)].
IPCC, Geneva,Switzerland, pp 151.
IPCC. 2018: Global Warming of 1.5 C – an IPCC Special Report. IPCC, Geneva,
Switzerland
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018

27. KEY REFERENCES
Sarlos, G. & Ferencz,Z. 2018. Climate Change and Urban Youth Crisis Alertness.
A comparative study of Budapestand Hanoi youth. Presentation at the Bledcom
2018 A World in Crisis: the Role of Public Relations
Toan Do Thi, T., Kien Vu, D., Bao Giang, K., Van Minh, H. & Wright, P. 2014.
Perceptions of climate change and its impact on human health: an integrated
quantitative and qualitative approach,Global Health Action 7, 23025.
doi:10.3402/gha.v7.23025
Western, S. 2005. A Critical Analysis of Leadership:Overcoming Fundamentalist
Tendencies.Doctoral Dissertation, LancasterUniversity ManagementSchool.
Western, S. 2008. Leadership:A Critical Text. Los Angeles & London:Sage
Publications.
Leadership Challenges and Climate Change – Gábor Sarlós IRCMALS 2018