A University of Guelph student has been selected by the British Council of Canada as one of the five young Canadians who will be attending climate forums on finance and media in Shanghai, China, Sept. 1 to 7.

David Lawless was chosen through a national competition for International Climate Champions. The second-year ecology student will be acting as a facilitator at the international conference, which includes young people from 15 other countries.

Participants will present case studies based on their own experiences and country perspectives. The event aims to open up discussion on a number of issues such as the costs of mitigation and adaptation, international carbon markets, carbon taxes and climate-friendly investment.

Last year Lawless attended the United Nations World Climate Conference in Geneva where he took part in panel discussions with the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change and was also selected to represent Canada at the Road to Davos Conference, an international gathering of young leaders and activists in England.