Dialogue in Naples Unites Youth and Government in Support of Natural Capital Safeguards

On Friday, April 5, some 700 high school and college students gathered at the the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Naples, Italy for an honest climate discussion with Italy's Minister of the Environment, Sergio Costa. At the heart of the event was the question of how best to safeguard the world's natural capital, i.e. protect the scope and diversity of natural ecosystems everywhere. Biodiversity and robust forests are essential to the health of our species and our planet; over the course of the three-hour session, Costa and the assembled young people strove to arrive at a common understanding of how to keep the Earth from further damage, and, where possible, how to undo the damage already done.

Opening remarks were delivered by professor and university dean Gaetano Manfredi and Connect4Climate's own program manager Giulia Braga. These introductions set the stage for an event emphasizing the power of youth innovation and activism to make an impact on climate worldwide. With a touching tribute, the event was formally dedicated to Connect4Climate's late climate expert and content lead Max Thabiso Edkins, who always went the extra mile to include young, bold thinkers in the climate dialogue. The tribute recalled a spirited exhortation from Edkins to "take this momentum and help solve this challenge of our generation."

The event kicked off in earnest with a lively performance from sustainable music collective BungtBangt, who played on intruments made from recycled everyday materials. "Together," the group's frontman said, "we can be protectors, not destroyers, of the Earth." He maintained that natural capital was absolutely essential to the daily existence of everyone on the planet, and noted that music was an especially fitting means of distributing this message, for "Music is the purest form of natural energy."

After the performance came a discussion between Sergio Costa and journalist Paolo Chiariello and a question-and-answer exchange with the students in the audience. Costa pointed to recent ocean conservation legislation and other good work the Italian government was doing as examples of steps in the right direction, but made it clear that there was a tremendous amount of work left to be done, and that it was up to young people to stand up for their beliefs and be as vocal as possible about the changes they wish to see implemented.

"Our families understood before our institutions that a different future—one that is plastic-free—is possible," Costa said. "Get on the streets, make yourselves heard. That's the only way change will ever happen." He made it clear that the environmentalism of today "has to touch everyday life" if it's to be successful. "If it does not upset our habits," he noted, climate discussion will not solve anything. Action must always undergird the movement if we're to have a chance at saving our planet. And the youth of the world have demonstrated their willingness to make that action happen.

Connect4Climate live-streamed the event from beginning to end on our Facebook channel, and you can still watch the footage in its entirety at this link.