I attended the UN Youth Climate Change Summit with zero experience in climate science, policy, or activism. Just a film student with an extensive background in film literature and some in communication studies, I nervously entered the UN Trusteeship Council with my DSLR and scattered thoughts about current events. While I did not know everything about the ozone or greenhouse gasses that a scientist or environmentalist would, I’ve always been conscious about climate change. Noticing the fluctuation in weather patterns and reading up on the melting of polar ice caps made me fear what the future might bring. Prior to this summit, I thought climate change was a problem too big to solve. However, this experience taught me otherwise. In fact, it inspired me.

 

For an entire day, I was surrounded by people of all different ages, nationalities, and backgrounds who had come together to tackle one of the biggest issues in our society. Once the first panel started, I was shocked to see how many students, some even younger than me, were engaging in conversations about an issue that many adults in America believe to be a hoax. With students like Greta Thunberg and Bruno Rodriguez discussing the state of our environment with such passion and expertise, I will dispute anyone who tells me today’s youth are “lazy” or “don’t know what they’re talking about.”

 

 

Panel after panel, I was introduced to eye-opening information on how individuals, communities, companies, and others can mitigate the effects of climate change through sustainability-minded projects, products, and practices. These events not only introduced me to a variety of solutions but also taught me how climate change is intersectional—how its impacts permeate through other issues. Finding solutions to climate change is about more than just improving the environment; we need to consider how it affects the economy, how it affects race and social class, how it impacts minority groups and even gender politics.

 

A favorite panel of mine was in the afternoon, titled, “A Race We Must Win: Sprinting Together to 2020.” During this session, a panel of Olympians and other elite athletes banded together to discuss how the effects of climate change directly impact the future of sports, thus connecting the issue to everyday life.

 

The panel opened with marathon champion Joan Benoit Samuelson stating that climate change affects our workouts and overall health. Across frequent visits to the Gulf of Maine, she had noted rising waters, changes in species, warmer temperatures, and even an increase in the intensity of the sun’s UV rays. While exercising outdoors has its health benefits, Samuelson concluded that “if we want to have a healthy body, we need to have a healthy environment.” The panel continued with further anecdotes from American snowboarder Chloe Kim, Tongan taekwondo practitioner Pita Taufatofua, American sabre fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, American professional skateboarder Eric Koston, and British competitive sailor Hannah Mills. While all the athletes came from different backgrounds and experiences, they unanimously agreed their love for sports motivated them to advocate for the environment. Ibtihaj expressed the connection best by simply saying, “I care about climate change. I know it affects each of us in detrimental ways... and the bottom line is, if there is no planet, there is no sport.”

 

 

I appreciated this panel as the speakers spoke from the perspectives of conscientious everyday people. These athletes might not have an extensive background in the sciences, but their careers (like all careers, honestly) rely on the environment. The personal stories they shared helped me realize that caring for the planet is not a choice. Climate change is an issue that affects us all, no matter what we do or where we live. With this in mind, it is mandatory that we step up as a society and take action from the ground up, starting at the individual level and working our way up to institutions.

 

Besides the thought-provoking speeches and presentations on different aspects of climate change, what truly took me by surprise was the abundance of solutions available to handle this issue. Most of what I hear on climate change is news about its never-ending problems shared via social media. Every time I scroll through Instagram or watch story posts from friends, there are posts designed to raise awareness about various social issues—but that awareness is usually negative. We use social media as a tool to get a problem across to other communities, but how often do we let people know what they can do to fix it? This is what the UN Foundation’s Communications Officer, Chandler Green, discussed in her two minutes in front of the Trusteeship Council. She expressed that, in terms of statistics, we only see solutions in media 13% of the time. This number shocked me, but it also made a lot of sense.

 

 

Given that statistic, I understood why climate change seemed so intimidating and hopeless at first. Furthermore, I understood why many other people believe the world is going to fall apart due to the impacts of climate change—they simply aren’t aware of what can be done. And thus, in my role as a social media contributor for Connect4Climate’s  #YouthTakeover, I realized that social media is more than a tool to get a point across. Why add yet another negative post about the problem to the Instagram feed when you could instead create a photoset illustrating how one can make their daily life more sustainable? As Chandler Green asserted, “nothing can be accomplished without passion.” Anyone can tackle climate change if they have the hope and commitment to act.

 

Fighting against climate change is only an impossible feat if you take it as such. While we cannot undo what has already been done, we can be proactive and move forward with bold new strategies. And with the help of social media, if we give people content and information, they can reciprocate with action. Imagine then the beneficial outcomes we can reap for our environment and our society in the years to come.

 

Banner image courtesy of Jessica Schlimmer. First photo in article courtesy of Maria-Isabelle Parada; remaining two by the Connect4Climate #YouthTakeover team.

New York, NY - When I arrived at the United Nations, I felt at home; I entered with my Colombian passport and it was natural to be from somewhere other than the United States. My accent was well received and I learned that Spanish is one of the five official languages of the United Nations. 

 

I was at the first-ever Youth Climate Summit as part of the Connect4Climate #YouthTakeover team.  My background has nothing to do with the environment, climate, or global warming. I am not involved in any kind of activist program fighting climate change. And yet, I felt like I belonged. 

 

The summit purposely focused on the actions everyone can take to fight climate change. I had always thought one needed to be an activist, politician, scientist or someone like that to fight against or talk about climate change. The summit taught me that everyone has a part to play.

 

Whether your passion is sports, fashion, culinary arts, technology or business, whether you study film or are a social media influencer, you can take action to fight climate change through your individual interests and unique career path.

 

My passion is sports, so I was thrilled to learn how the sports community can help combat climate change. Danni Washington, moderator of the SDG Media Zone and the first African-American woman to host an American Science TV Show, told me about the different ways fans, sporting events committees, and athletes can contribute to climate action.

 

 

Athletes have a lot of influence among their fans. “There are so many fans around the world from so many sports. [Athletes] can use their platform to educate people and help them understand what climate change is really about,” Washington said. “They can give the general public the resources, the information, and the tools they need to make better decisions for our world.”

 

Hannah Mills, a two-time Olympic sailing champion, is using her platform to take climate action and influence other athletes, fans and sport-lovers to do the same. Mills shared at the summit her campaign “Big Plastic Pledge,” which calls on fans and athletes to get involved by making at least three pledges of a possible nine listed on the campaign website. She is on a mission to eliminate plastic from stadiums and sporting events. 

 

I had already pledged to use my own water bottle and to say no to single-use plastic shopping bags. It’s better to make small and imperfect changes than to take no action at all.

 

I practice CrossFit and know that other athletes change their diets according to their individual goals, sometimes by adding more carbs or by drinking more water. If we athletes can change our exercise regimens and diets to perform and look better, we can make small and consistent shifts in our lifestyle to help our planet. 

 

“Our planet is going through different changes because of our behavior and it’s time that we humans recognize our role in the planet and do something to fix it,” Washington told me.

 

 

My role as a sportsperson and journalist is to hold those sports committees and athletes who have pledged to help the environment accountable to their commitments and to keep reporting on how the sports community can contribute to solving this issue that affects all of us.

 

During one panel at the SDG Media Zone, two models from my native Colombia, Toya Montoya and Laura Tobon, spoke about the actions they are taking within the fashion industry. Montoya said, “A year ago, I stopped working with companies who are not environmentally friendly.” Tobon admitted to being a shopaholic but said she has learned not to buy clothes unnecessarily. 

 

Living in this social media era, I used to think I could never post a picture with the same outfit twice. This way of thinking led me to buy a new outfit every time I had an event. Montoya and Tobon expressed this concern themselves but explained that they now mix and match their outfits, buying fewer clothes and only buying from sustainable brands. 

 

At the end of the summit, representatives from the food industry showed us healthy recipes. By buying from local markets and by eating less meat we can reduce our carbon footprint.

 

 

Sustainability is about making small changes in our lifestyle because we need the earth as much as the earth needs us. As Olympic sabre fencing medalist Ibtihaj Mohammed said, “If there is no planet, there are no sports.” I never saw it that way but it’s true. If we do not have snow, most winter sports will be gone. If global warming continues, summer sports will suffer: athletes will have to hydrate more and take more breaks and supporters won’t have a pleasant time watching live events at stadiums.

 

The Youth Climate Action Summit helped me understand what it means to take action on climate. Now I am more conscious of the food I consume, the clothes I buy, the plastic I use and I am trying to educate others around me about the actions they can take.

 

As a team, we should take care of the environment the same way we take care of our bodies. Working together, we can achieve sustainable development worldwide!

 

Banner image courtesy of Evan Bradley. Remaining photos courtesy of the Connect4Climate #YouthTakeover team.

As scientists, effective communication is one of the most difficult challenges we face when discussing climate change, global warming, and other complex issues. This is particularly pressing when communicating to those who lack a scientific background or who are unfamiliar with the relevant terminology and scientific methods. During Connect4Climate’s #YouthTakeover at the United Nations (UN) Climate Summit, attendees deconstructed these barriers to tackling the critical issue of climate change. Participants from diverse scientific and non-scientific backgrounds, age groups, and geographic locations discussed their perceptions of climate change and the need for action in a way that everyone could understand.

 

These environmentally conscious changemakers included artists, government officials, filmmakers, fashion industry models, researchers, media specialists, high school and college students, business owners, musicians, journalists, and more. Each group of activists shared their unique perspectives in a digestible format on social media while also preserving the rigor of climate science. These groups of people, who are not typically proficient in quantitative science themselves, molded the principle of climate change into a universal language, and subsequently mobilized their followers into action toward climate change solutions. As a result, people everywhere could remotely access and understand topics such as fast fashion, climate finance, and pollution.

 

 

These climate activists publicized key facts about human-induced impacts on the environment that pertain to their followers’ fields of interests, expressed the urgency to act on climate change, and articulated how to transition to more environmentally conscious practices to abate these human-caused damages. Models from the fashion industry informed their social media followers about science in a way that captured the attention of like-minded individuals. For example, the models explained that many clothing designers do not consider the environment during the manufacturing process, and that the amount of energy and water required to produce those clothes results in adverse unintended consequences for the natural environment. Changemakers of all backgrounds contributed to and echoed this sentiment: musicians performed songs about caring for the environment; artists created masterpieces on the dangers we are currently facing and predicted to face; and CEOs of well-known businesses explained how carbon pricing can positively impact their industries and increase competitiveness. Moreover, youth encouraged other youth to engage in the growing climate movement. 

 

The most effective component of the weekend event was the collaboration among all of these  people, as global citizens, to work towards solving the problems of climate change and to push for concerted action towards achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. When people from a variety of backgrounds join together to work on a specific issue, stronger, more diverse and more achievable solutions emerge than when everyone stays confined to their own discipline. This could be observed at the Youth Policy Jam on Unlocking Climate Finance, where attendees of the Youth Climate Summit were divided into groups of ten to discuss how to procure more funding for youth programs combating climate change. Participants ranging from high school students to established World Bank and government officials provided their input, collaborating to produce a wealth of ideas that the young organizers of the Policy Jam, Youth Climate Lab, presented later that week during the UN General Assembly.

 

 

Another segment of the UN event featured Pollution Pods, an installation created by the artist Michael Pinsky and other urban planners, researchers, and activists. The pods simulated air quality from five different cities around the world: London, New Delhi, Beijing, São Paulo, and Oslo. These simulations included temporal changes in the concentrations of various pollutants from fossil-fuel-burning emissions, namely carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, nitrous oxide, and particulate matter. In some regions, such as New Delhi and Beijing, the pods were very hot, smelly, and hazy. Experiencing the air quality conditions in other cities worldwide was truly eye-opening. It is one thing to learn about pollution in school and universities but another to experience first-hand how these pollutants impact the natural environment and our own bodies. The collaborative effort behind the creation of these pods was remarkable, which made me hopeful that people who come from non-science backgrounds can grasp the weight of human-induced impacts on the environment and that the science community can communicate complex processes in simple and understandable terms to a general audience.  

 

Connecting and working with people from non-technical backgrounds on the issue of global climate change is of utmost importance in our time. Although effective science communication is challenging, and some of its barriers persist, it gave me immense hope to see that creativity and partnerships can get the word out to many individuals who otherwise might disengage from science discussions because of the daunting jargon and nuances. Connect4Climate’s #YouthTakeover proved that effective dialogue is possible and that the steps we have already taken toward breaking down these communication barriers will catalyze climate action for our generation and those yet to come.

 

 

Banner image courtesy of Kaia Rose, Connect4Climate. Other images courtesy of the Connect4Climate #YouthTakeover team.

Next week, the members of the UN General Assembly will gather in New York City for a Climate Action Summit specially convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in light of the severity of the climate crisis as well as the urgent need to implement the commitments of the Paris Agreement and raise global ambition on climate action.

Given the instrumental role youth leaders have played in bringing the crisis to the fore of international discussion, it’s only fitting that the weekend leading into the event will feature a dedicated Youth Summit where pioneering activists like Greta Thunberg will have the chance to talk sustainable strategy with up-and-coming entrepreneurs, student innovators, and policymakers, laying the groundwork for new commitments to be announced at the Climate Summit.

Taking place on Saturday, September 21, this Youth Summit will involve youth climate leaders from almost every country in the world in an “action-oriented, intergenerational, and inclusive” event. The sessions scheduled for the Summit are well-aligned with C4C’s own advocacy priorities, addressing such topics as circularity in fashion (Fashion4Climate) and climate communication in sports (Sport4Climate). The Summit will also highlight young entrepreneurs with a pitch competition, examine “the anatomy of influence” on- and offline, feature a musical performance by Nigerian pop star Waje, and much more.

C4C is providing special support to the Youth Policy Jam happening in the afternoon, which will bring youth leaders together with experts in finance and policy for a dynamic discussion on how to unlock climate finance at a scale commensurate with the climate crisis.  The Policy Jam is designed to develop creative collaborative solutions on how to generate more ambitious and youth-friendly climate finance—solutions which will subsequently be presented as tangible outcomes during the General Assembly.

With the spotlight on youth action, Connect4Climate saw an ideal opportunity to launch a new #YouthTakeover, inviting local students passionate about climate communications to take the helm on C4C’s social media coverage of the Youth Summit and other exciting climate action events happening around New York City during the weekend of September 21-22.  Follow their journeys on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #YouthTakeover. 

The #YouthTakeover initiative has come a long way over the course of the past year, building momentum at climate events in Europe before making big splashes at the 2019 Innovate4Climate conference in Singapore and, most recently, Asia-Pacific Climate Week in Bangkok, Thailand. C4C looks forward to debuting the #YouthTakeover concept in North America and to giving young people the chance to tell the stories of their own climate heroes on the historic occasion of the UN’s Youth Climate Summit.

The human rights nonprofit Amnesty International is well known for its support of humanitarian causes around the globe; its ambitious goals include ensuring the rights of refugees and abolishing the practice of torture. In today’s world, climate change, too, has become a human rights issue, with more and more displaced each year by rising sea levels and increasingly intense natural disasters—a situation with the potential to grow exponentially worse absent swift and decisive action in line with the Paris Agreement of 2015.  As Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Kumi Naidoo said on Monday at George Washington University, “The right to a liveable planet is essentially Article Zero of our basic human rights as a people.”

In recognition of the ongoing climate crisis and the amazing work youth activists around the world have been doing to raise awareness of it and spur concrete action, Amnesty chose to confer this year’s prestigious Ambassador of Conscience Award on School Strike for Climate founder Greta Thunberg and the regional leaders of the international #FridaysForFuture movement that her efforts in Sweden galvanized.

“All around the world, Amnesty is gathering to lift up these inspiring young climate activists who are ringing the alarm bell,” Amnesty USA Executive Director Margaret Huang stated at the awards ceremony Monday evening.

Two other young advocates of climate action, Takota Iron Eyes (16) and Ramona Sarsgaard (12), made it abundantly clear in their speeches why Thunberg and the #FridaysForFuture team were deserving of Amnesty’s highest honor. “At 16, I am worried about what it would look like if I want to have kids,” Iron Eyes candidly told the audience, her frustration at the lack of action on the part of older generations apparent. Sarsgaard echoed this sentiment, saying that “A child should not have to have this responsibility. But in order to make change, we cannot pretend that everything is okay.”

Thunberg has always maintained that it should not be the job of children to fix problems created and subsequently neglected by their parents. Her activism and that of the overarching #FridaysForFuture campaign is grounded in the use of public demonstrations to illustrate the gravity of the situation on the world stage and bring about transformative policy changes in government and industry.

“Right now, I think an awakening is taking place,” Thunberg asserted in her acceptance speech. “Activism works. So what I’m telling you now to do is act. See you on the streets.”

Climate change is just global warming was a huge misconception I had when I stepped before the registration counter of the UN Asia-Pacific Climate Week conference, held in my hometown of Bangkok.

It is safe to say that I was totally clueless about climate change, especially when compared with those in business attire standing next to me. The only thing I knew was that, as youth ambassadors, my four classmates and I would try to learn as much as possible from the event in order to produce content for Connect4Climate's social media accounts.

I followed a stream of people into the conference hall as the plenary session was about to begin. I grabbed my notebook, doubtful there would be anything cool to tweet about. But by the end of the very first session, I had already learned numerous surprising facts.

One sad truth that I learned was that the Asia Pacific region is “the most vulnerable to climate change,” losing more than 675 billion dollars every year to natural disasters exacerbated by the unstable climate. And unfortunately, we are only making matters worse, continuing to emit the harmful greenhouse gases responsible for climate change.

Panelists at the conference took turns proposing possible ways out of this dreadful situation. As I was listening to their refreshing ideas, I could not help but notice that all of them referred back to one key term: Article 6.

Curious, I did my own research, coming to the realization that Article 6 is a part of the Paris Agreement, a mutual agreement among members of the UN to curb the rise of global temperatures. Since the agreement was signed in 2016, Article 6 has been used as a rallying cry to raise ambition and boost international cooperation in the fight against climate change. I think its message aligns well with the motto for this year’s upcoming UN Climate Action Summit, 'a race we can win.' 

Starting to realize the importance of the event in Bangkok, I directed my energy to trying to understand other parts of the complex discussion. What sparked my interest the most was the topic of ‘carbon pricing.’ I was surprised to learn that by simply putting a tax on carbon, we could persuade the industrial sector to take responsibility for their pollution. The government could also use the revenue from those taxes to tackle other national issues such as poverty and food security.

I was also impressed to hear of the progress we’ve made in recent years. Indonesia has become the leading country in meeting decarbonization standards, the Philippines is investing greatly in renewable energy sectors, and Bangladesh and Thailand are developing eco-friendly transportation systems. Every country is putting in an incredible amount of effort to push forward the actual implementation of their targets under the Paris Agreement.

I thought my learning process would end when I left the conference room, but I was wrong; I found that the space outside, which had been empty in the morning, was suddenly filled with exhibition booths of various organizations. Even though they were from different corners of the world, all of their work was dedicated to the mutual goal of identifying the best climate solutions.

You could say I was young at heart when I walked past all the advanced innovative technologies and stopped at a game booth for elementary schoolers. The person at the booth explained to me how effective it was bringing in a simple Snakes and Ladders game to teach kids about climate change. The rules were easy: if you rolled the dice and landed on the square with eco-friendly actions, you would go up the ladder. On the other hand, you would move down the ladder for eco-unfriendly actions.

Of course, I could not resist the invitation to test the game, and I ended up playing for ten full minutes. I was enjoying it so much that I completely forgot that it was 'educational.' Yet, by the end of it, I remembered so clearly what eco-unfriendly actions had jeopardized my position as a winner that I walked out of the booth with a new mindset, committed to not doing any of those things in the future. 

Apart from the fun, educational exhibition booths, there was also an action hub: a stage where ideas were exchanged and creativity was ignited. You did not have to be the greatest entrepreneur or the most renowned activist to be on the stage. It was for everyone.

My four classmates and I were standing before the stage, jaws dropping, as one of young entrepreneurs shared his vision. "I believe everyone has the ability to get out there and do something about climate change." The sparkle of passion in his eyes and the strong determination in his voice made his words sound so promising and far beyond his age.

Getting to meet inspiring people at Asia-Pacific Climate Week, I came to realize that climate change is much more than boring scientific facts we have been taught in school. It is not only about the rise of global temperatures, melting icebergs or ozone depletion, but countries’ economies, people's well-being, and even the vision of our future lifestyle. Everything is connected.

Thus, it is now time to help get the message across that solving climate change is not only the duty of one region, one country, or one government, but every single one of us. When we believe that our voices matter and are committed to doing better, the mission of saving Planet Earth will not be far out of hand. It is a race we can win.

Photos by fellow #YouthTakeover participant Kamolchanok Kieatmontri.

From September 2-6 in Bangkok, Thailand, Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW) will bring together climate leaders from around the world to discuss the way forward for the region and the planet at large. Connect4Climate is excited to announce that the conference will mark the latest installment in its #YouthTakeover initiative, providing local students with a chance to communicate new ideas about how to engage and activate young audiences.

Building on the momentum of recent #YouthTakeover events in Singapore and Italy, Connect4Climate will take the opportunity presented by the wide-reaching APCW to hand its Twitter and Instagram channels over to a team of communications and media students from Thailand’s prestigious Mahidol University. As the region’s leading climate experts convene to create clear pathways to the UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit in September and COP25 in December, these talented young people will offer their perspectives on what’s happening through original messaging and Instagram stories. September 4 and 5 are the official #YouthTakeover days at APCW, but be on the lookout for surprise youth posts elsewhere in the week as well!

All participants in the takeover will set out to seek answers to a fundamental question: What innovations can help bridge the gap between the solutions currently being implemented on the ground and the further action that must be taken in order for the region to reach its Paris Agreement goals? It will be a challenging task for the young journalists, but undoubtedly they will be up to it.

Connect4Climate is honored to continue the #YouthTakeover program in memory of Max Thabiso Edkins, who always recognized the power of youth to take the helm on climate issues, speak out for their planet, and steer society towards a sustainable future.

From Aug. 8-10 in Washington, DC, passionate young people joined veterans of geopolitics on the campus of George Washington University for the 24th session of the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation’s Youth Assembly. The aim of the three-day event was clear: to identify strategies maximizing youth’s impact in the global push to bring the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to fruition.  The group gathered at GWU included students of many talents from all over the word: economics, policy, science and the arts were all represented.

 

Connect4Climate advisor Francis Dobbs had the opportunity to address the audience in a panel centered on Climate,Youth and Innovation. He was joined by Dr. Miroslav Polzer, Secretary-General of IAAI GloCha; Hawa Diallo, Public Information Officer at the UN’s Department of Global Communications; Bobby Kia, cofounder of The People’s Prize; Frank Niepold, Climate Education Senior Program Manager at NOAA; and Tracey Ritchie, Director of Education for the Earth Day Network.

As convenor of the session, Dr. Polzer dedicated the gathering to our dear C4C colleague and climate hero, Max Thabiso Edkins, who we lost in March of this year, with a video introducing Max to the young audience followed by a minute’s silence. Each member of the panel then spoke on their own programs and youth campaigns; all were agreed that the mobilization of youth is critical in checking the advance of climate change now and rolling back the tide in the years to come. “We have to help open the door for young people,” Tracey Ritchie asserted. “When you ask, ‘Where is our army of climate activists?’” Frank Niepold added, “the answer is that it’s the youth.”

Last to speak, C4C’s Francis Dobbs delivered a heartfelt presentation in honor of  Max Thabiso Edkins, whose passion for elevating young voices and bringing young people into climate discussions was renowned worldwide. Dobbs announced an exciting new campaign to keep Max’s memory shining bright across the global climate community while simultaneously galvanizing youth engagement in on-the-ground action.

At the heart of the campaign is the simple symbol of a green bow tie pin, a nod to Max’s signature bowtie that he would wear at almost every climate event and a reliable eye-catcher on a dress or lapel.

“Max was a man of fashion, and he loved his bow ties,” Francis told the assembled young people, “but as both a scientist and a communicator they also had a special meaning to him. The bowtie symbolizes how the complexities of science are often woven together into wonderful structures that also make a strong statement.”

Beginning on September 10, C4C will launch a climate awareness bow tie blitz, distributing the colorful pins among partners and allies while simultaneously deepening youth outreach efforts all around the world in the spirit of Max’s own relentless activism.

Francis concluded the panel talk with the signature call-and-response sign-off of Nelson Mandela, which Max had always held a special fondness for.  “Amandla,” (“Power”), Francis began. “Awethu!” (“To us!”), the young room replied.