i sat down with gregor sharp, an 18-year-old climate activist, to discuss.

podcast transcript:

kaitlyn copland 0:05

during recent years, it seems that an increasing number of social movements have improved their ability to organize and mobilize people around a cause. why? the globe is more connected than ever through social media. 

movements have harnessed the media’s power to revolutionize the spread of information about social change all across the world. one relevant example is the cop26 coalition, which is a uk based civil society coalition of groups, grassroots movements, trade unions and racial justice networks. 

activists from the cop26 coalition converged upon glasgow to protest the cop26 climate summit that ran for two weeks in the fall of 2021. while world leaders revisited the paris climate accords to create the glasgow climate pact, protesters from different countries and movements united under the cop26 coalition to march in solidarity through the soggy streets demanding more immediate climate solutions. 

i had the opportunity to sit down with one of the activists present at cop26. gregor sharp is an 18 year old climate change activist who is a content creator for friday’s for future. we discussed how social media mobilizes organizations and increases connectivity as demonstrated through the cop26 coalition.

the following dialogue is our conversation which has been edited for clarity and length.

gregor sharp 1:31

hi, my name is gregor sharp. i’m an 18 year old climate activist from lake bluff, illinois. i’m a social media contributor for fridays for future and earth uprising. i got involved in climate change around 2018 when i first discovered it when i was learning about it in middle school. and then from that i reached out and branched off to different organizations and kind of got myself involved more and more and here i am today. 

kaitlyn copland 1:56

perfect! i want to discuss with you fridays for future in regards to their history. what are their purposes? what’s their goals and why is this all important? 

gregor sharp 2:05

fridays for future was founded in august 2018 by then not really popular climate activist greta thunburg who had been striking outside of the swedish parliament every friday. she decided that she would continue to be striking every friday and she created the fridays for future movement, which then eventually branched off to different countries around the world where students and young people would strike in front of the parliaments, the white houses, the presidential houses and the legislature houses around the world and in different cities and states and everywhere, basically. it started off with one person and it’s eventually grown to its largest at 4.3 million. 

kaitlyn copland 2:56

how has social media played a role in the visibility and reach of your demands and additionally, how is it increased connectivity for fridays for future branches across the world? 

gregor sharp 3:06

okay. so social media is a really big factor in sharing information. it’s been scientifically proven time and time again that it’s [social media] been one of the greatest ways of scientific movements and scientific information sharing throughout these past couple years, even though it does have a massive amount of misinformation problems. 

but overall within the climate movement, as a whole, we’re able to reach audiences and other people who may have not really heard about climate change. 

kaitlyn copland 03:38

could you also talk a little more on the shortcomings of social media in regards to this movement? 

gregor sharp 03:46

some shortcomings with our environmental movement are with conservative groups and other republican, right wing political groups. they do denounce fridays for future and say that we are prompting misinformation towards environmental sciences and other sciences as a whole. that shuts off our outreach programs to the majority of the far right groups around the world as they do not want to listen to us and they don’t believe that climate change is real.

political leaders who want to profit off of fossil fuel companies and other companies that are basically prospering from climate injustice and environmental deregulations are generally some of the reasons why we haven’t been able to do as much as we possibly can. we keep on getting blocked by different organizations and companies, because they want to focus on their own capitalistic profit.

kaitlyn copland 04:41

would you say that you use social media to try to target these organizations? 

gregor sharp 04:57

yeah, we definitely do target these groups time and time again. we specifically called chase bank out before cop26 happened because of their massive involvement within cop26. they do massively fund fossil fuel companies. and that kind of greenwashing, as we would say, definitely does not, in fact, help the environmental groups and youth movements around the world as a whole because it seems like they’re just profiting off of a name that they are sustainable and doing stuff. they’re also supporting the organizations, companies and the fossil fuel organizations which have been basically polluting and damaging our world. 

kaitlyn copland 05:40

i want to move on to discussing the cop26 coalition. i know fridays for future is a part of it. i’m really interested to know how the coalition was formed, especially if it involves social media. 

gregor sharp 05:54

the cop26 coalition was majorly formed right around the beginnings of when cop26 was birthed. especially with mock cop, where a few delegates met online and established their doctrine that they really wanted to get passed within cop. that engagement with other youth environmental organizations and environmental organizations as a whole eventually led to the formation of the cop26 coalition. that’s just a coalition of environmental and climate organizations that wanted to work together to ensure that we get climate action done and climate action in the cop26 agreement that eventually came out. i think it’s called the glasgow accord. it does include a little bit of climate change action.

kaitlyn copland 06:42

just to recap, when the cop 26 coalition was forming, all of these groups that formed it, connected with each other through social media, and it was like, yes, let’s do it? 

gregor sharp 06:57

we mostly connected through social media, but other people knew each other in person from former experiences with other cops, and just meeting in general in real life. that kind of connection via social media and also real life, interjected and created the cop 26 coalition.

kaitlyn copland 07:15

awesome. during the summit when you were protesting, did social media increase connectivity between the organizations? was fridays for future able to gain new partnerships and allies?

gregor sharp 07:29

yes, absolutely. we definitely gained more partnerships and allies as the fridays for future international group as a whole. generally, because of the fact that most of the events that we were attending were live streamed, they were broadcasted on every single major news network around the world. basically, as you can see on the first friday, the major major strike that happened in glasgow that we saw that definitely happening, where our coalition definitely got the word out and definitely was able to form a big coalition to get the news groups around the world to broadcast this kind of event. it’s major to see around 1.2 million people protesting within the streets of a 500,000 populated city.

kaitlyn copland 08:16

i was going to ask you about, like the visibility and reach of the protests at the summit. were you and the entire coalition, were they effectively able to create high visibility and reach of the protests?

gregor sharp 08:36

i would say definitely, like i said, we got 1.2 million people to protest in a city which only has a population of 500,000, which is absolutely incredible. that’s about double the population. so i definitely agree with social media and other forms of connections outside of social media, working amazingly to get the word out to other individuals who lived around the uk and european area, and also who flew in as climate delegates and other delegates, to cop26 to spread the word of taking climate action now and doing something. 

kaitlyn copland 09:13

that’s impressive. could you speak a little about your personal experience, on the ground at glasgow? 

gregor sharp 09:20

it was really amazing. i got to meet a ton of incredible climate activists and engage in social media myself. after the first major strike, we were able to witness around 28 speakers, youth activist speakers, mostly, even from mapa related countries and bipoc communities speak up about their experiences with climate change as a whole. we were able to rally a lot of people towards climate action during that day. and it was generally something that i really enjoyed. i was down on the streets protesting myself. i got to meet a ton of incredible climate activists and people who generally supported the idea for climate action around the world.

and it was just generally one of those experiences where i will never forget it because it was such a positive experience as a whole because everyone was there for positive reasons because they wanted to support this movement as a whole.

kaitlyn copland 10:23

that’s really exciting. do you have any final thoughts on how social media influences social political movements overall? 

gregor sharp 10:30

yeah, social media does definitely in today’s world affect political movements as a whole because everyone’s really connected now. as we can say with online social media platforms such as instagram, twitter, facebook, tiktok, snapchat, all those different apps and getting the word out for those different apps and different social media platforms, really generally does benefit the climate movement and other movements as a whole. it’s basically become like a revolution because social media has become such an influential factor in people’s lives today, that we generally didn’t realize that until about like eight years ago, because there was no social media back then. the general expansion of social media, and generally increasing our social media as a whole has definitely basically affected the world for the worst and for better.

kaitlyn copland 11:26

awesome! thank you so much for your time. 

gregor sharp 11:28

thank you so much!

in a historical context, the charter of indian forestry (1855) offered a model for imperial environmentalism under the british empire in africa in which colonial governments were bestowed the power to seize land that was not otherwise privately owned. (kashwan, 2021, p. 5-6) this toxic relationship between the global north and global south persists today through our globalized economy. for example, ghana is the largest gold producer on a continent that supplies 40% of the world’s gold. (al jazeera, 2022) at the same time, global justice now has reported that african countries in 2015 received $162 billion in foreign aid while $203 billion was extracted from the continent, either directly from multinational corporations or by costs necessary for climate change adaptation (mcveigh, 2017).

extractive economies that reinforce these oppressive systems of command and control have been imprinted into the head spaces of the ruling financial and political elite as the end-all, be-all solution to improving quality of life for humanity. due to these cultural setbacks, youth leaders and advocates around the world are frustrated about the lack of action their governments are taking on climate change. one such group in ghana has been incredibly active in terms of transitioning local and regional economies and communities to more sustainable mechanisms and relationships between people and the planet. 

founded in 2014, green africa youth organization (gayo) pursues a holistic path to mobilize and engage youth voices in ghana in order to challenge climate change and introduce a circular economy to the region. i had a conversation with betty osei bonsu, who is a project coordinator based in accra, about the work she does with gayo. their vision is to achieve environmental and economic sustainability through youth empowerment, skills development, and public education. gayo champions several initiatives that follow these thematic areas including climate change disaster risk reduction and circular economy. in tandem with the 2030 sustainable development goals, these initiatives encourage a multi-pronged approach to climate action and normalization of sustainability in local and regional economies. gayo refers to itself as a gender-balanced organization, in alignment with goal 10: reduce inequality within and among countries. gayo not only pushes for women leadership in environmental spaces, but also seeks to enhance inclusion within waste recovery and management.

the sustainable community project (scp) is meant to establish a zero-waste model for waste management led by community members within ghana. established in accra, cape coast, abuakwa, and pioneered from the ashanti region, edubiase in 2016, this project focuses on several waste-to-value initiatives including: composting, recycling arts, and charcoal briquette. composting is important to a sustainable community because it provides organic fertilizers within towns that can be sold to people within the community for better organic crop yield. meanwhile, recycling arts offer training to create items that can be sold and be reused for the creator or their family. additionally, charcoal briquettes are a biofuel meant to be a sustainable transitional energy source that is substituted for firewood. this work started as a pilot program in cape coast, but expanded into a full initiative in the adansi south district of ghana. these three areas of value addition are meant to establish circular communities by working with media outlets, activists, and local organizations/assemblies to implement this project throughout ghana and beyond. the main objectives for the sustainable community project are to divert waste from landfills, support the works of waste pickers while building community capacity, and promote revenue generation through upcyling what would otherwise be thrown out. ms. bonsu mentioned that the initiative offers other opportunities such as the creation of green jobs and green jobs training for alternative livelihood while maximizing resource recovery so that small-scale waste can be re-purposed and sold as sustainably-sourced products. waste pickers play a major role in the scp as they recover most of the waste. thus, gayo supports them by advocating for their rights, integrating them to work in coordination with the assembly, and providing them with necessary resources.

furthermore, the circular economy project is also focused on training youth, and fostering development so they can act as ambassadors for various gayo initiatives. following this, they have organized over 300 youth individuals within universities through the gayo ecoclub chapters. this is a student-led movement envisioned to raise future climate leaders and young ecopreneurs, create awareness on environmental protection, and increase the employability of youth through professional working experiences. gayo is also building the capacity of these students by pushing for the creation of environmental courses and initiatives through partnership with other institutions and community engagement activities. as a result, students and emerging professionals are able to learn more about climate change and the circular economy while making an impact in their communities.

meanwhile, the youth climate council provides a platform for youth-led individuals and organizations to gather actionable suggestions and to come together as a centralized power to pitch concerns they have to the government. the youth climate council was established by green africa youth organization and its independent partner, youth climate lab (ycl), and with institutional backing from the international development research centre (idrc). i found this project particularly compelling after learning from ms. bonsu that, in her own words, “[people] in the global south…are faced with a situation where youth do not have voices in decision making, are not being represented in government [and] are not included in the formation of climate policies.” a significant part of gayo’s mission is to empower and engage youth throughout the country and the world around comprehensive climate action, environmental education, and community-centric programs.

the youth climate council is a unified climate youth movement which amplifies youth voices and creates opportunities for young climate activists in ghana. the council is embedded within the ministry of environment, science, technology, and innovation, working hand-in-hand with the environmental protection agency ensuring a direct connection between youth and government, and vice versa. the youth climate council’s priority is to provide services to strengthen activism and the impact of its members.

betty went on to say that, “because of this platform, we were able to attend cop26 in order to highlight gayo and other youth experiences in ghana ” around climate action and environmental awareness. following this year’s cop 26, the ghana government pavilion was utilized by gayo and its partners to host capacity-building webinars and events for youth, while sharing initiatives and climate interventions carried out by youth climate activists, organizations, and institutions in the nation. government institutions providing platforms, and the autonomy to decide what actions should be taken, center the perspectives of youth leaders rather than perpetuate archaic systems that are damaging to people and the planet. 

climate action demands intersectional, multi-generational collective action. even though the majority of ghg emissions and environmental degradation has been caused by the generations before us, it is up to youth voices, organizations, and movements to strive for a more sustainable and ethical future. gayo is one such organization achieving this feat in real time, with betty osei bonsu representing ghana and gayo at cop26 calling the world to action. global north countries and institutions, and its respective government entities, need to pass the microphone to leaders such as betty that are already transforming our relationship to the environment while also finding economic opportunities in alignment with environmental justice and sustainability. 

sources

al jazeera staff. 2022. mapping africa’s natural resources. al jazeera. 

bonsu, betty osei. (2021, november) personal communication [personal interview]. 

kashwan, prakash, et. al. 2021. from racialized neocolonial global conservation to an inclusive and regenerative conservation. environment. 63:4, 5-6.

mcveigh, karen. 2017. world is plundering africa’s wealth of ‘billions of dollars a year’. the guardian. 

dive deeper

gayo joins inaugural plastic action champions – green africa youth organization

ghana hosts first local conference of youth in climate change | wundef.com

are you an entrepreneur? apply to join the founder institute ghana and gayo fellowship. – green africa youth organization

from the paris agreement, in which most developed nations are failing to meet their 2030 emission reduction targets, to the many pledges made at cop26, world leaders have proven themselves excellent at making grand promises only to break them. luckily, we don’t have to accept this approach. the change to a better, more inclusive, more humble dialogue on climate change is not only necessary, but possible. 

as a 17-year-old student accompanying the american conservation coalition at cop26 in glasgow, i had the unique experience of being the least knowledgeable person in the room at almost all times. i got to meet brilliant individuals while seeing firsthand the relationship between policymakers, experts, and constituents. my involvement in acc has given me insight into the often polarizing nature of climate politics and i’ve been encouraged to promote action that doesn’t exclude realistic ideas. while i went to glasgow to represent young conservatives interested in combating climate change, i also learned that this issue requires a new, collective shift in approach from people on all sides and in all sectors.

though historically environmentalism has not always been a partisan issue, the left has typically been most present in the conversation on climate change over the past several decades in the united states. unfortunately, from what i have observed, the approach has generally utilized apocalyptic language, emotions like fear, and grandiose promises, as seen in proposals like the green new deal. while these radical proposals haven’t gone far legislatively, they have brought attention to the issue, especially when it comes to young people. the fridays for future march, attended by greta thunberg, during cop26 perfectly exemplified this, as many young people showed up to express their frustrations, yet marchers offered very little in terms of realistic, achievable solutions. the organization produced a petition, which achieves the necessary task of asking politicians to acknowledge the urgent nature of climate change and the fact that there are solutions, but gives only vague references to what those solutions could look like and no consideration of how they could actually be implemented. 

in recent years, many right leaning politicians and individuals, including myself at one point, have shown hesitancy when it comes to engaging on the issue of climate change for various reasons. fortunately, acc and the creation of the conservative climate caucus show the right starting to again play a role in climate solutions. in typical conservative fashion, the solutions aren’t always as emotionally appealing to young people, but they present market-based solutions which benefit both the environment and the economy. for example, the growing climate solutions act aims to aid farmers and ranchers who may want to participate in voluntary environmental credit markets in order to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. a history of climate change denial also causes justifiable mistrust among some young voters. while realistic solutions and technological innovations are crucial to a thriving global market and planet, from what i’ve observed at cop26 and other events, conservatives lack a public passion for resolving environmental issues, which would likely increase their credibility. 

if both sides are unwilling to change counterproductive tactics, there is no reason to expect change. fortunately, the first-ever global conservative climate summit (gccs) and cop26 marked small but significant changes to our collective approach. while the gccs provided conservatives a space in a conversation which has typically occurred without them, much of the discussion centered efforts toward bipartisanship and highlighted the necessity for inclusivity, regardless of which political party holds more influence over an issue. 

after listening to a variety of speakers, ranging from theresa may, former uk prime minister and leader of the conservative party, to van jones, left-leaning news and political commentator, author, and lawyer, i realized that i was wrong. before cop26, i expected, as i think many young people do, to see the areas in which different parties and ideologies contradict each other on the issue of climate. however, i realized that in some ways the left’s shortcomings are the right’s strengths, and the right’s shortcomings are the strengths of the left. i found that i was the most inspired and informed after listening to panels which included members from both sides. 

similarly, the typical relationship between experts and politicians was challenged during a panel discussion in which representative werani chilenga of malawi spoke on the challenges his country faced in this fight. after expressing an earnest level of concern about impediments to climate policy in malawi, he posed a question to the listeners and asked them for guidance, knowing the audience consisted of many economists and environmental experts. having been an observer of american politics, it was wildly refreshing to see a politician humble enough actually to ask the experts.

these experiences illustrate the need for changes in the dynamic between legislators and environmental scientists and politicians of differing political parties. young people want to be passionately engaged on the subject of climate change. still, we want to know that proposed solutions are realistic and that the commitments agreed upon by our representatives aren’t just performative stunts. if this issue is to be taken seriously, it requires a sincere focus on real, data-driven action. rather than seeking approval or popularity by making false promises, politicians and leaders must seek guidance from climate experts and innovators and let the youth see their genuine efforts. we don’t want to be told everything is ok to salvage our feelings; we want to know real action is being taken and how to participate in that action.

brooklyn brown is the president of the salt lake city branch of the american conservation coalition and a student at clearfield high school. 

but at the same time, around 100,000 people took to the streets of glasgow to advocate for more climate action. around the globe, people marched for the same cause.

soon after the conference, the house of representatives passed the build back better bill, approving over $2 trillion in spending, much of which is allotted to combat climate change throughout the next decade. yet to be approved by the senate, the bill’s spending overall is more than a trillion dollars less than president joe biden’s original proposal. among the list of ideas proposed by the bill is the first-ever civilian climate corps, a federally funded program to provide america’s youth with environmental protection and reclamation jobs. both cop26 and the bill reveal insights into what the future of climate change advocacy looks like for youth around the world.

in conversation with me on november 22, washington post climate reporter and planet forward advisory councilmember tik root analyzed what happened in the conference, or maybe more appropriately, what didn’t happen, and how the future of climate action may be shaped by cop26 and the build back better bill. 

podcast transcription:

helen bradshaw  0:02  
the united nations climate conference, cop26, wrapped up on november 12 in glasgow. i’m planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 helen bradshaw. and in the aftermath of the climate discussions, i sat down with washington post climate solutions reporter tik root to learn his key takeaways from the conference, and what the future of climate action could look like for young adults.

our first question is, what do you think are the most important and potentially impactful promises to come out of cop26?

tik root  0:38  
i mean, i think they accelerated the pace at which they’re going to be making ndc reporting commitments. i believe it went from five years to one. so i think there’ll be some increased reporting on that front. but i think the story of cop is largely what’s what’s not there? more than more than what is there? and i think there’s, i think there was pretty, pretty widespread disappointment with with the deal, that deal that was reached out to conference. you know, there was some language about fossil fuels. but i think, you know, advocates would say that it’s, it was pretty watered down from from some of the original calls. and most importantly, you know, there was a, there was a call for, for countries of the global north to meet its commitment over $100 billion a year in funding for the global south. but it doesn’t appear that there was a increase in that, in that funding, which i think would be really, which which country i’d say is really necessary to keep some of the climate finance and emissions targets on track. so overall, i’d say that people were fairly disappointed with what came out of glasgow, but it will be, it’ll be interesting to see how they deal with that going forward.

helen bradshaw  2:15  
so in response to a lot of what was happening, there were many protests led largely by youth, indigenous people and people from the global south. do you think young people can or should play a role in holding governments accountable for their claims of action?

tik root  2:30  
i mean, i think that can be a question, you know, is answered by your question. they were there. and i think greta thunberg said, a bit of a tone for the conference at the beginning with her, bla bla bla, quote, which i think you saw, you know, boris johnson reiterate and a few others. so, i mean, they’re clearly having an impact, and they’re clearly being, being taken relatively seriously as, as participants in this process. you know, whether they can have a more direct role? that’s an interesting question. i know that the un calls for increased participation in a lot of its unfccc documents and in the paris agreement, but i think there’s not a lot of concrete plans as to make that happen.

helen bradshaw  3:21  
can you think of any ways that young activists in particular can work to hold their governments accountable or to make them adhere to the claims of action that they’ve created?

tik root  3:29  
yeah, no. i think you i think you’ve seen, you’ve seen people like greta thunberg and the friday’s for future, you know, garner significant media attention and significant, you know, attention globally. and so i think, i think you start to see it, definitely register on, you know, global leaders who are reiterating the phrases or some of the demands, and i think you’ve seen some of these small country nations as well make their voices heard, you know, what, what leverage they ultimately have on the final decision, as i guess up to the negotiators, but they’re certainly not unnoticed t would seem.

helen bradshaw  4:14  
along those lines, similar, just in vein to talking about young peopl, the house passed the build back better bill on friday. i know in an article recently for the washington post, you touched on the new civilian climate corps proposed by the bill, if this becomes a reality, how do you think it’ll impact young people?

tik root  4:30  
it will be really interesting and the expansion of, i mean, the biden administration called it for the creation of a civilian climate corps and in many ways, it’s an  expansion of the [unintelligable] corps to include a lot of climate focused jobs and you know, dating back to fdr, ccc, you know, they tried to harken back to that program, which was, you know, fairly beloved in its time. i think it’s going to be an employment opportunity and employment option for many youth around the country, if it passes, if it gets implemented, you know, it’s unclear exactly what the timeline would be but you know as soon as a couple years from now there could be an option for kids coming out of high school and college to join the ccc… again.

helen bradshaw  5:21  
do you see it being a largely youth-run organization in the sense that, you know, its majority comprised of youth? or what do you think the breakdown of that could look like?

tik root  5:31  
yeah, my understanding is there’s likely going to be age requirements. i haven’t seen exactly what that might look like. but my understanding is it’s very much geared towards youth and young people.

helen bradshaw  5:43  
the us is responsible for nearly a quarter of the world’s co2 emissions, despite only making up less than 5% of the total world population, based on the steps outlined during cop and the potential for the build back better bill to become law is the us promising to do their fair share to combat climate change?

tik root  5:58  
i mean, i think the data shows that pretty much every country is on track to not meet their – the the ndcs and the emissions targets that they promised, i believe that includes the us, but even if they were on track, it doesn’t, it’s not enough of emissions reduction to keep us below a 1.5 degrees celsius of warming. and so i guess the question is, if the paris agreement, you know, tries to keep 1.5 in sight, and the us and other countries targets wouldn’t allow that, and they’re not on track to even meet those targets, i guess it’s you know, yeah, i can let other people say whether that means you’re doing enough to combat climate change, but there definitely appears to be that. and glasgow didn’t change that and i think this is one of the biggest disappointments people have this glasgow’s that it kept the world on track to blow past 1.5 and possibly even two degrees celsius of warming, which is not what the paris agreement calls for.

helen bradshaw  7:14  
you can find tik’s most recent work in the washington post. for planet forward, i’m helen bradshaw.

transcribed by https://otter.ai

dr. luzadis is a professor in the environmental studies department at suny college of environmental science and forestry (esf), and is the founder of heart forward science, a program created to advance sustainable scientific outcomes with the whole-person approach. she also serves on the planet forward advisory council, and is chair of the board of directors of the global council for science and the environment (gcse). 

a huge thanks to dr. luzadis for taking the time to chat with me. it was great to get an inside look at what went on at the conference and from such an interesting perspective. as an educator at a school like esf, dr. luzadis has a unique point of view on these issues (i would guess that most representatives at cop don’t work with youth activists in their day jobs). i hope the solutions and behavior changes recommended by dr. luzadis will be widely heard and implemented. 

podcast transcription:

lily john  0:00  
my name is lily john and i’m a planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 at suny-esf. i recently sat down with esf professor dr. valerie luzadis to discuss her experience at this year’s un climate summit. was this your first time attending a cop conference?

dr. valerie luzadis  0:18  
it was this was my first one. yes.

lily john  0:21  
okay, and how did it compare to your expectations?

dr. valerie luzadis  0:25  
well, i didn’t have many going in, i wasn’t really sure exactly what to expect. of course, i know about this work, since it’s critical to sustainability. but this was also the first time that the global council for science and the environment had a delegation. so it was very interesting to work with a group of people from other institutions around the world to come together, and, you know, have a common platform for observing and connecting with one another. so it was a really, overall great experience, and so many ways. i was full time observing the second week, when all the negotiations were happening. and i found that i got very invested along the way, well, following certain threads of language and discussions. and as is typical with negotiations, and with consensus approaches, which is what’s used for the cop meetings, things are a little stronger, earlier, and usually get softened language wise by the end, and that happened, and there’s kind of an emotional ride with that, then it’s like, oh, i really wanted to see this. happen that way. and, and so almost disappointment at moments of that. it really took me a couple of days after the meeting ended to say, okay, remember what this is. it’s consensus. it’s global-level discussions. we have no formal enforcement mechanisms, and then really look at what happened at the meeting. and when i did that, i can say, i think progress was certainly made. and it’s not enough.

lily john  2:04  
yeah, that seems like the consensus. but, the language was softening just in order to reach a compromise, like that was the only way to get people to agree to what was being proposed?

dr. valerie luzadis  2:17  
yes, and it’s an interesting process that they use, because it’s not formal agreement. it’s just agreeing to not block it, right. so at the very end, that’s how the consensus is reached. and so there’s this process where they have these informal stocktaking sessions, and i found those very interesting was where the countries would be able to say, here’s what we want. and here’s what we think should be happening. and by the end, it became “we are not happy with this, this, this, and this, and we are not going to block this.”

lily john  2:52  
i imagine it’s quite complicated to be managing all of these different pieces of input and beginning with what each party won’t agree with. from that perspective, it’s kind of impressive that anything got done. what did the representation outside of government look like? and what was the role of these groups?

dr. valerie luzadis  3:11  
well, the the formal parties and government deal parties are all through the un. and so it’s not a formal representation in terms of the consensus building, that’s only the governments themselves. and so the observers and our ngos, businesses, civil… civil society groups that meet outside of this are there to share their thoughts about how to move things ahead. there’s a whole set of technical advisors who are also there. how do we do what we need to get done?

lily john  3:43  
it’s great that there was so much representation of different groups there. so this year, what were the primary themes of cop?

dr. valerie luzadis  3:51  
the primary themes continued, of course, to be on mitigation, and then adaptation. there was also a big discussion on what they called loss and damage. and that’s because there are already losses and damages related to climate change. and it’s happening in large part to countries and to peoples who are 1. not causing this problem, and 2. don’t have the resources to be able to respond to it. there was also a very big focus on climate finance. and then the final thing was creating what was called “the paris rulebook.” and this was really rules that are needed to implement what was agreed to in paris. so the goals of this particular cop 26, included, trying to secure global net zero by mid century, and keeping to 1.5 degrees within reach of possibility, because right now, we were set toward a greater than two degrees increase global warming before this meeting, and so a lot of the conversation was about what do we need to change what has to be added? how can we get to keeping us to that 1.5 degree limit. there were adaptation conversations around protecting communities and habitats. and then this finance issue was big because the agreements that were made, and paris didn’t come through, i heard at one point that only 20% of what was promised came through. and so there was a lot of attention to that lack of follow through, and the need for what they’re talking about, it’s $100 billion a year mobilized toward helping to deal with climate change. and there were certain countries, developing countries, who really wanted to say developed countries should be paying this. there are 20 countries that produce 80% of the the greenhouse gases. and the two biggest contributors, of course, are the us and china. and so i think this is one of the issues is who’s paying this money in? so when you talk about this climate finance, it’s not just countries, but it’s also private financing.

lily john  6:00  
is that private companies? are they part o f the question?

dr. valerie luzadis  6:04  
this would come from companies who have created some sort of… you might think about it the… so the language that we ended up with at this point was that we would agree to phase out “unabated coal” and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, but “unabated coal” suggests that we need to abate coal. so there are companies that have the technology and ability to be able to do that. and so they become part of the financing activity.

lily john  6:32  
is there a discussion around the big polluter companies making financial contributions?

dr. valerie luzadis  6:38  
this is one of the things that i do know is that within the nationally developed contributions, each country is looking at how they manage the polluters. and so the polluter pays, of course, is one of those techniques that are used.

lily john  6:53  
why do you think that these regulations haven’t been effective?

dr. valerie luzadis  6:57  
coal and fossil fuels have never been called out in one of the climate agreements, and so it wasn’t in the paris agreement. so the fact that this was going to come into play and get put into language in the document was a really big deal. and the beginning, it was to phase out coal, and to phase out subsidies to fossil fuels. and it changed to to phase out unabated coal and inefficient subsidies to fossil fuels. and those situations, it’s at the country level, or even sometimes sub-national level where these things are regulated. and so that’s the question, it’s kind of moving, it gets moved into different scales, where we have a global problem, but now we have to figure out how and at which scales do we need to do which things in order to have a global impact and changing it?

lily john  7:52  
yeah, those systems seem like they’re very well established. and the systems needed to reverse that action and to work together to end burning coal, or whatever else needs to be done. it seems like those systems haven’t really been established because of the lack of agreement.

dr. valerie luzadis  8:11  
yeah, so this is probably one of the most interesting things about this cop for me was was exactly this bigger picture around systems. the youth voice was strong at this cop. and there was not one voice. we also heard indigenous youth speak so clearly, and passionately. and one of the most astounding things i heard was this group, essentially saying, “why are we looking to you who created this problem to fix it? because there’s no incentive for that.” and so what i started to see was a very clear voice set of voices in this process, and a very clear set of voices saying this process is not going to do it. and we need to be doing something else. and the youth voice collectively, and the indigenous voices collectively, i believe, are likely to lead us otherwise,

lily john  9:04  
was there much youth or indigenous involvement in previous cop conferences?

dr. valerie luzadis  9:10  
there was more this time, from my understanding, than most. youth voice in particular was written into this cop in terms of following on with a regular set of activities with the youth groups and indigenous groups as well. the thing that really strikes me i saw on the major panels throughout this, both youth and indigenous people, the indigenous voice one of one of the the messages loud and clear is that indigenous people have knowledge that can help us to resolve these issues, to mitigate and to adapt with climate change. and i did not see any indigenous people invited to share substantive ideas about that. all i heard were indigenous people invited to say, our voices need to be heard. they were also saying we have knowledge that can help. we had science everywhere, on every panel all the time, but not indigenous knowledge with it. and i don’t understand that there’s a relegation of these voices. and that’s hugely problematic.

lily john  10:13  
i recently heard a piece on npr about a group of young indigenous women who had travelled from new zealand and alaska to speak at cop. but their time was cut short and almost eliminated. so it seems like only the first step is being taken with inviting them to be there.

dr. valerie luzadis  10:31  
i would say that’s right. and not only inviting, but inviting into a process that clearly they weren’t part of designing, and in which their approaches and their relationship with time and relationship were not respected. again, that’s hugely problematic. there was a very, very big sense of frustration. and that was really palpable. and not just in the protests, it was palpable in the rooms, it was palpable from different governments, and especially the smaller countries and the small island developing nations. and so it’s a really interesting question of what kind of activity through civil society can take place or will take place that will help us to address this problem. at the same time, we’ve got this formal process, and there was progress made.

lily john  11:19  
overall, would you say you’re leaning toward more towards optimism, or more towards being disappointed by the lack of results?

dr. valerie luzadis  11:28  
i am, by nature, an optimistic person. and i put my energy and my attention on the positive and on the vision of the future that i want to see. i can say, some progress was made. and it was not enough. i like to see the activity of working by consensus, because so much of our world is a violent world. and to see where countries can come together and work by consensus, that’s very important. it’s a non-violent approach to getting us to a non-violent, equitable, sustainable world. and at the same time, it’s not enough for modi to come out and say 2070 for india to be net zero. that’s too late. the ideas on the radar, that’s good. so is that better than not being on the radar? maybe?

lily john  12:17  
yeah, i was curious about india’s announcement, because that was one of the first things i heard out of cop. and i thought it was super exciting. and the landmark dramatic change that we were looking for, but now reading about the reactions and act thinking about where 2070 is… and also it seems like the social justice and the human issues have not really been acknowledged there. so it’s more of something for shock value is kind of how it seems from the outside.

dr. valerie luzadis  12:49  
well, the truth is that politics are at play in this setting. there was a us-china agreement that came out. and that’s actually got a lot to do with why we have the language of unabated coal and inefficient subsidies of fossil fuels, is because of the us-china agreement. is this a good thing? it is because as one of the biggest emitters, china, did not send their leader to this meeting. and so to have an agreement come out during this time was really important.

lily john  13:20  
given everything we’ve discussed, what do you see as being the most effective step in implementing the necessary systemic change?

dr. valerie luzadis  13:29  
i think that one of the things we do is that when we teach only about the intellectual mind, and the analytical aspects of things, and we don’t necessarily teach about heart, and love, and imagination, and intuition, these other parts of us super important. and that’s actually what’s going to weave into that with our intellect, that i think will help us to hold that vision and figure out how to get there. it’s the whole person approach, we need to bring all of ourselves to all that we do for a long time now, we’ve been asked just to bring this part of us just our heads. and that’s not enough, we can see it. and we certainly don’t teach the skills of how to understand intuitive knowledge, where there are skills affiliated with that, that we could learn. it’s different than analytical knowledge. it’s just as important. and so understanding and using these things in tandem, is actually the the education of the future, i believe, but we need to build that skill set and we need to build the community system that’ll allow us to do that.

transcribed by https://otter.ai

there is another more horrifying threat that, like public speaking, shocks many of us into immobilization: climate change. however, despite the power of big oil money and corrupt politicians, and the current climate trends, there is something that gives me a surge of optimism and energy: younger generations.

i went on stage during cop26 to discuss a program that sparks hope in me, the youth environmental alliance in higher education, or yeah. this group connects students around the world to work together on small projects which focus on education, empowerment, and excitement. this year, i have been working in the module team, which is a group of students that creates modules, or google slides, that contain detailed lessons on each of the target goals within a single un sustainable development goal, or sdg. these lessons are free to download, making this education accessible to anyone. the yeah program also meets via an online, international class where students work together to create a project that will assist in one of the sdg goals, so we turn education into real world action. the work the students in this program do is a continuous reminder that there is hope.

on the panel alongside me were two other yeah fellows, alexis pascaris and jacob genuise, who explained optimism to the audience. as they spoke, i realized i was confronting my own pessimism there at the cop. for years, i had seen cop as an honest attempt at diplomats gathering to negotiate to fairly create a better future and hold each other accountable. speaking inside the blue zone, where only those equipped with special passes could be present as protests centering the excluded rightfully raged outside, i felt fully present in cop’s reality––a reality in which cop is essentially a greenwashing science fair where everyone knows the right words to say but very few have action to back it up. they may have small demonstrations, but are they willing to take the challenging steps to make change?

even at that moment, as i sat behind a giant definition of the word “optimism,” my expectations for a massive cop26 climate pact were at ground level. but i do not lack optimism. i lack faith in the present leaders of the world, not the next ones. the youth are paying attention, they want to act. what they need is mobilization and education, excitement and empowerment. this is why something so small, like creating sdg modules, gives me hope. i know that i am contributing to educating young people on what must be done to confront the greatest challenges of our time. participating in yeah means being connected to an international network of students from every career background who care deeply about making a difference, and that is enough inspiration to make me optimistic about our future. 

–––

name: brandon hermoza-ricci

field(s) of study: civil engineering with a minor in urban & community studies

hometown: port chester, new york 

why cop?: “my attendance at cop is based in my fondness to be a part of a new generation of engineers designing sustainable cities. historically cities in the us have used a car-centric model created by a social construct meant to divide marginalized communities from white affluence through highways, economic structures, and gerrymandering. i am keen to listen to the voices of these advocates from marginalized community who have for so long been excluded from conversations that directly affect their ways of life. when this conference ends, i hope to take with me the words of these advocates as i consider how to positively rethink what a city is, which will house 80% of global population density by 2050, so that it is welcoming to all and continues to drive the ingenuity that urban centers have produced throughout human history.”

name: amisha paul

field(s) of study: physiology & neurobiology and economics with minors in global studies and anthropology of global health 

hometown: southington, connecticut

why cop?: “climate change has an incredibly large impact on the health of our communities, and its disproportionate impact exacerbates health inequity. i went to cop26 hoping to learn more about the impact of climate change on health, experiencing what international conversations in this space look like, and better preparing myself to advocate for climate action for human health to my local and national leaders.”

name: chase mack

field(s) of study: environmental science and political science

hometown: haddam, connecticut

why cop?: “cop offers some of the most up-to-date information regarding the climate crisis. that information is of immeasurable value to developing both my future career plans and providing the proper tools to have productive dialogue with my family, peers, and neighbors. moreover, the atmosphere that cop attracts, especially outside of the convention, elevates voices that typically are not heard, and their proximity enables our cohort to convey them back home.”

name: neha sistu

field(s) of study: molecular and cellular biology and global health 

hometown: acton, massachusetts

why cop?: “as a global health major, understanding the relationship between climate change and health equity is incredibly important. at cop i was able to see so many amazing health organizations including the who present on climate action and health action!”

name: duygu ozcan

field(s) of study: business management

hometown: mansfield, connecticut, originally from turkey

why cop?: “i wanted to join uconn’s cop26 program to represent the community of business students who want to bring climate action to the corporate world. to achieve results, we all need to collaborate regardless of our professions or backgrounds.”

name: amanda pastore

field(s) of study: ecology and evolutionary biology

hometown: prospect, connecticut

why cop?: “i understand climate science, but i do not understand climate policy or how it is created. i went to cop to learn what the world is doing as well as the perspectives of various peoples on that action/ lack of action.”

name: sena wazer

field(s) of study: environmental studies

hometown: storrs, connecticut

why cop?: “as a 17-year-old climate activist from connecticut, i am passionate about seeing action at the scale of the crisis we face, and action that centers those most vulnerable to the climate crisis. although cop26 has many issues with accessibility and equity, i attended because it was an incredible opportunity to observe the global negations, which are in many ways deciding both our present and future, as well as make our voices heard in speaking up for what is right.”

name: neha sistu

field(s) of study: molecular and cellular biology and global health 

hometown: acton, massachusetts

why cop?: “as a global health major, understanding the relationship between climate change and health equity is incredibly important. at cop i was able to see so many amazing health organizations including the who present on climate action and health action! “

name: musa hussain

field(s) of study: political science and sociology

hometown: new haven, connecticut

takeaway from cop: “i have learned a lot at cop, but one thing in particular has been my realization that there are multiple perspectives in the climate movement. it is imperative that elected officials, climate scientists, and other figures who largely come from the global north, follow the lead of indigenous groups and voices from the global south who have been at the forefront of the climate justice movement since it began.”

name: lindsay alfano

field(s) of study: law (j.d. candidate 2022)

hometown: greenwich, connecticut

why cop?: “i attended cop26 to gain exposure to diverse cultures, innovative research, and promising policies about climate change in order to be a successful future advocate for those most impacted. the conference will provide me the tools to strengthen my voice within the field and start me on the path to help make serious change in the climate movement.”

name: nidhi nair

field(s) of study: economics & mathematics-statistics

hometown: farmington, connecticut

why cop?:“growing up in a fishing town in india exposed me to the terrible effects of climate change at a young age and that experience influenced my decision to study economics to learn more about the interconnection between climate justice and economic inclusion. cop has given me the amazing opportunity to learn about global climate change and the immense strides being made to resolve the crisis.”

name: khadija shaikh

field(s) of study: environmental studies with a minor in social justice organizing

hometown: charlotte, nc

why cop?: “i attended cop26 to connect with other climate activists, especially those who have marginalized identities just as i do. being an intersectional environmentalist with identities that make me an ‘other’ has been extremely isolating, so i want to meet others who have similar backgrounds as mine (an indian muslim woman who chooses to wear hijab) to form a community that empowers and supports each other during our necessary and tiring work.”

name: michio agresta 

field(s) of study: natural resources and environment with minors in spanish & human rights 

hometown: burlington, connecticut

takeaway from cop: “a major takeaway that i have gained from my experience at cop26 is that there is a lot of negative sentiment towards the conference from grassroots and indigenous organizations that believe these negotiations will not end in real and meaningful change. i have been attending many side events hosted in various locations throughout glasgow called the ‘people’s summit for climate justice’ with panels, workshops, and artistic events. these gatherings showcase the sentiment of grassroots organizers, leaders of nonprofits, and many others who believe the real change has to come from the people and frontline defenders and not the system that has continuously failed the global society.”

name: maizey mabrysmith

field(s) of study: environmental studies

hometown: columbia, connecticut

why cop?: “i (was) at cop to attain a global perspective on pressing climate issues to better understand the structures that underlie the decision-making process.” 

name: lily forand

field(s) of study: political science 

hometown: west hartford, connecticut

why cop?: “cop26 has really opened my eyes to the idea of community centered solutions to climate change. of course, we need regulations and protections to come from the federal government in order to combat this crisis. however, i was reminded this week that what is implemented in a community should not only be specific to their needs, but should actually be led up and generated by the community. as one panelist put it, ‘we need empowerment, not solutions.'”

the blue zone

the host of official un negotiations, the blue zone was packed with high-level panels, press conferences, and delegation meetings. while i could not access the highest-level negotiations, i was constantly in awe of all of the government officials, reporters, and activists from around the world that surrounded me. everyone there seemed to be on a mission, representing the interests of their respective organizations and constituents. one of my most memorable encounters was attending the u.s. congressional delegation’s press conference, where both senate and house members spoke about their takeaways and action steps from the conference. since the press conference was quite small, i found myself only standing a few feet away from some of the most influential politicians in congress. after the press conference, i even sucked up the courage to talk to georgia sen. jon ossoff, who gave a powerful message on taking drastic climate action on behalf of young people. he was incredibly attentive to what i had to say, and even delivered a message to young people on my phone (that i posted on my planet forward instagram takeover).

another highlight in the blue zone was getting the chance to hear from indigenous leaders, whose voices are crucial in climate conversations. there was one speaker in particular i was overjoyed to see on the mainstage: levi sucre romero, a leader of the bribri peoples and coordinator of the mesoamerican alliance of peoples and forests. i had the chance to interview and write about levi’s work for an planet forward-hosted internship at mongabay last year, and so it was the best surprise to see levi speaking to thousands about the importance of indigenous knowledge and leadership in climate solutions.

the green zone

while the blue zone hosts high-level negotiations and world leaders, the green zone is open to the public and attracts families, students, and nonprofits alike. despite the blue zone getting the majority of media attention, the green zone was still packed with fascinating events and exhibitions. in the green zone, i attended panels on indigenous environmental art and storytelling, watched an imax film that took viewers into space, and even experienced climate films through a virtual reality simulation. to me, the green zone was equally as enriching as the blue zone. while no official climate negotiations took place there, the green zone’s programming still plays a key role in enriching the public and nonprofessionals on important environmental conservations and making climate action more widely accessible.
 

the streets

outside of the official blue and green zones, there was also so much energy and chaos taking place just on the streets. protesters lined glasgow’s city square and streets all weekend, with famous climate activists such as greta thunberg and vanessa nakate delivering speeches at rallies. the train and bus lines in glasgow were even packed with protesters from around the world eagerly holding up posters and signs. there is an unmatchable energy at protests that make the climate movement feel so powerful and unifying, and to participate in these protests right outside the cop26 doors was truly unforgettable. 

the need for more collaboration

experiencing cop26’s blue zone, green zone, and outside protests provided me a holistic perspective on cop26 and the different stakeholders involved. with so many interests at play, it becomes so difficult to reconcile the needs of all stakeholders at large-scale climate discussions. while switching between different zones, i noticed that diplomatic, high-level climate negotiations in the blue zone could not have felt more different than the passionate, fiery protests on the streets. in a similar sense, representatives from global south and indigenous communities feel a far greater urgency for climate action than those from western nations, especially seeing more drastic effects of climate change firsthand that threaten their livelihoods. there is also a disconnect between younger and older generations, as young people oftentimes are most concerned about climate change since they inherently will have to deal with its impacts most in their lifetime. 

as a result, various stakeholders tend to work on climate issues in isolated spaces, perpetuating environmental echo chambers. however, what the climate crisis needs most is more cross-cultural and cross-sectoral collaboration, since climate change impacts us all. attending cop26 amplified this disconnect to me, and thus i want to be a builder of bridges and help foster more collaborations among the various stakeholders working on the climate crisis. and i am certain that truthful, innovative storytelling plays a key role in this.

i was lucky enough to have the privilege of attending cop26 as a delegate from the university of connecticut, where i am currently a senior environmental studies student. on my second day at the conference, i heard an indigenous bolivian woman—angélica ponce chambi—speak about gender equality and climate change, the role that indigenous women have in protecting the environment, and the need for immediate global action for environmental protection. it was beautiful and it was moving. it’s one of the relatively few events at cop that gave me genuine hope. another such moment came in hearing from emtithal “emi” mahmoud, a sudanese-american poet and advocate for refugees. what the two speakers have in common is personal experience. they didn’t get a comfortable delegate job through family connections, because they’re wealthy, or any other reason based on luck and privilege. 

rather, both are from a community already feeling the impacts of climate disasters, communities doing the real work to recover. they have been impacted, and they are fighting every day for real action. they are on the frontlines.

these are the people we need to hear from. communities have solutions—ones that are often more effective because they are created by the people who are affected by the problem and will be affected by the solution.

i know that cop is about politics; i know that countries, people, organizations, and corporations are there to make a statement and negotiate deals. but what if, for just a moment, we paused and listened? truly listened, with empathy and caring, to those being most impacted, to the community organizers, to those who are not usually heard. i’m not naive. i know that listening won’t suddenly make all of our differences disappear, that the negotiations won’t suddenly become easy, but i do believe it would help.

the problem is different when we’re able to see it through a human and community lens. it’s harder to think of it as just a policy issue, and not a people issue. when you think of something as a people issue, what choice is there but to act? when there’s a face and a story, and when we listen with empathy, we can see ourselves, and our loved ones in that story.

when i heard mahmoud speak, i heard someone with a different past, and different identities from me—but also someone who shares an identity as an activist, and a frustration with cop for ignoring the voices of those being affected. when i heard chambi speak, i again heard someone with different identities and backgrounds, but also someone who shares an identity as a woman who is proud to be in the climate movement and bring her specific perspective as a woman to the table. their voices and stories resonated with me, while allowing a glimpse into someone else’s lived experiences. 

i believe that stories based on lived experiences matter. they have an enormous impact. the presence of these stories and the people who carry them might not “fix” cop because of how unjust it has been—from the lack of women at cop in positions of power to inequities in who was able to access the covid-19 vaccine and travel to the conference. yet, i believe that it would go a long way in remedying some of the harms that have been done by creating space for those who need to be heard most, and result in action that is more on par with the needs of the moment.

cop27 will happen one year from now in egypt. the world is watching. we are ready for a cop that is just and equitable, that centers on those most impacted, and acts on climate change at the scale of the crisis we are facing. we are watching—and we expect better.

• what is the cop26 draft text — and what does it mean? this article explains how this starting document was drafted by the uk presidency and reflects what has been shared in glasgow over cop26. next, each delegation consulted with their country’s leadership and proposed revisions. 

• the new draft of the cop26 agreement was released early friday. will all 197 parties sign it, following these revisions? this cnn analysis says it includes “unprecedented language” around fossil fuels, despite pressure from the coal, oil, and gas industries, but it essentially defers more action on emissions until cop27. 

• together, china and u.s. say they’ll “enhance” climate action. the countries, the two largest climate polluters, vowed to do more to cut greenhouse gases in a joint “glasgow declaration” that commits beijing to addressing its methane emissions. 

• how can we measure success at cop? why can’t the cop swoop in and save us? so how do we critically reflect on what the conference can do for us while acknowledging its shortcomings — and not giving up hope?

thanks for following us during this series! you can see planet forward’s other cop26-related coverage in the road to cop26 and climate hits home.