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.

in response to the more than 100 fires since oct. 8, head of operations for the lebanon’s civil defence, george abu masa, said in an interview with agence france-presse, “we have mobilized 80% of our personnel and almost all our centers in lebanon.” the dire situation was echoed by syrian agriculture minister mohammed hassan qatana who reported dozens of fires still burning on oct. 9, with two provinces along the lebanese border, tartus and latakia. 

this is a pattern that began in october of 2019, due to rising average temperatures and increases in the wind. one factor that continues to plague lebanon, in particular, is the increase in human pollution in natural spaces without the proper infrastructure and institutions to account for the debris that will fuel future infernos.

there is a growing international movement and recognition of nature-based solutions to economic, ecological, and systemic conundrums. the undp equator initiative highlights local sustainable development achievements across all seven continents through the collaborative efforts of the united nations, governments, civil society, business, and grassroots organizations. 

in 2020, a community in the congo basin called vie sauvage was one of the equator prize awardees because of their commitment to the health of various native, endangered species (particularly the bonobo ape) and the accompanying economic development that arose from ecotourism, sustainable management, and community activism. this community proved that placing biological conservation and indigenous values as the main priorities is also the most economically beneficial move for this, and potentially other, isolated indigenous and local groups.

“the just shall flourish like the palm tree, shall grow like a cedar of lebanon.” (psalms 92:13)

there is a deep connection between the strength and vitality of the cedar trees and that of the lebanese culture and identity. given the obvious linkage between this natural capital and social capital, i believe that there are plenty of opportunities to restore faith in institutions and the role of government through a biological conservation drive. green cedar lebanon is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that leads reforestation drives and social media campaigns to raise awareness on green solutions and galvanize political will for climate action.

while the influence of civil society in lebanon may not be as great as other nations due to unrest, its existence and collaboration with other groups demonstrate a tepid, yet growing demand for climate action and civic engagement in a nation that has struggled with both since its inception.

it was a fitting end to a week spent learning about human-environment issues from some of the world’s preeminent experts at the united nations food and agriculture organization’s 46th committee on world food security. just as pompeii experienced a catastrophic environmental event in 79 a.d., we in 2019 are facing down climate change on a global scale. the difference is that unlike the unfortunate souls of pompeii, we have advance warning and the tools to adjust how we interact with the environment – if only we can agree on how to do so.

agriculture is one of the major contributors to the processes causing climate change, and it’s also incredibly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. the ways that we’ve manipulated the land to produce food are not sustainable if we want to continue living on this planet, and many delegates to the committee on world food security seemed to acknowledge that. but at least in the sessions i attended, few speakers gave climate change the attention that it demands. the only climate change moment that stood out to me from the week was when an official from nicaragua spoke to the plenary about how his nation is one of those most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing negligible greenhouse gas emissions. it was a powerful moment, but it was fleeting.

spending a week with researchers and officials from around the world taught me so much about the issues we’re facing and what governments and institutions are doing to address them. most of my personal interests in sustainability are focused on energy and climate, so it was an amazing opportunity to learn about issues that are unfamiliar to me and gain new research interests. but i did find myself wishing climate was more central to the week’s discussions of sustainable development, and my visit to pompeii helped me realize why: none of our accomplishments in development will matter if our environment becomes inhospitable. we must address climate issues in every goal, plan, and agreement, even if the issue at hand seems far removed from climate change. if we don’t, we will be seeing more lost cities and civilizations in the future.

thank you, planet forward and fao, for this experience!

more than ever, after attending cfs, i have a renewed sense of passion for using the camera to shed light on injustice. for me, this revelation couldn’t have come at a more necessary time.

while i have clung onto my dream of being a journalist, amid the rigor of college, my passion for storytelling has, admittedly, taken a backseat. when people would ask me about my plans post-grad, i would hesitantly reply, “possibly, journalism… but maybe finance, or marketing, or business. i’m not sure yet.”

however, at cfs, i was reminded that journalists serve a worthy and righteous cause as the recordkeepers of history. as attacks on the free press are made around the globe, persisting to tell the truth is a responsibility that is worth the risk; even if it means stepping on the toes of corrupt bureaucracies and being considered a nuisance.

furthermore, given the complexities of environmental issues, i realized it is not enough to be able to regurgitate facts and statistics. while i have committed myself to the mastery of the production elements of journalism, as delegates from the sahara to the pacific spoke, i recognized that developing intellectual insight was an equally, if not more, important element to telling informative, powerful stories. 

as the plane lifted off of the ground from san francisco, i felt a shedding of my old self. i knew that i was in for a dramatic internal transformation, but i did not know in what ways they would come. however, as i strapped into my seat and left the city of seven hills, rome, i realized that i didn’t necessarily become a new person but rather i shed the fear, self-doubt, and uncertainty that were quieting my inner self.

i returned back to the 6th grader in me that beamed when she saw her classmates excitedly watch her documentary. i reunited with the 16-year-old version of myself that spent nights studying amanpour, winfrey, and lisa ling. most importantly, i made the declarative decision that my aspirations of being a professional journalist wasn’t going to be a mere “possibility,” but my reality.

my name is marisa umeh, i’m a planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 , and i am going to be a professional journalist.

for one week i joined planet forward at fao’s committee on world security (cfs) 46th conference in rome, italy. as i sit down to reflect on the gathering, i feel as if a million doors have opened before me. 

i’m a college student at suny’s college of environmental science and forestry, a small stem campus in syracuse, new york, studying environmental studies. that said, it often feels like a bubble, and that bubble can sometimes be blinding. in rome, we’ve met and heard from delegates, stakeholders, youth, and others from around the globe working to solve issues around world hunger and nutrition. my mind has opened to a greater understanding of what is going on on a national level, and of course, a global level. i know this will be useful information to know as i move forward in my life and career surrounding environmental and humanitarian issues. 

prior to this week, i have had an ingrained way of thinking that encompassed a relatively strong distaste for technology. i thought that the issues facing the earth, such as world hunger, and climate change could not be fixed by technology, because in my mind, these issues were caused by technology. as i moved forward through the week, i listened. i heard what the technology advocates had to say, i heard from the farmers themselves, and the people fighting for the right to food, that technology holds a great deal of space in the solution to world hunger. i don’t believe that it is the only solution, but i can now zoom out from the space i am from, and understand there are other ways to go about addressing issues of this suffering. this is just one example of the many takeaways i have received from the past week.

this all said, as a correspondent with planet forward, i viewed much of this week through the lens of a storyteller. as of late, i am in the process of creating a story highlighting the fine balance of technology in development. as my perspective and understanding transformed throughout the week, i recognized its relevance in the battle against troubling issues, such as world hunger. through a series of journal entries, tracking the days i spent in the fao building in rome, i will unravel my fear of technology in development, and refer to its power in reducing suffering and actually getting humans closer to the land; closer to the earth.

“i want to solve climate change!” i said in a jet-lagged voice, hoping to entice laughter from him.

i could not help but wonder, why would someone be interested in hearing more about solving global issues through science and technology? 

i had impatiently waited to attend the committee on world food security in rome for the past four months. little did i know that i was about to step inside a place that would dramatically change my perspective on global issues that i am so passionate about solving, and give me a new hope to address them through the lens of technology. 

as i stepped foot in the plenary hall on the first day of the conference, i felt myself being surrounded by the world. while hearing the diplomats speak on their country’s plans for action to combating global hunger, i could witness the power dynamics in the room. i realized what the former president of the general assembly, maria fernanda espinosa, meant when she explained in one of her speeches that i attended on why things don’t always work the way they are supposed to at the united nations. 

it was heartwarming to see a plethora of side events on addressing malnutrition and climate change by leveraging technological innovations. after one of these sessions, i had the amazing honor and opportunity to interact with the keynote speaker, the first lady of colombia, maría juliana ruiz sandoval, and interview her about colombia’s plans for enhancing their technical resiliency to engage more youth. it was a pleasure to see dr. jeffrey sachs present live on the sustainable development goals and hear his perspective on solving these issues. 

i could not have been more astonished by the humility and the willingness to engage in discussions of all the leaders, diplomats, and presenters i had the chance to interact with. i connected with people that are currently using data science and ai to solve climate change and fight global hunger. to save a life. 

most importantly, i had the great pleasure of spending the week with an incredible team of individuals from across the united states. answering frank’s curiosity every evening at dinner made me think about topics that i had never given enough thought to. sharing my love for pop music and taylor swift with marisa was a heartfelt moment. walking the streets of rome with lindsay and matilda made the experience only more memorable. going into a bar and ordering “chocolate-flavored” milk with “my man” dan was a moment i’m sure both of us will share with our grandchildren. running into my biggest celebrity crush, alexandra daddario, on the streets of rome and talking about her for the rest of the night to kim, ahdi, and edona. 

at the end of it all, i finally realized that “rome wasn’t built in a day” and “all roads [do] lead to rome.” all i know is, if given a chance, i would come back to this place in a heartbeat.

sadly, we also heard figures that batter the soul: 820 million people around the world who are hungry. two billion who live on the edge amid “food insecurity.” war, political instability, drought, climate change, corruption, economic collapse that deprive too many of their right to sustenance and security. the crises have multiplied in the past few years as instability has grown.

we heard debate and controversy, too. the urgency to innovate and modernize. the contribution the rich, developed world should make. the role of science and technology. the potential for gmo and biotech to revolutionize productivity. 

on one thing everyone agreed: if the world is to achieve the u.n.’s sustainable development goal to eliminate hunger by 2030, there is massive work to be done. 

student reflections

• hear reflections on the experience from our student travelers: 
• rohan agrawal
• lindsay eberhart
• matilda kreider
• marisa umeh

the 46th committee on world food security conference in rome, hosted by the food and agriculture organization of the u.n., with 111 countries in attendance was a crash course in food diplomacy for planet forward and four amazing students who had written winning stories to join us. the students, who were sponsored by the fao liaison office of north america, came from universities across the united states: matilda kreider from the george washington university, the home of planet forward; marisa umeh from uc-berkeley; rohan agrawal from the university of mississippi; and lindsay eberhart from suny’s college of environmental science and forestry. 

each student brought a different major and a distinct life experience to rome. all have dedicated themselves to the future, wanting to find answers to hunger, climate change, inequality. each wants to leverage that commitment through storytelling to engage others and catalyze informed, solution-oriented action to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 .

the students attended plenary sessions and side-events. they listened and they interviewed. they had access to global diplomats and local activists. they heard david beasley, executive director of the world food program, the biggest humanitarian organization on the planet, call on countries to end hunger by ending war, embracing education and technology, and empowering women. 

“we understand the impact on the world when women get the same access to credit and finance as men,” he said. “that can lift 150 million people out of poverty.” 

they heard aishatu ali from cameroon, a country on central africa’s west coast, talk about her work as an advocate for women, girls, and land rights. an advocate and a stirring role model, she is the agenda and women promotion program coordinator for the mbororo social cultural development association. in her pastoral community, women do not own cattle and have little access to capital. ali’s mother never even went to school. but ali did, and she told us eloquently that things are starting to change. women still don’t own cows, but they’re starting to own sheep. and they’re asserting their rights 

the students met with ambassador kip tom, a seventh-generation american farmer who is now the united states permanent representative to the united nations agencies for food and agriculture in rome. he said it’s unlikely hunger will be eliminated by 2030. but there can be dramatic progress. he’s worked the land and he knows how dramatically agriculture has changed. he says farmers should have access to seeds that resist pests, be able to grow where drought is increasingly common, take advantage of productivity on farms large and small. he calls for a greater acceptance of science, biotechnology, and the farming know-how that can bring life-saving productivity to farmers from southern asia to sub-saharan africa where heat and drought, worsened by climate change, climate threaten entire communities.

for all of us, this was a sobering trip. but a hopeful one, too, because we heard about solutions and breakthroughs. we met incredible, committed people — a lot of them — who have dedicated their lives to helping others grow nutritious food, protect their land, drink their water, assert their rights. we met inventors and investors, leaders from business and nonprofits, activists and advocates, and brave pioneers of change.

it is my belief that the students who traveled with us to rome will be motivated, now and throughout their lives, to add to stories that educate, inform, and inspire change. watch for their stories. watch what they will do. they are part of a generation that must rise to unprecedented challenge to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 .

an estimated 7 million people worldwide flooded the streets in the largest uprising for the climate in the history of humanity. starting with the youth climate strike on sept. 20, days prior to the united nations climate summit, young people led the world in a crucial discussion on the catastrophic consequences of policy inaction. with the goal of motivating world leaders, young people have drawn universal attention to global warming in ways that decades of scientific progress could not. 

i had the honor not only to march alongside greta thunberg and other fascinating young adults from all over the world but also to attend high-level meetings in preparation for the general assembly week. witnessing the rallies and demonstrations — from canberra, australia, to kabul, afghanistan; and cape town, south africa, to mcmurdo station in the antarctic — i couldn’t help but think about the impact that my generation is having on climate rhetoric. whether motivated by fear or hope, young people were able to transform the climate conversation in its entirety. unsatisfied by the profound injustice of an existential threat to our generation, we have fueled a wave of activism that is hard to ignore. 

through multiple discussions with demonstrators in new york, i have found yet another common trait: young people have not had to suddenly adapt their worldview to issues of climate change. instead, it serves as a somber backdrop to our dreams throughout our existence.

“this is an emergency. our house is on fire,” greta thunberg said, addressing the crowd of about 300,000 people on sept. 20, proclaiming the notion told by hundreds of scientists previously warning the world.

the empty promises of our world leaders and inaction of those we empowered have accumulated anger that is hard to contain. the fear, anger and hope will only be satisfied once the demands are heard: an immediate end of the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels, prioritization of the frontline communities, workers, and those least responsible for the climate crisis, as well as the accountability from fossil fuel executives and the global north. a just transition to renewable energy is the only outcome that will satisfy generation z, which refuses to become the last generation living on earth, as its title suggests. 

as a result, more than 75 leaders pledged to eliminate their countries’ carbon emissions by 2050, and plenty of european countries committed to spending billions to fund renewable transition for developing nations. the world’s largest economies, however, abstained from making such promises.

“how dare you,” is the message that thunberg and other brave young people communicate to the world.

“it is only the beginning,” they keep chanting.

“the ticket to enter today’s united nations climate action summit is not a beautiful speech, but a concrete plan,” agreed the united nations secretary-general antónio guterres. 

the planet forward series “faces of the climate march” aims to shed light on a handful of those young people who brought hope to all of us, and who will not stop even if, temporarily, their demands were left unmet.

at the feb. 13 planet forward salon on tackling the food waste and loss problem, experts chip bowling, meghan chapple, and vimlendra sharan joined host frank sesno to lead the discussion on the topic. this event brought students, professionals, and policy leaders in the field together as the conversation covered how to combat food waste and loss here in the u.s. and abroad — and the challenges and potential solutions for each.

1. food waste is personal.

everyone has wasted food, or has seen it happen. the way we grow, sell, and consume food must fundamentally change if we are to sustain our growing population and reduce the carbon footprint of food waste. a cultural shift must occur in order for this to happen. in developed countries, we waste as much food as sub-saharan africa produces in a year.

food waste is one of united nation’s sustainable development goals. partnered with the world resources institute, the u.n. aims to halve total food waste by 2030, and to do so the problem must be tackled at both production and consumption levels.

2. food loss is different from food waste.

according to un-fao director vimlendra sharan, 35% of food is lost between delivery and retail sale. produce is easily damaged en route to supermarkets, and retailers will reject food for aesthetic reasons, such as bumps on vegetables or a slight discoloration of fruits. the top three food groups in terms of share of total value of food loss are meat, poultry, and fish, followed by vegetables and dairy products.

startups like local cowboy help match food delivery services with charities and food banks in the area. on a policy level, incentives like the good samaritan food donation act encourage retails to donate food with liability protections. currently, there are no financial penalties in the u.s. for wasting food.

3. 28% of all variable land contributes to total food waste.

it’s not just the food we are wasting—it’s the water used to cultivate crops, the energy used to harvest it, and the fuel consumed to transport our food. about 1.4 billion hectares of land (about 3.5 billion acres – the equivalent of about 1.7 brazils in land mass) is used annually to produce food that is lost or wasted.

farmers like chip bowling, a third-generation farmer from newburg, md., and chairman of the u.s. farmers and ranchers alliance, know they must heed the call for more sustainable harvesting practices. “we’re becoming more transparent about how we grow and cultivate our food,” he said on the panel. “while people like farmers, they may not like how we farm.”

4. students are leading innovators of food waste solutions.

college students are on the forefront of implementing sustainable changes in their communities. last call, for example, is an organization founded by two innovators from gw: alumna erin mcgeoy and senior chloe king. last call shares end-of-the-day restaurant deals with members of the community. food that otherwise may be thrown away is sold to subscribers at a discounted rate, anywhere from 50% to 70% off, benefiting both the vendor and the consumer.

5. how we communicate the story of food waste is key.

“people aren’t thinking about how they are connected to the planet,” said meghan chapple, director of gw’s office of sustainability. food is an afterthought in urban metropolises since city dwellers are so far removed from the production of the food they eat. many colleges like gw have opened community gardens and kickstarted on-campus compost programs to bring students closer to their food.

the panel agreed: guilt and shame aren’t effective when it comes to changing behavior. telling a story on food insecurity or sharing a personal anecdote is a compelling way to convey the real challenges of food waste. all across the supply chain, we must work together to curb food waste and better appreciate what we consume.

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