candace clark is a ph.d. candidate at tuskegee university and an impressive voice in the environmental justice space. learn how she built climate-sustainable housing out of recycled trash, why her community-given name is kandeaux the farm plug, and why she cares about climate change in the first place.

sometimes, before a call to action, we need a call to inspiration. come get inspired!

learn more about candace’s mission by visiting her website.

full transcript:

krantz: hi there, i’m hannah krantz.

fayaz: and i’m aleena fayaz. we are two students at the george washington university who care about the environment. but we know how easy it can be to fall into a negative doom spiral when reading the news about climate change, trust me, i’ve been there.

krantz: when we think about our futures we worry about access to clean water, food, climate resilient homes, combating the excessive heat and extreme weather and so, so much more. so we wonder: what’s being done about this, what real changes are being made so that we can have a safe future? and most importantly, how can we solve these issues through the lens of environmental justice, acknowledging what groups are disproportionately affected by these disastrous effects of climate change?

fayaz: our generation needs a flood of innovative ideas and new mindsets for surviving and thriving in the climate crisis. we can ground ourselves and hope for the future by looking at young people who are not only making a difference in their communities right now, but also whose ideas truly have the potential to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 .

krantz: in this episode, we bring you one outstanding voice in the climate space: candace clark. candace is going to teach us about the importance of black voices in climate solutions, how she learned to build climate sustainable housing out of recycled trash, and why she even cares about climate change in the first place. let’s get inspired.

fayaz: candace, thank you so much for coming to the show. if you wanna give us a brief intro just about who you are, what you do.

clark: for sure. so i’m candace clark, better known throughout the hood as kandeaux the farm plug. i am a beautiful black woman from the south side of chicago. i’m now currently a phd student at tuskegee university and my research specifically is anchored in agricultural policy, and even more specific than that, land use policy around the intersections of land use policy and sustainable, affordable and efficient housing.

krantz: that is outstanding! when were you first aware of the climate crisis, to get on the really specific path of education that you’re on?

clark: almost immediately i’m called to, you know, pay homage to my ancestors. there was also a really beautiful natural space, called the japanese garden, and it’s inspired by yoko ono. and it’s one of the places that makes chicago a sister city to osaka, japan, and it’s a place that you know, my father and my brother and i, we would ride our bikes and we would just spend a lot of time at this garden. and i know one year i came back and you know, of course i’m trying to walk around, i went to the garden and it was like totally flooded. you know, i’m saying like the little waterfall was damaged, algae blooms all over the place, the fish and aquatic life was not as vibrant. it was just a moment that was really shocking for me, because i’m like, oh my god, these are my real childhood memories. and i think about all the young people on the south side or the east side, who you know, may want to go to the beach or may want to relax or may find a sense of meditation and rejuvenation by going to the water, but what are they going to be seeing when they get there?

fayaz: so candace, you mentioned this term “farm plug,” and that you’ve been bestowed this name? what does that mean? what is the farm plug?

clark: so every time i try to say what it is, the next time i say that it changes a little bit. i’m not gonna lie. because it’s as real and true as i’m sitting here in front of you. it is a living thing and it’s dynamic. on a foundational standpoint, a farm plug is an intersectional advocate of the environment, of the community, and of earth, that sees agriculture and farming in like everything that you may do. it’s kind of wild right, but people call me farm plug because i will be outside and i would hear people talking about things and i would almost always connect it back to agriculture, right? so when i say outside, i mean in places like, for example, when trayvon martin happened, everyone’s protests and everyone’s marching, and i’m sitting here. i remember being outside, i remember feeling all of these feelings and looking around. i’m like, man, all these people are marching and we’ve been marching, and we’ve been doing this, and it’s not i’m not seeing the type of change that i would like to see. right. so i started doing more research and i’m like, well, every single form of discrimination in the history of discrimination was always connected to a natural resource, no matter what it always comes back down to the land. if we want to be free, right, if liberation is our end goal, then our liberation as humans is deeply deeply invested in the liberation of earth as an entity.

clark: okay, well, what is the history of black people in agriculture? so when i started to uncover more and more research, it became clear to me that during the freedom rides in the south when people were going to try and register all these black people to vote, that these black people were not welcome in the south. they couldn’t stay in hotels. they didn’t have diamonds that they could go to. the green book, there were only specific places that they could stop and be safe. it was the farmers and the land owners, the black land owners who had the capacity to support the civil rights foot soldiers as they matriculated through the south. and so literally, if we did not have black people who own land, there would not be a civil rights movement. if there was no civil rights movement, there would be no environmental movement, which was deeply deeply based on the civil rights movement, the decade right before it. when i started to see what it really meant to be a black person, let alone a black woman in agriculture, it just became everything that i talked about, everywhere that i went, to the point where people are like, “alright, i farm plug we heard you.” 

fayaz: when you say farm plug, your primary role is connecting, then? what is that problem you’re trying to solve, or who are the people, moreso, that you’re trying to serve?

clark: farm plug has three main pillars, right? and those three main pillars are educate, thrive and connect. each one of those pillars is deeply inspired by a theory or a person. i’m really really really deeply invested in this idea of not settling for survival, because that’s something that we’re going to do anyway. we should be fighting and advocating for the opportunity to thrive as black people in this place.

krantz: that is a really important reframing.

clark: if you are committed to a thriving lifestyle, your next goal, the next thing you really got to do, your charge, is to go out and connect with other people to make these things a reality. we need to make science cool. we need people to care about the information that is going into the policy that are deciding the fate of everybody on the face of the planet. and what farm plug is doing, what i’m doing as a farm plug is, i’m really kind of just living my life really, really loud. and i am telling stories of other people who are earth cultivators, earth workers, who are in policy and all these things doing things that black people don’t typically see. my solution is: nothing is really cool without black people. so we need to get more of us in these spaces, telling these stories and bringing our culture into the solutions that people are vying for in the face of climate change.

fayaz: so, i saw that statistic from the food and agriculture organization that states by 2050 we’ll need to produce 60% more food to feed a world population of around 9.3 billion. that’s a lot of people. so how does your role as a farm plug help us reach that goal? what are your thoughts on at that point? i mean, it’s pretty stark.

clark: we educate, we drive and we connect shawty, that’s what we do! right? so another kind of scary and wild statistic to add on to that is that it’s been projected that the united states only has about 60 harvests left. so the state of our soil is so depleted that if we continue doing what we’re doing, we will only be able to quite literally grow food across the country for the next maybe 55 to 60 years. to combat all of these things— education is the key to everything. if a person does not know, they will not do right. you can’t inspire someone if you can’t connect with them, right? and so for me, when we think about regenerative agriculture or sustainable agriculture, my job is to first of all remind all of my white allies in the space that they’re not the first people who said these things, right? you have the whole indigenous native american population who were in the united states for hundreds of 1000s of years. we don’t know how long. but they managed, quite literally managed and stewarded in this place in a way that maintained a form of harmony and balance that we have totally obliterated. and not only just indigenous people here, but really indigenous people all over the world. for black and indigenous people to really see ourselves in that and to enter this space, unapologetically, by reclaiming our culture.

krantz: so you said science needs to become cooler. i am very blown away by the coolness of earthships.

fayaz: it sounds utopian, almost like it’s part of some alien jetson you know, futuristic model. so please tell us everything we need to know about an earthship and how your role in the earthship makes it possible.

clark: so earthships are essentially, what i call a 21st century post apocalyptic dwelling that is made from upcycled tires, cans, and bottles. it is a house that is fully sustainable and self-sufficient on its own made from trash! this super cool dude, his name is michael reynolds, he saw an article that was talking about aluminum cans and how you know, as we enter the microwave age, more single use items, trash is gonna be a bigger issue. so he shifted his entire architecture model to figuring out, well, if this is going to be an issue in the future, how do i capitalize on this to make it not an issue? in april of 2021 with all of the uprisings and george floyd and black lives matter, they decided to roll out a bipoc scholarship, which was basically: if you’re a black indigenous person of color, if you could get to new mexico, and you’ve received the scholarship, you don’t have to pay for anything. typically it’s around like 2500 to $3,000 to participate in the academy. and so i had the privilege to be the first recipient of that scholarship.

clark: i was like, i shouldn’t have to pay rent. i shouldn’t have to struggle, nobody should have to struggle when we have this technology, right? they (earthships) are the embodiment of six key main points. it’s water, food, electricity, waste, comfort and garbage. the house catches water, so it catches rainwater, it has a greenhouse in the front of it where you can grow your own food. it does waste management. so every time you flush the toilet, it literally runs through the botanical beds and your boo boo is basically feeding your plants. 

fayaz: woah!

clark: yeah! it embodies it utilizes geothermal dynamic heat. it’s an earthship, it’s a home that’s basically in the ground. so you don’t have to worry about, you know, paying for an h-vac system because quite literally the warmth of the earth is what will support you. it also talks about solar energy. so we have solar panels on it. and again, with food, you can grow your own food in those in that greenhouse in the front and then garbage right garbage is a problem. but it’s a house made from garbage. so you’re turning that problem into a very, very real solution.

krantz: earthships are one of the coolest things i have ever heard of in my entire life. only 21 years of life so far, but i feel that few things will beat it. what did these look like? when you walked in there, what did you see?

clark: i mean, they are gorgeous, you know what i’m saying? so imagine, you know, you got different color bottles. if you got a don julior or a bombay bottle, you know, it’s that sapphire gives you that blue hue. well imagine that, in a wall at times, with the sun blasting behind the siding behind it into your living room. you know what i’m saying? like that’s what it looks like. that’s why i say 21st century post apocalyptic, because it can definitely go anywhere from super luxurious or to super super rookie. there is an earthship on every continent except antarctica. you can build it yourself, but if no one from earthship biotecture academy is present and guiding you through that build, you can’t legally call it an earthship. so my dissertation will be building one in tuskegee, but i will be doing the first all black cohort.

fayaz: well, how much does this cost? how long does it take? can you kind of dig into the timeline and the process of making an earthship?

clark: i mean you it’s either one of two things: you either got a bunch of friends and a bunch of time, or a bunch of money. and even if you got a bunch of money, it’s still gonna cost more because of the labor. earthships can be anywhere from as cheap as $2,000 and majority recycled, upcycled and reclaimed materials to anywhere from anywhere to a hundred thousand to a million dollars. it can be beautiful, and you can use brand new everything if you want to. so as we started to face more issues with feeding ourselves, getting water, having electricity, a home that already has a rainwater catchment as a greenhouse in it, and has solar panel electricity hooked up to it is wanting to do nothing but increase in value. that’s why i say post apocalyptic because they can truly withhold these challenges that we’re about to start seeing more and more.

krantz: so you’re building the first ever earthship with an all black cohort, and you’re doing it in tuskegee. so, what black specific issues do you hope to combat by creating this community?

clark: i mean, so many things. but basically by the time i finished the earthship academy, i understood how my house was built. i understood how my water worked, i understood my plumbing. i understood electric loads, how to calculate them. i understood so much about building a house and owning the house, that i’m like everybody needs to know about this. everyone needs to know these basic principles. and then when i learned about how much wealth can be generated from your bare hands, it’s almost like you know, black people, we can afford to not know this information, especially when you have gentrification, people being pushed out of their communities left and right. you know, it’s real out here. nobody’s saving us, so we need to be equipping ourselves with the skills to build whatever new community, whatever new society, whatever new utopia, you know, we want to actually see. we have to be the ones who know how to work the drills, work the hammers, use those nails to build it.

fayaz: i’m a young person, hannah’s young person, and you are a young person too, working in this field, really pioneering this solution that inspires us to carry it forward. why should young people care?

clark: i think a lot of the time, we make it too much of an individual thing. this is collective. so if you care about your — even if you want to be selfish, and you want other people to care about you, you should care about climate. like in every regard. whatever you think is important, imagine it existing without clean water, food, or fresh air. if it can still exist, you’re in outer space and you are hella rich and i’m probably not talking to you.

krantz: sometimes before a call to action, people need a call to inspiration. you have just illustrated that so excellently. i want to go build an earthship.

fayaz: yeah, me too. we’re off!

education on the environment is a huge factor in promoting young people’s wellbeing in society. youth gain confidence in themselves and their ability to make a difference in the world due to involvement in environmental activites. this podcast elaborates on how young people can start getting involved earlier in their lives, specifically through their education, and how education systems should be altered in order to allow for and promote that.

it discusses how finding meaningful volunteer and work opportunities, especially when they pertain to environmental preservation and rehabilitation, is not only beneficial to the planet and its health, but also to the youth’s mental health, and how young people are the catalyst for impacting the rest of their communities through their actions.

this podcast includes the professional opinion of ap environmental science teacher mark yoder, who works at plano senior high school in plano, texas, and a youth’s perspective on the topic, given by suny-esf freshman and ecorep, everett tucker.

during my final semester at the george washington university, i performed a community-engaged research project focused on my hometown to complete my sustainability minor. reflecting on my origins in schuylkill county, i wondered about its future. i knew that as climate change worsens, people will seek safety in higher elevations and appalachia will become a prime destination for thousands of americans. how could schuylkill county residents prepare for this demographic change? what role should they play in creating a sustainable future for this beautiful area? through my research, i found that lessons from our past could give me those answers.

i grew up hearing stories of the wrongful hangings of innocent men who advocated for themselves and condemned bigotry in their community. the true intentions of the molly maguires, a secret society named after an irish widow who protested against english landlords stealing land from the irish, are debated to this day. the mollies were persecuted for their extreme union activism and accused of terrorism in central pennsylvania. john kehoe, later dubbed the “king of the mollies,” moved to schuylkill county in 1868 to work in the coal mines amidst a wave of irish immigration to the area. kehoe’s confidence in this new world was squandered shortly after his work began. irish miners were given the worst shifts in the most dangerous conditions, paid less than a living wage, and constantly berated by their superiors.

in response to this injustice, kehoe and other irish miners formed a sect of the ancient order of hibernians (aoh), a benevolent, irish catholic fraternal organization originally founded to support irish people battling oppression. when their wages were cut by 10% to 20%, frustrated miners decided to strike, resulting in the long strike of 1875, which ultimately failed. miners went back to work, but their determination frightened the owners who sought to control them to make a profit. 

the reading railroad company president felt threatened by the aoh’s advocacy work, so he hired renowned detective allen pinkerton to investigate. pinkerton, believing that some aoh members were also active “mollies,” sent an operative named james mcparlan undercover to link the entire aoh organization to the allegedly violent molly maguires. mcparlan’s testimony, where he claimed that dozens of innocent men conspired to murder and rewarded members for murder, sullied the aoh name and devastated the strength of the organization. mcparlan’s stories helped sentence twenty men, including john kehoe, to death by hanging. from his cell, john kehoe wrote, “thinking over the cruelties that has befallen me, by bribery perjury and prejudice … i am under the sentence of death. for a crime i never committed which i will prove to you.” the hanging of the “mollies” in schuylkill county was an act drenched in social, religious, and ethnic bigotry. the aoh were champions of union activism and their work to empower thousands of miners should not be forgotten.

“how do you take those strengths of those people and turn it into something that is brave now?” jeanne elberfeld, a licensed social worker, asked me as i interviewed her for my research. i asked elberfeld and two other schuylkill county residents what they desired for the community in the coming decades –– and what they felt we had the potential to achieve.

elberfeld said she envisions a community where people live collaboratively and cooperatively with one another; a community that thrives because the residents are united in common goals and communal success –– not individual gain. elberfeld and other research participants, including regina gargano, stressed the importance of unity.  

gargano, executive director of the county’s tourism bureau, emphasized the significance of using the county’s past as a teacher. she said the younger generation needs to break cycles of poverty and lack of development by electing changemakers and ridding our community of economic plans that do not serve us.

gargano recognized that reviving schuylkill county would be a difficult process, but her hope was contagious. when asked what we have the potential to achieve, she said, “our people here are special and they know how to create what they need. it’s just a matter of building the consensus on what it is we really need to prioritize and breaking down the parochialism that stifles unity among us. if we could apply this to dismantling the current power structure of our economic and political leadership and unite in trying to diversify that economic development, there’s no reason to believe it could not eventually succeed.”

when asked what she hopes for the future of the county, jessi trusky, a 23-year-old schuylkill county resident, said inclusivity. she advocates for an environment where newcomers are welcomed and accepted and everyone gets an equal say in what happens in our community. i believe this sentiment will go a long way when the county eventually adapts to a demographic shift.

during my conversations with these women, i learned that our desires for our community are not so different from those of our ancestors. we all want the same thing: to grow together as a united, loving community where everyone looks out for each other. with this in mind, it’s important to reflect on the legacy of john kehoe and the union activists who lost their lives fighting for equality and allow their bravery to motivate us in molding a more prosperous and sustainable future.

to answer jeanne’s question –– “ how do we do this?” –– i think it is made possible by listening to and respecting one another. by giving voice to all members of the community and inviting young professionals to grow with us. one way to do this would be to repurpose abandoned coal mines and give them new life as solar energy sites, recycling centers, or underground farms. this change would encourage investment in sustainable technologies, create jobs, reduce blight, and attract outsiders to work in the area.

appalachia should not be a forgotten region. our community is strong, determined, creative, and hopeful. my hope for the future of schuylkill county is that the next generation sees the results of these characteristics in action.

my earliest environmental memory doesn’t involve the environment for long. one mother’s day, my family visited salisbury beach in new hampshire. surprised with the destination, i reluctantly left the car and slowly approached the water with our bag of supplies. while i unloaded, my brother inched his way into the water, but seconds later, a wave swept him up. i was in such shock that i just stood in the sand, taking a mental photograph of my mom saving my brother from almost drowning. i didn’t understand why people would visit a place that could hurt them. the 15-minute visit was my family’s first and last trip to the beach.

it was not until a seventh-grade field trip that i interacted with the ocean again. at a marine science center in new hampshire, a naturalist guided the class to the coastline and introduced us to the species of the intertidal zone. she carefully picked up and presented a sea star, mollusk, and seaweed. i was enamored with the sight of these creatures. after the display, the naturalist encouraged the class to explore the rocky shore. i stayed back and watched other classmates mount the rocks as the endeavor seemed risky, but their fun was contagious and i descended the coastline onto the rocks. during my travels, i slipped, fell onto the rocks, and ripped my leggings. the incident taught me that marine rocks are slimy, so the marine inhabitants must be adept at moving in these conditions. by the end of the day, i couldn’t wait to tell my family about the marine environment and the bruise i brought back as a souvenir.

zoe getman-pickering, an entomologist and postdoctoral researcher at george washington university, uses environmental education to energize students. for getman-pickering, who studies how insects interact with the world, environmental education was a matter of timing. this past spring, the brood x cicadas emerged in washington, d.c. for the first time in 17 years. getman-pickering and her colleagues knew that students would interact with cicadas in an unusual way during the emergence. this generation of students had likely never seen cicadas before, especially in the sheer volume expected. the team wanted to combat the negative, alarming language shared by the media and parents about the event. getman-pickering, with other biologists and an educator, created friend to cicadas, an online set of materials for elementary students about cicadas. the materials included a workbook, talk, illustrations, and haiku competition that intended to educate the students and empower them to share the information with their communities, explained getman-pickering. 

the team centered the materials around the details of the cicada emergence that captured public attention. as getman-pickering explains, student comprehension and enjoyment were key. the team completed iterations of the workbook, editing drafts based on teacher and parent feedback. once finalized, the team released the materials online, as in-person education wasn’t feasible because of the pandemic. though adapting lessons to a digital platform was challenging, it meant that more students could access the materials. in fact, the materials reached approximately 10,000 students, said getman-pickering. even though the team couldn’t work with students directly, they gauged the students’ understanding of cicadas through haiku poems written by the students.

haiku poems represented the educational effectiveness of the project overall. the materials transformed environmental fear into fascination as the poems conveyed a variety of feelings about cicadas, ranging from mesmerization to curiosity, explained getman-pickering. with a portrayal of cicadas as interesting and friendly, it alleviates “a lot of fear (that) comes from lack of understanding or lack of knowledge, lack of familiarity,” said getman-pickering. even when she thought she finished the project, the students proved her wrong. they continued to send questions about cicadas to the team as their fascination extended beyond the workbook. friend to cicadas combats fear with fact and empowers students to help others become a friend to cicadas, too.

researchers across the country and around the world find that young students are communicating with others about environmental issues and developing a personal connection to nature thanks to environmental education. research on flood education materials for british elementary students suggests that children can learn about flooding and preparedness and share this information with parents at home. students also learn about nature by spending time in it. at a residential outdoor environmental education program in pennsylvania, researchers found that student participants strengthened their relationship with nature during their experience. when provided with the information, students can make progress in their journey from avoiding to appreciating the environment.

i’ve made a friend in the environment, too. i no longer resist the outdoors. i have immersed myself in understanding it, especially so i can help others do the same. during my college experience, i interned at dumbarton oaks park conservancy to educate elementary schoolers about the park and its history. as the teacher of the information, i realized that students are willing to understand that people relate to nature. they just need a guiding hand to show them how and their curiosity will lead the rest of the way.

though environmental education may be taught in school, its effects extend beyond the classroom. equipping students with this type of knowledge allows them to strengthen their connection to nature and become a messenger and steward of environmental issues. it was this information that changed my perspective from a child that avoided nature to a young adult who understands its value and wants to continue sharing it with others. researchers like getman-pickering discern this significance and want to help young students develop an appreciation for nature and even a sense of environmental advocacy. because today’s young people will inherit a plethora of environmental crises, they must be prepared to handle them. as getman-pickering said, “it sounds cliché, but the children are our future,” and environmental education prepares them for that future.

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

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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.'”

what makes climate change so complex is that every country, every industry, and every individual is a stakeholder. governments, businesses, and nonprofits across the spectrum have differing priorities on how to tackle the climate crisis. climate change disproportionately affects global south countries who have contributed the least to the problem, also making climate change an equity issue. throw a catastrophic pandemic into the mix, and climate change becomes an even more complex issue that only worsens human health and survival. 

the clock is ticking, and every day vulnerable communities around the world face climate consequences that threaten their livelihoods––from droughts to hurricanes to rising sea levels. these consequences will only continue to spread and worsen, which is why cop26 takes place at such a crucial time. 

i hope that countries, especially the biggest players in climate politics, prioritize the planet over profit and develop drastically stronger national climate plans that highlight climate actions towards achieving the paris agreement. i hope that climate finance leverages the vast resources of the private sector to support a robust global transition towards greener technologies and processes. i hope decision makers will finally hear and amplify the voices of those most affected by the climate crisis––from coastal communities to youth activists to indigenous environmental defenders.

can these hopes become a reality in time, before it’s too late? i’m looking forward to finding out in a few weeks. as a young person deeply concerned about the state of our planet and its inhabitants, it’s an honor to be part of the conversation.

—

about the author:

francesca edralin is a 2021 planet forward comcast sustainable storytelling fellow, 2020-21 planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 , and 2021 planet forward storyfest winner. she is in her final semester at the george washington university pursuing a b.a in international affairs with minors in journalism and mass communication and sustainability. although she grew up in new jersey, her family comes from the philippines, one of the countries currently most severely impacted by climate change and environmental conflict. her background led her to be passionate about environmental issues––especially looking at the climate crisis through a global lens and understanding how climate change disproportionately impacts the world’s poorest countries and communities.

one focal area that others might miss is the interdependence of the big three crises of our time: not just the climate crisis, but also the biodiversity crisis and the crisis of inequality. the reason to watch for these big-3 interactions is that all three crises are rapidly coming to a head and solutions to one can easily harm progress in the other two. yet, we have the opportunity to kill three crises with one stone when we find the right combination of approaches. 

my interest in solving these crises stems from my background as a field biologist. i have witnessed how climate change is affecting biodiversity, not only in remote places like the north slope of alaska, but also here in my backyard in connecticut. my research has detailed how each increase in global temperature will likely make these changes worse and could lead to permanent extinctions. moreover, we can demonstrate that biodiversity losses directly affect human health, economy, and culture, and therefore our needs are inseparable from those of nature. 

i’ll be looking for these win-win-win solutions at cop26 that can address all three crises, and i’ll be deeply skeptical of solutions that do not. for example, restoring or protecting natural forests when done in concert with the needs of local people can capture carbon, maintain biodiversity, and protect local livelihoods and cultures simultaneously. but even this solution can cause harm when done without paying attention to local ecosystems and people.

at cop26, we have a chance to turn things around and make meaningful progress toward limiting climate change and preventing its worst effects. i hope that the students that we bring to the summit will not only advocate for that progress, but become the leaders that make it happen.

—

about the author:

mark c. urban is an award-winning scientist, the arden chair and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the university of connecticut, founder and director of the center of biological risk, and global expert on climate change impacts on nature and evolutionary ecology.

during the week of oct. 11, 655 people were arrested in washington, d.c., while participating in indigenous-led “people vs. fossil fuels” demonstrations. organizers demanded that president biden declare a climate emergency and cease approvals of new fossil fuel projects. indigenous activists occupied the bureau of indian affairs, demanding 110 million acres of stolen land be restored to native nations. the d.c. chapter of the direct action group extinction rebellion tweeted footage of an activist spraying the stairs of the chamber of commerce with an oil-like substance, alleging that the institution “used its power for years to deny climate change.” and on oct. 20, five young people announced they were going on a hunger strike to demand that president biden meet his climate justice promises –– and that the reconciliation bill be passed with provisions to cut u.s. emissions in half by 2030.

as a young person working in climate communication, i hear a lot of thoughtful conversations about how to convert climate change deniers into science believers. yet, when i learn about mobilizations like these, i don’t see a cultural struggle for “hearts and minds,” but a material struggle for power. and i wonder if by emphasizing the beliefs of individuals, rather than the heft possessed by institutions, we overlook a different strain of mistrust.

the united states has a record of climate denial –– from the obvious (like president trump telling the secretary of california’s natural resources agency, “i don’t think science knows, actually.”) to the insidious (like big oil crafting curricula to be taught in k-12 schools). yet, even here, 70% of the population believes that climate change is happening, according to this year’s installment of “climate change in the american mind.” the survey even reports that a majority of americans, 60%, think that the trend of “global warming” is human caused! in 2020 the american people elected a president who avowed his belief in science on the campaign trail. he signified that belief by appointing a science advisor to his cabinet. he even had the u.s. rejoin the paris climate agreement –– the international agreement reached at the 2015 u.n. climate conference, which the u.s. pulled out from under president trump.

so, why do climate activists persist? hasn’t majority belief steered us away from the path of catastrophic warming? 

not quite.

in september, u.n. climate change published a nationally determined contributions (ndc) synthesis report; that is, a report that assessed the climate commitments of each of the 191 nations signed on to the paris agreement. when evaluated in conjunction, these plans suggest a path to a roughly 16% increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 as compared to 2010. such a path leads to a global temperature increase of 2.7 degrees celsius by the end of the century –– nearly twice the agreement’s “ideal” goal of 1.5 degrees c.

but the u.s.’s science-believing leadership is holding the line to curb emissions, right? 

well.

this may, the international energy agency published a report finding that to travel the road toward net-zero emissions by 2050 –– the road on which we have a chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees c –– investment in “new fossil fuel supply projects” needs to end now. yet, two months later, the associated press reported that approvals for oil and gas permits on public lands were on track to reach year-end numbers unseen since george w. bush’s presidency. despite biden’s campaign promise to end new drilling on public land, the department of interior approved more than 2,100 permits to drill on public and tribal lands in the first six months of biden’s presidency.

protesting outside of the white house this month, veteran water protector joye braun of the indigenous environmental network let the president know that his actions have not gone unnoticed.

“you made promises to the indigenous communities across this land that you were going to uphold,” she said. “but you haven’t upheld those promises. you’ve been speaking with a forked tongue, just like that one that was before you.”

braun directed her words at president biden, but her meaning resonates beyond. nearly 70% of young people say that governments can’t be trusted, according to a recent survey of 10,000 16- to 25-year-olds in 10 countries. across populations, 65% of young people said that governments’ response to climate change is failing them. american youth’s trust in government is the lowest of all.

leaders may believe science, but my generation doesn’t believe leaders.

“build back better. blah, blah, blah. green economy. blah blah blah. net zero by 2050. blah, blah, blah,” greta thunberg said last month at the youth4climate summit in italy. “this is all we hear from our so-called leaders. words that sound great but so far have not led to action. our hopes and ambitions drown in their empty promises.”

these words may sound harsh, but to me they are a sign of optimism. climate organizers know that solutions exist, if those in power have the courage and creativity to implement them. progress is possible, but it’s not guaranteed. 

i am only 23, but i am old enough for the long line of inaction to hit me in cresting waves of deja vu. that tide engulfed me recently as i watched a clip of american student anjali appadurai addressing leaders at cop17 on behalf of youth non-governmental organizations in 2011. ten years ago appadurai told leaders, “you’ve been negotiating all my life.” ten years ago she said, “you’ve failed to meet pledges, you’ve missed targets, and you’ve broken promises.”

“the international energy agency tells us we have five years until the window to avoid irreversible climate change closes,” appadurai, then a student at the college of the atlantic, said. “the science tells us that we have five years maximum. you’re saying, ‘give us 10.’ the most stark betrayal of your generation’s responsibility to ours is that you call this ‘ambition.’”

those 10 years are up. the window to avoid irreversible damage has passed. the time for bold, decisive action has not. as i tune in to the events of cop26, i will be looking for something my peers and i can believe in. i’m not talking about science. i’m talking about leadership.

—

about the author:

victoria middleton is a writer, editor, and multimedia producer who serves as planet forward’s digital editor. victoria started at planet forward as an intern in the summer of 2019 –– a semester before she completed her b.a. in journalism and mass communication and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies –– and stuck around to become a full-time member of the team.  she’s most interested in stories that illuminate how climate connects to human elements of life, especially justice, labor, and food. though she loves doing media production work, her favorite part of working at planet forward is engaging with students, seeing them grow as storytellers, and growing along with them.

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editor’s note: please check back every day, leading up to the beginning of cop26 on oct. 31, for new pieces from climate leaders in the planet forward network.