The story of Copenhagen began in Bali, Indonesia two years ago. After an intensive two weeks of negotiations, 192 countries, including the Bush Administration, signed on to the Bali Roadmap, a plan to complete a binding global climate treaty in Copenhagen. The Bali Roadmap was a political agreement acknowledging that the evidence for the planet warming is “unequivocal”, and that further delays in reducing emissions would further increase the risks of “severe climate change impacts.”

Deepa Gupta speaks to a crowd of onlookers during a global hunger strike for climate justice event in Copenhagen

Fast forward to 2009 – after two years of high level negotiations and new peer-reviewed scientific findings warning that climate change is accelerating faster than previously anticipated, the stakes had been raised for Copenhagen. In the first week and a half of the negotiations, leaders from small island states like the Maldives and Tuvalu and from African countries already being thrust into water-related conflicts from extreme drought resisted threats and bribes from developed countries as they insisted on an ambitious and fair legal treaty committed to containing warming below 1.5 degrees C. Tensions ran high and the talks were deadlocked as rich nations and emerging economies blamed each other and the most vulnerable.

After nine hours of direct negotiations from world leaders on the final day, a weak agreement was reached by a diverse group of interests. The three-page Copenhagen Accord is by all accounts far short of the ambitious and fair legal treaty promised in Bali. While it does finally tie emerging economies like China and India in with the United States under the same climate agreement, it also punts most of the hard decisions down the road another year.

At most the Copenhagen Accord can be called another baby step forward, when the world needed a bold leap. The reason for this colossal failure of leadership was a No Ambition Coalition of the United States and China. Held hostage by fossil fuel lobbyists and an addiction to a 20th century growth paradigm, China held out against a legally-binding outcome and international verification of emission targets while the United States refused to budge from their weak emission targets.

The most important measure to judge the outcome of Copenhagen is scientific. Early analysis shows that emission targets from countries within the Copenhagen Accord would put the world on track for 3.9 degrees C of warming by 2100. Scientists have warned that exceeding even 1.5C of warming would lead to the displacement of low-lying nations, extreme droughts throughout Africa, and risk reaching irreversible climate tipping points.

There is cause for hope coming out of Copenhagen. Firstly, 133 Heads of State, having traveled to Copenhagen to reach a deal, are now directly accountable for achieving significant action on climate change. Secondly, the international climate movement showed up like never before in Copenhagen and around the world.

The Climate Movement Has Arrived

We saw the world’s largest demonstrations on climate change – 100,000 in the streets of Copenhagen on December 12th, 90,000 across Australia on the same day, and 3000 events around the world. We saw one of the largest petitions in history – 15 million for a fair, ambitious, and binding global treaty. We saw a spirit of collaboration amongst NGOs unlike any seen before within the climate movement.

350.org, Avaaz.org, and TckTckTck pulled off three international days of climate action in the course of three months, with more than 10,000 total events in 181 different countries. Thursday December 17th marked a “Hunger for Survival” global fast for climate justice where over 10,000 people worldwide gave up food in solidarity with three people who had consumed nothing but water and salt for 43 days to call attention to the urgency of climate action. Despite all but 300 individuals getting kicked out of the Bella Center for the two day Heads of State Summit, the presence of civil society in the negotiations remained powerful.

How the U.S. and China Ruined Copenhagen

The coal and oil lobbies have a stranglehold on national politics in China and India. The U.S. is by far the largest historic emitter of CO2. The average U.S. citizen emits four times as much CO2 as the average Chinese person. However, a couple years ago China overtook the U.S. as the largest national emitter of CO2. China now builds two new power stations every week.

For months before Copenhagen, President Obama and his top negotiators warned that the U.S. wasn’t going to offer anything stronger than the emission targets being debated in the U.S. Senate of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 (4% below 1990 levels). These targets pale in comparison to targets from other developed countries like Japan (25% below 1990 levels by 2020) and the EU (20%). However, they do represent the first time the U.S. has had real emission targets to offer at an international climate conference. U.S. negotiators also warned a month before Copenhagen that a legally binding outcome would not be possible in time for this conference and that long-term finance for developing countries was off the table.

A month ago China committed to voluntarily reduce its ‘carbon intensity’ 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2020. This figure is less than it sounds like. Carbon intensity means emissions relative to economic growth. China warned that they were not willing to give up national sovereignty to have their targets monitored by an international body unless the developed world (read: United States) did more to reduce their own emissions and finance technology transfer and climate adaptation in the developing world. China remained strongly opposed to the calls of the developing world for a legally binding treaty that would bind all nations to common but differentiated emission targets.

In Copenhagen, backed sometimes by India, China ultimately ended up opposing a global peak year for emission reductions and vetoing a goal of reducing emissions 50% by 2050 for all nations and 80% by 2050 for developed nations (even though this wouldn’t apply to China in today’s framework).

China, the U.S. and the rest of the world were playing a game of chicken for two years – one pointing the finger at the other, refusing to act first.

Hope on Climate Finance

After days of deadlock, a glimmer of new hope had been infused into the process on Thursday afternoon. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a surprise appearance, offering a proposal for $100 billion/year climate finance for adaptation and technology in developing countries by 2020, of which the U.S. would pay its “fair share”. This was half of what the Climate Action Network International and several experts argued was necessary to adequately avert climate catastrophe. But it was significant because it was the first time the U.S. had offered anything beyond a three-year ‘quick start’ finance package.

Clinton made it clear that the funds would only be made available if China would agree to “transparency” in reporting its emission reductions. At the end of the day the U.S. only put $3.6 billion over the next three years on the table, with a suggestion that more could come later if approved by Congress. Japan promised $11 billion and the EU $10.6 billion over three years. China ultimately agreed to some transparency and international “consultation” for its targets.

“Friends of the Chair” Process Produces a Document

With 132 other heads of state present in Copenhagen, President Obama arrived on Friday morning December 18th. For two weeks vulnerable nations had been insisting on emission targets and climate finance strong enough to ensure their survival and developed countries had continued to refuse to offer anything new, leaving the talks in deadlock. As a result, there was no text with any kind of consensus to base negotiations on by Friday morning.

In an attempt to materialize a deal, the Danish Prime Minister began holding a series of “Friends of the Chair” meetings with 28 different countries representing the Least Developed Countries, the emerging economies, and key developed nations. A few members of the G77 (a formal group of 130 developing nations) complained that the process was undemocratic and that the agreement was not strong enough.

In the early afternoon on Friday President Obama gave an underwhelming speech, saying that words were less valuable than action, but again failing to offer any new proposals. At that moment it became clear that Copenhagen would not produce anything close to a fair, ambitious, and binding outcome.

Leading up to Friday, the climate movement had tried every angle to get around the problem of low ambition from the US and China. Groups targeted Japan on finance and the EU on targets, hoping if they came out with something strong, it would budge the big players. Avaaz.org employed voices from the Global South to pressure China to support a legally binding outcome that was measurable, reportable, and verifiable. Nothing worked.

Following Obama’s speech, with a weak outcome certain, youth and NGOs began making banners that read “Climate Shame” and cutting out masks of more than 20 world leaders most responsible for a weak deal. We picked countries who had won the “Fossil of the Day” award throughout the two weeks for doing the most that day to block progress on a strong treaty.

World Leaders Begin to Negotiate

Inside the negotiations U.S. President Obama, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, South African President Jacob Zuma, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were leading bilateral and multilateral meetings to come up with an agreement. Afterwards a UN Assistant Secretary for General Policy Robert Orr described the process on Friday in a press conference (see minute 35):

“I’ve worked in the UN for a number of years and national government for a number of years. I’ve never seen leaders truly negotiate. It’s usually pre-arranged, pre-cooked. And the text goes to the leaders and they nod at each other and they agree. This was not the case. Leaders were drafting. Leaders were caucusing. Leaders were doing things that most of them probably hadn’t done for a few years. I think President Lula at one point said, ‘it makes me feel like a labor union leader again. I remember collective bargaining.’”

After President Obama’s afternoon speech China, apparently spurned, sent lower-level ministers to meetings with Obama and other heads of state as a show of power. Heads of state were forced to wait around as the Chinese delegate made telephone calls to his “superiors”. Unlike other countries China didn’t need a deal out of Copenhagen to save face. I heard one account by a member of Climate Action Network China that the priority of 90% of Chinese people going into Copenhagen was for their government to not give in to U.S. pressure, even if it meant risking a global agreement. As a result, China was able to get other nations to strip the the final agreement of its emission targets.

Working frantically for hours, the “Friends of the Chair” process produced the Copenhagen Accord, which finally had the support of the major emitters, emerging economies, and most of the developing world. However with no firm targets, lack of detail on financing, and no deadline for completing a legally binding treaty, the Accord did not achieve the support of a handful of nations in the final hours. As a result, the Conference of the Parties “took note” of the agreement instead of making it a formal decision.

Life in the Final Hours

At one in the morning on the final night, 150 voices were fighting through the bitter cold, surrounded by police outside the Bella Center. President Obama had just delivered his closing speech announcing the Copenhagen Accord and delegates and media from all over the world were deciding how to swallow the bitter compromise that had been reached.

“1.5 to Stay Alive – Don’t Sign the Deal!” “Climate Shame! Climate Shame!” The chants bellowed through the night air as three of us blew on our hands, attempting to liveblog the events on our laptops. As the clock reached 2:00, word came from inside the conference that the EU had not yet decided whether to sign onto the political compromise that had been announced by the U.S., China, India, South Africa, and Brazil. Our chants continued – “EU Don’t Sign! EU Don’t Sign!”

All of us could see the writing on the wall that night. We knew the deal was all but finished, but we knew we had to fight. News outlets were already starting to spin the story as Obama coming in at the last second to rescue a deal. It was important to show that the world was not satisfied with a weak agreement and that leaders had failed in their duty to lead post-Bali. At 2:30 we got a text message with some words from UK Climate Minister Ed Milliband – “it’s youth and connected mobilization that put the pressure to get anything, especially 130 leaders here. Stay strong.”

Forty minutes later a Bolivian delegate came outside to greet us. Looking tired and worn, he said, “it looks like we have lost this battle, but we will win the war because of the strength of the youth.”

After hearing the result of the talks, one member from Africa wrote “It takes a lot to get an elephant moving, but when you do it is hard to stop…the elephant is moving…”

Not Done Yet

The Copenhagen Accord represents a stark failure of leadership resulting from low ambitions and hard lines taken by China and the United States. The price of carbon fell days after the end of negotiations as businesses warned that Copenhagen had failed to signal global limits on carbon emissions. Moving forward, the climate movement must bring the fight for strong carbon limits back to the United States, passing a strong climate law through the Senate, and find a way to convince China to support a legally-binding treaty with strong emission targets in 2010.

In short, the task ahead is to make the elephant move in the right direction, and fast. Our future depends on it.

Let me repeat that: youth activists were invited to discuss climate policy with 4 cabinet secretaries. This is not the same movement it was two years ago, and I think the changes have been overwhelmingly positive.

A little more than two years ago, a nervous and exuberant Energy Action Coalition gathered 5,000+ youth in DC for Powershift07. Van Jones said, ‘remember, remember, the 5th of November…’ and we raised some eyebrows in DC. But mostly, we sparked the feeling of a movement in a whole new circle of leaders: young people who went home with a sense of urgency and a sense of the plan.

Two years later, a huge youth election campaign, another Powershift, 100 coal plant permits denied and a lot of green jobs created, a small selection of an amazing movement of people were welcomed to the White House as partners in crafting the clean energy future WE want to see.

The forum didn’t result in any game-changing policy commitments, but it wasn’t supposed to. It was a chance for the administration to showcase just how much better they are than the Bush administration (an underwhelming comparison, perhaps), and for them to present a convincing argument of why they are doing a great job. I think they accomplished that, acknowledging that they can do more to stop dirty energy and lead on the clean and just economy, while placing a large chunk of blame on the Senate for their deadly inaction.

The forum succeeded wildly in a different way, and an incredibly important way. We were all in the room together – a couple dozen administration staff, 80 or 90 youth leaders affiliated with the Energy Action Coalition, and another 40 or 50 clean energy leaders. We got to see what we look like, where we come from, and what issues really move us. With that focused cross-section of the movement, I realized more than ever, that we are such a diverse generation, and we are a diverse movement united in a very large goal.

Tonight, as I digest what happened today, I feel most moved by the incredible diversity of the people involved in this movement and in the forum itself. Rio, a mountaintop removal activist from North Carolina asked when we can expect a fair, ambitious and binding climate treaty. A student identifying as a Chinook native from Washington state demanded to know what was being done about rampant nuclear, hydro and coal exploitation on native lands. Brett, an organizer in Missouri, asked Lisa Jackson directly: when will the EPA deny the 79 pending permits for mountaintop removal. I could go on and on.

We weren’t there to play up our own organizations, and we weren’t there to bask in the bright lights of the White House (although many of us took pictures behind the podium.) We were there to represent a huge, diverse and passionate movement that stands together in its pursuit of a comprehensive solution to the problems we see so clearly.

Alex Steffen at Worldchanging.com wrote an amazing piece a few weeks ago about why the youth of this country should be pissed.

To be young and aware today is to see your elders burning our civilization down around our ears. To hear scientists tell us we’re in the final countdown, with the risk of runaway climate change (along with the ecosystem collapses and horrific human suffering it will bring) mounting with every day we run business as usual. To hear nearly a chorus of credible voices—from doctors and scientists to retired generals and former bankers— warning that to lose this fight is to lose everything that makes our world livable and gives the future hope.

And in the face of that adversity, we grow stronger and more united, and smarter. By showing the administration who we are, how serious we are, and how smart we are, we’ve given them fuel for their work, and called them out where they fall short. And today’s event, watched by thousands of leaders and rippling outwards through the social media reflecting pool, showed a generation of activists that we are being taken seriously. The forum was smart because it places us as organizers in the drivers seat to continue building larger and larger campaigns to the scale we need.

Its a bad week for news. This forum won’t get much coverage in the main-stream media. Afghanistan is big, and today there’s the jobs forum. Copenhagen is starting, and a stupid incident of hacked emails is still poisoning public discourse on climate. Furthermore, its clear the world won’t sign a treaty in Copenhagen.

Two years ago, after Powershift, I watched nervously the reports coming from Bali, the COP13 conference. I felt powerless, a tiny speck while powerful negotiators changed treaty text for the worse and made snide remarks in the forums. I remember one night getting so frustrated that I had to walk away from a final paper I was writing.  I stumbled around in the snow for a while getting more and more worked up about the impossible state of the world. Three hours later, on a windy hill overlooking my college, I shouted at the wind in frustration and decided to increase my commitment to working for this movement for change and against injustice.

The next day, the final day of Bali, passionate and bold words from Papua New Guinea forced the US negotiators to back down on a small point. This helped make the agreement to craft a binding climate treaty in two years. The agreement in Bali set the stage for Copenhagen to be the big kahuna, the conference when the successor to Kyoto would be signed and the world, with the US on board, would get serious about tackling climate.

We won’t get the fair, ambitious and binding treaty we need from Copenhagen. The best we can hope for is a strong interim agreement, and a binding promise to agree on a treaty in 6 months, by which time Obama can have a senate bill in hand and the world can move on. That’s the best case scenario. I’m not sure I need to get into the worse case scenarios, because no matter what happens, its clear that this movement needs to be a thousand times bigger, smarter and ready to push a thousand times harder.

Lets build off of the momentum of the White House forum. Lets be prepared to call Copenhagen a failure if it deserves it, and lets power through December to accelerate this movement into the fights ahead of us.

Photo courtesy of 350.org (and inspiring people in London, Sydney, and Copenhagen)

I won’t even try to sum up the awesomeness that was the October 24th International Day of Climate Action. Instead, I’m thinking about how this fits into the even bigger awesomeness that is the international youth climate movement:

International Day of Climate Action – Yesterday was the largest day of distributed political activism ever. It was temporarily the top news story globally. While people of all ages can celebrate in making this day happen, youth played a huge role in creating and participating in many of the actions, in spreading the popularity of the day of action, and working behind the scenes (or more likely in the middle of them) as members of the 350.org staff.

The YOUNGOs – International youth have recently become a recognized constituency within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations. Called the YOUNGOs (youth nongovernmental organzations), they now have the same rights, privileges, responsibilities, and representation as businesses, indigenous peoples, or environmental organizations. That couldn’t have happened until youth had developed the size, institutional and policy knowledge, and organizational capacity to handle such a full-contact struggle for a safe, stable future.

Since the first explosion of youth participation in the climate negotiations in December 2005 in Montreal, to the beginnings of an organized, year-round youth presence after the December 2007 negotiations in Bali, we now have a coordinated, lasting, increasingly (but not perfectly) inclusive and diverse coalition of young people from all over the world participating in the climate negotiations year-round, and actually having an impact with our coalition-building, heartbreaking and eye-catching demonstrations, thoughtful policy submissions, and creative and honest speeches.

Global Power Shifts – What only two years ago was a cool, inventive meeting of mostly United States youth climate leaders in 2007 is growing into an international phenomenon. This year saw Power Shift: The Sequel (otherwise known as Power Shift 2009…), Power Shift Australia, Power Shift UK, Power Shift Canada, Power Shift Regional Summits in the U.S.A., and a host of other power(ful) youth climate summits all over the world, that, while maybe not carrying the Power Shift name, definitely continued its legacy of giving youth the tools and energy to remake their world, cleaner and safer. Transformative meetings, like the Indian Youth Climate Network’s Badlaav, shouldn’t have to call themselves by the Power Shift name, but they are empowering youth just the same.

The Next Bold Move – Despite all of this exciting progress, let’s not kid ourselves that we’ve accomplished all we need to. The planet is still warming up. And so are we. The International Day of Action might just have been the next in a continuing series of coordinated youth actions. Earlier this year, international youth staged a coordinated embassy lobbying campaign in almost a dozen cities. Having youth from a bunch of different countries show up at your country’s consulate door to talk about climate change is uncommon enough. Seeing us show up at them in multiple countries in the same week really got their attention.

So what’s next?! What about multiple, coordinated Power Shifts all happening at the same time worldwide? This already sort of happened October 9-11, when UK Power Shift, Power Shift Indiana, and Power Shift Michigan all held summits. Imagine that, but bigger and more diverse, virtually linking summit after summit together, youth literally seeing each other learn the skills and build the passion needed to care for our world and each other. Imagine not just a coordinated embassy letter drop, but massive simultaneous lobbying of legislatures and elected leaders the world over. Imagine an endless string of Power Vote campaigns – election after election in country after country, the same clean energy message echoing planetwide. Imagine youth taking their organized constituency to every major international negotiation affecting our climate, our jobs, our development, our environment, our rights … affecting our very quality of life.

Imagine that, and you’ve just dreamed of change. And we’re making it happen.

Last year, in Bali Indonesia, the nations of the world agreed to reach an agreement by 2009 to tackle climate change. By December 15th 2009, in Copenhagen Denmark, governments are expected to reach an agreement that  will holistically tackle not only the issues of emissions, but also the impacts to those most vulnerable. This coming Monday, in Poznan, Poland, the UN will meet again to advance the Bali Action Plan.

The Bali roadmap, which has become more like a treasure-hunt, brings many daunting challenges to Poznan. From tackling issues of deforestation in tropical forest, to insurance schemes to help countries recover from extreme climate change-related losses, Poznan is happening in the midst of global financial crisis that many countries are already using as a scape-goat for dumping climate goals and continuing the decades of inaction and unsustainable economic policies. The stakes are high, yet ideas are not flowing. The developed countries’ proposals on technology transfer and   finance for mitigation and adaptation are a carbon copy of the failed regulation mechanisms of modern history, yet somehow they are asking developing nations to take bold steps in order to achieve an agreement.

For something meaningful to come out of the agreement next year, Poznan must set a new path.

Rather that trying fixing our future on new-yet-dirty of the same fuels that have gotten us in trouble, we need a vision of a world where well-being is not coupled with greenhouse gases. There will be over 500 young people in Poznan, and they have been organizing for months. Over this weekend they will come together at Conference of Youth to finish their strategy, and over the next two weeks youth from across the planet will be contributing to itsgettinghotinhere.org, giving their perspective on the process and their suggestions for fixing the planet we will inherit. You can also contribute with your message by sharing your views with COP14 youth messaging team

The SustainUS Agents of Change program is now accepting applications for its delegation to the UN Climate Negotiations, COP14, happening in Poznan, Poland this December. We will be extending the application deadline to July 12, 2008 at 5pmEST. COP14 will determine the future of international policy on climate change, and youth must make their voices heard.

The SustainUS delegation, comprised of key leaders in the youth climate movement from various organizations and backgrounds, will have the unique opportunity to represent American youth at the COP. Delegates will work with each other and with international youth in advance of the conference to educate themselves, develop policy priorities, acquire skills in effective lobbying, and engage the broader youth population in a conversation about international climate policy.

Apply to be an Agent of Change today!

Barbados, speaking for small islands, proposed a new Adaptation fund for small islands which emphasis on insurance and technology fund.
Mexico proposed a world climate change fund on mitigation, adaptation and technology transfer, to which all countries would contribute according to greenhouse gas emissions, population and national income.
China proposed an approach for funding from developed countries as a percentage of their national income to be channeled by the UNFCCC.

Norway proposed auctioning emission allowances to finance adaptation.

Korea proposed awarding credits from something the called “nationally appropriate mitigation action” in developing countries to enable deeper cuts by developed countries parties.

Switzerland suggested a global carbon dioxide levy of US$2 per tonne on all fossil fuel emissions, with an exception for less developed countries.

Bangladesh, speaking for the least developed countries, identified possible sources of funding such as a Convention fund, a levy on international air travel, and an international fuel levy to finance the global response to climate change.

To these ideas, The Philippines, speaking for developing counties, identified basic principles, including equity and direct access to funding by recipients. The European Union said the challenge to ensure sufficient financing for climate change is significant but affordable.

Lots of ideas, but no consensus yet. With less than two years until Copenhagen, its unclear how we are going to get from vague proposals to actual action. What would you propose to pay for the response needed to address climate change?
For more detailed record of the negotiations, click here

For the next two weeks, the UNFCCC will try to make progress on the many items listed and agreed in the Bali Action Plan –the outcome of the negotiations in Bali—, and the issues will get heated. The deadline for this new “action” is 2009, at the meeting in Copenhagen. This session in Bonn will be a forum for most substantive dialogue, ideas, proposals, and an overall (desperate) effort to go beyond programming and workshop planning into discussing the critical issues in regards to technology transfer and adaptation. enhanced conditions for a stable climate.
Members of SustainUS and CYCC are present at the meeting, and we hope to share with you occasional updates.

Upon returning from Bali as a US youth delegate, I was filled with hope that humanity will create a global consciousness by rising to meet the climate emergency. In the last few months, worsening scientific predictions have only strengthened my belief that we are the leaders we seek. It’s up to us. We have the power to make the climate emergency, and the immense economic opportunities we will realize from solving it, our top priority. A bold, broad movement is needed on a scale larger than the mobilization for World War II. This mobilization will only be accomplished by unleashing a renewed civic engagement.

“LIGHTEN UP CAROLINE!” ON APRIL 19

As a 24-year old elected Town Councilmember and Deputy Supervisor, I’m SO excited about a new way we’re igniting this movement, right here in my hometown of Caroline, NY, USA. On Saturday April 19, in a massive event called “Lighten Up Caroline!” over 100 volunteers will distribute one energy-saving compact-fluorescent lightbulb to every household in the Town… that’s 1,400 households!!

It’s huge. “Lighten Up Caroline!” will collectively save our town $70,000 in energy bills and reduce carbon emissions by over 800,000 pounds. An incredible team of students from Cornell University and Ithaca College is working with a local group called Energy Independent Caroline to launch the event. SewGreen of Ithaca is mobilizing a series of “sew-ins to save energy” to make bags from reused fabric which will hold the lightblubs and energy conservation information.

It’s news. The project’s already making big news here in central New York. The Syracuse Post-Standard ran it today as a front-page story!! http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/pageone/pdf/thu-a.pdf Here’s the full story: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1207213258129270.xml&coll=1

It’s us. Many people in Tompkins County have asked me “what can I do to help?” It’s simple — volunteer and help make history! Don’t live in central New York? Tell your friends that real people in small rural towns are taking the climate movement to Hometown, USA.

It’s one of many. “Lighten Up Caroline” is just one example of how ordinary people like us can ignite a spark that can impact an entire community. This and countless other initiatives can and will build the renewed civic engagement we need to meet the climate emergency.

We’re all in this together, and for the long-haul. Whether you live cross the street, across the country, or across the world, you can make a difference when you encourage, support, and inspire. It means more than you know.

Here is a video featuring Jonathan Joanassie Edward Epoo who is an Inuit youth working to educate and engage other youth on the current changing conditions that climate change is causing to the region he lives in and to his culture.

Editorial By Sunita Narain (Director, Center for Science & Environment, New Delhi)