Female climate activists
The “Gretas of the south” – we introduce you to two young climate activists from the Global South.
Under the banner “From Ambition to Action” the 9th Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue will begin on 28 March. The two-day conference will see experts from Germany and around the world discuss the best route to a climate-friendly future. Young climate activists will also be given the opportunity to speak there. Let us introduce you to two of them: they come from the Global South and are already battling with floods and heatwaves in their home countries.
Mitzi Jonelle Tan (Philippines)
Mitzi Jonelle Tan, a 26-year-old climate activist from Manila, has frequently witnessed the disastrous impact of climate change at first hand. “I grew up seeing the climate crisis,” she says, explaining that her family would often listen to the radio at night so as not to miss the flood warnings. In 2019 she founded “Youth Advocates for Climate Action” (YACAP), the Philippine counterpart to the Fridays for Future movement. When the Philippines were hit by two serious typhoons in 2020, she got YACAP to organise help for affected families. For Mitzi, climate activism is essentially a battle for justice: “It’s not only about weather events and the environment. We all know that we deserve a safe present and a green and sustainable future.”
Licypriya Kangujam (India)
Licypriya (Licy) Kangujam from India is just eleven years old but already one of the world’s best-known climate activists.
Her childhood was also shaped by two disastrous weather events: the cyclones Titli and Fani that caused such huge devastation in 2018 and 2019. She decided to take action herself and was able to speak at the UN International Climate Change Conference (COP 25) in 2019. “I met a lot of fascinating people there, which really motivated me to actively campaign for climate protection,” she recounts. She also attended COP 27. With her organisation “The Child Movement”, her aim – in true Greta Thunberg style – is to hold politicians accountable. “We want to see real change at last.” In 2022 she protested against plastic pollution around India’s national landmark, the Taj Mahal. The campaign attracted considerable attention on social media, and “within 24 hours the rubbish had vanished,” she explains, not without a certain pride. One of her key demands is that climate education should be taught at schools. “Without climate education we will not be able to cope with climate change.”
“Events like the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue are crucial in a world threatened by a global climate crisis. We need more events that allow the voices of young people to be heard,” says Licypriya Kangujam. “In my keynote in Berlin I will call on policymakers to accept responsibility for the environmental destruction in the Global South.”
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