Coalition joins the LSBU Climate Action Series
Last Friday, 15 January, Coalition youth advisory board member Soumita Chakraborty joined the youth panel for the London South Bank University (LSBU) Climate Action Series on Sustainability and Climate Action-Equality on food, water, and politics.
Soumita appeared with Poorvi Mehrotra from Restless Development and Jevanic Henry from the Youth Power Panel. Jaena Malhi from Systems Change Organiser (UKYCC) facilitated the discussion.
The Climate Action Series highlighted how LSBU is working to ensure that young people are part of the solution to the social and ecological challenges that the youth are faced with. The series was a three-day event that focused on three key issues; food and water (January 13), politics (January 14), and equality (January 15).
Soumita and the rest of her panel were featured during the session on equality, specifically on catalyzing youth action for climate justice.
The panelists first discussed how young people are affected by the climate crisis.
Jevanic explained how climate change has impacted different countries in terms of the destruction of crops, homes, businesses, and more. He noted that a drastic change in global temperatures have strengthened typhoons, hurricanes, and other natural calamities and how this has put several persons “on edge”.
Soumita raised the reality that even though young people are the most affected by climate change, their voices are not often captured. She goes on to say that the global climate problem has greatly affected young people living in agriculture-dependent households. Traveling from one point to another to gather water and other supplies forces them to drop out of school which significantly impacts their future.
The youth panel expressed how youth action has become more evident in the face of the climate challenge despite the lack of engagement from specific groups and organizations.
Soumita then expressed the importance of young people claiming their space in the movement saying that “just because I wasn’t given a platform, it does not mean that I can’t create one myself”.
During this point, Soumita discussed how the climate connects with road safety and how sustainable mobility affects not just the climate and the environment, but also the young people struggling to go to school or work because of unsafe transportation.
In the Global Youth Statement for Road Safety, climate action is addressed through young people’s demand for safe and sustainable transport systems to combat the climate crisis. LET US BREATHE!
At the end of the panel, the youth panel encouraged young people everywhere to take action to combat climate change however they can.
“Get involved in local action. If you have anything you can do to combat the climate crisis - do it. It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small”