Six young climate activists to follow during COP27
Follow these young women to stay up to date on the conference and the latest in the fight against climate change.
From increasing access to climate education to ending corporate greenwashing, young climate activists are full of ideas on how leaders can address the climate crisis. Next week many of them will be attending the climate change conference COP27 in order to bring their demands to leaders directly.
We listed a few of the young women climate activists attending the summit who you can follow for on-the-ground updates and the latest in the fight against climate change. Hailing from Pakistan, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe, here are six activists to watch during COP27.
(Courtesy of Nasief Manie)
Mitchelle Mhaka, 22, Zimbabwe
Mitchelle is a Zimbabwean-born, Cape Town-based computer science and applied mathematics student and climate activist. She is a programme coordinator for the African Climate Alliance — a youth-led grassroots organisation that advocates for Afrocentric climate justice — where she addresses the climate literacy issues in South Africa and changes the narrative around sustainability, decolonisation and environmentalism pushed by mainstream media. Mitchelle helps arm young people with the knowledge and tools they need to decolonise spaces in the climate movement.
(Courtesy of Insaf Abdelmoula)
Insaf Abdelmoula, 23, Tunisia
Insaf is a fourth-year medical student and climate activist from Tunisia. She is the vice president of Unite the World, an initiative funded by the U.S. State Department that teaches young people skills they don’t learn in the classroom and inspires them to create change in their communities. Insaf is also a global board member and programme coordinator at Plant for the Planet and an ambassador for 1MYAC.
Unfortunately almost every COP is sponsored by the companies that are harming the environment the most, as attempts of greenwashing.
— Insaf (@inthesaf) October 4, 2022
(Courtesy of Joan Namaggwa and Claire Nassanga)
Joan Namaggwa and Clare Nassanga, Uganda
Joan and Clare are climate and women’s rights activists from Uganda. They are also students at Makerere University where Joan is pursuing a bachelor’s in industrial art and design, and Clare is pursuing a bachelor’s in veterinary medicine. Joan and Clare were inspired to speak out after they realised that the climate crisis has a disproportionate effect on girls and women. They are members of Rise Up, which works to ensure African climate activists have a platform, and help to lead tree planting efforts as well as weekly strikes.
Accompanied @vanessa_vash to meet mothers and children in drought affected Turkana, N.Kenya. Glad to see the work @UNICEF and partners are doing to support them. We call upon donors to step up so we can reach more children at the frontline of the climate crisis. #savechildren pic.twitter.com/zG9vXgIouF
— joan.and.clare (@joanandclare1) September 11, 2022
(Courtesy of Ayesha)
Ayesha, 25, Pakistan
Ayesha is a Pakistani doctor and climate activist. As a Malala Fund Fellow and member of YOUNGO (the Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC), she campaigns for girls’ education and health and climate justice. She is passionate about raising awareness about the disproportionate effect of the climate crisis on girls and low-income countries. Ayesha recently published an article about the long-term effects of the current flooding in Pakistan.
(Courtesy of Ayisha Siddiqa)
Ayisha Siddiqa, 24, Pakistan
Ayisha is a Pakistani climate justice advocate. She is the co-founder of Fossil Free University, which teaches young people how to be climate justice advocates and fight the fossil fuel industry, and Polluters Out, which calls on COP to end its relationship with fossil fuel companies and ensure funding from big oil does not influence the outcome of climate talks. Ayisha has organised several school strikes for climate since 2019 and campaigns for human rights, climate finance, U.N. climate treaties and Indigenous people's rights.
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