A week ago, I met 13 bright, passionate teenagers from around New York City who, like so many New Yorkers, happen to have roots leading directly back to the far corners of the planet. In their case, the roots go to Bangladesh, Haiti, Mexico, Mongolia, Paraguay, Sudan … you get the idea. It is those roots that brought them to the attention of Unicef, which recruited them to speak to the 100 or so world leaders gathering Tuesday at the United Nations for a summit meeting that seeks movement toward a climate accord in December.
When I met them, they were hunkered in a basement room at Unicef headquarters, below an exhibition hall where endless-loop videos were showing the consequences of climate-related hazards. They spoke of the origins of their concerns about the environment. They were clearly part of what I have taken to calling “ Generation E.” Brianda Guzman, a student at the Bronx Theater High School who lives in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx, was nearly in tears talking about a brother whose asthma is inflamed by the truck pollution in the heavily trafficked area. Ms. Guzman and the others were trying to figure out what to say to presidents and prime ministers. We will see the results today.
I had to reflect, though, on whether this delegation could have more of an impact than past youth participants — some invited, some invaders — who have tried to jog the consciences of leaders making decisions, or choosing not to make decisions, that could powerfully shape the world that young people will inherit in a couple of decades. So I got in touch with Severn Culliss Suzuki, who gained brief fame at age 12 when she addressed delegates gathered in Rio de Janeiro for the Earth Summit that resulted in the first climate treaty, the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Watch the speech from 1992 below, then read Ms. Suzuki’s reflections on the value and limits of having youth weigh in on such deliberations.
The effort under way at the United Nations is intended to breathe life into that pact with a fresh addendum to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, with all of its limitations and flaws. Here are some thoughts from Ms. Suzuki, who, with the passage of 17 years, has moved from childhood to motherhood. She recently completed a master’s degree in ethno-ecology and lives on Haida Gwaii(the Queen Charlotte Islands) in British Columbia with her husband and their 2-month-old baby.
Q. Your speech was powerful and seemed powerfully received. What was your feeling right afterward and for the next few days or months?
A. After giving the speech I remember having this intense sense of completion. I knew we’d been able to achieve our dream and mission of speaking to the world leaders at the U.N. At that time there was no formal means for children to have a voice at the summit, so we’d slipped in between the cracks, worked hard and used any contacts we had to get five minutes at the plenary. I knew we’d shocked the plenary audience with what we had to say. After two weeks of being on the conference grounds, meeting street children, learning from people from all over the world about environmental issues, me and my friends felt angry, and justified in our anger at our world leaders. I remember feeling very calm, very confident. I hadn’t pulled any punches. I knew that we had achieved what we’d set out to do, and had played our part in the huge effort of our community of friends, family and activists to execute our plan.
Q. The framework convention on climate change was finalized there. Did that feel exciting, triumphant? As you’ve grown up and watched the world stick pretty much with business as usual, what’s been your feeling?
A. I remember at RioCentro there was definitely a buzz, and the sense that important things were happening. But I had the righteous sense that the adults were making all kinds of back door deals, and were making it far more complicated to justify inaction. That was the first summit that I’d attended. In the years after I attended several more international summits, and this sense has only increased. Of course, I’ve grown up since then, and I know that making change in the world isn’t as simple as just speaking to the world leaders. I don’t hold my breath waiting for them to save the world.
Q. Given that trajectory since 1992, do you have a sense whether prospects are better for these kids? [I sent her the photograph above.]
A. I feel very proud of the fact that now there is a formal means for youth to have a voice; I like to think that ECO made a contribution towards that by speaking at the Earth Summit in ‘92. Youth are now recognized as having a stake in the decisions. However, sometimes I worry that by incorporating them into the system, the youth voice might be lost in the complexities of the U.N. And they are treated as just another stakeholder — given only a few minutes to speak at the end of a conference — yet youth make up half of the world’s population! They are the ones with everything at stake. But then seeing the youth demonstrations at the COP gatherings, and hearing their powerful speeches, I am proud that they are there, to speak truth to power.
Q. Do you have any specific advice for them? Is there any strategy you think they might try that could make the generational message stick?
A. The shocking thing about the speech I gave at Rio is that the exact same speech could be given today. I think that the power of youth remains to cut through the complexities of the negotiations and remind the decision makers of really what it’s all about — the whole reason why the world must get together. Remind these politicians of their own children! Even today, though many would say that we have gone backwards since the Rio Earth Summit, I still have to believe that it is the love people have for their children that will steer the world in the right direction.
Q. And, generally, besides being a mother (congratulations!), what’s your focus these days?
A. Now that I’ve had a baby, my perspective has shifted from being on the side of the youth, demanding change for my future, to being a mother, thinking about the future for my son. Having a baby in the 21st century is heavy with meaning and responsibility. There is a lot to consider. Since I’ve moved to Haida Gwaii, one of the things I’ve been focusing on is language revitalization, learning the Haida Language, the language of my husband and son, which is in danger of extinction.
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