AT the age of 16, Joycelyn Longdon went on her first climate change march in London but felt estranged from the people around her and their opinions.
“No one was talking about the intersections of race and climate change so I decided to focus more on racial justice work,” said Longdon, who is now 23.
A few years later, deeper research into the links between racism, colonialism, oppression and the effects of global warming brought her back to climate activism.
Last April she founded the Climate in Colour platform aimed at making climate conversations more accessible and diverse and she is coming to Glasgow for COP26 as one of the speakers at a youth focused conference hosted at The Ferry.
Other speakers at the 11-day event, which will be streamed around the globe, include adventurer Bear Grylls, endurance swimmer Lewis Phugh, former NASA astronaut Ron Garan and Robert Charles Swan, the first person to walk to both Poles.
The floating conference and entertainment hub has been created by Extreme International in partnership with One Young World as a space to give the younger generation a platform for their voices to be heard.
Environmental activist and free diver Amber Nuttall, of Extreme, said the idea of creating the hub was “fuelled by the realisation that the voices of young people are so often ignored, dismissed or patronised”.
“As they are going to inherit this planet and will be impacted most by the climate crisis, it is vital that their concerns be heard loud and clear at COP26 – their active participation is crucial,” she said.
“The fight they have had on their hands, particularly from those from the global south, to get the right Covid passes and money for airline tickets has been so impressive we thought the least we could do was create a space for them to connect so they can take the fight to the top to show these world leaders how much they care. ”
NUTTALL said she hoped many young people from Scotland would go along to the hub or watch online.
Longdon said she would be advocating for more diversity at decision making tables.
“It is not just about UK black voices but also about how we talk about developing countries,” she said. “I know a lot of the rhetoric at COP is going to be talking about them as if they are charity cases but these are the countries that have contributed the least to the problem and are at the forefront of the effects.
“They are not just victims. That rhetoric is completely flawed as they are leaders in their own right, they have got lived experience of climate change, which is important, and it is not for countries like the UK to say they are leading this issue because they caused the problem and continue to do so.
“We should not to talk in terms of charity cases but in terms of the debt owed to the world by the richer countries to allow for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.”
LONGDON said she was more hopeful about what the protests might achieve and the changes that could be put in process in spaces like the Extreme Hangout than the official COP conference.
“I am really excited about the movement, getting more people involved and more people energised to make a change because that change could be lasting and they can take that back to their local communities and their workplaces,” said Longdon who is studying for a PhD from Cambridge University on the application of Artificial Intelligence to climate change.
“I would urge people to really invest in climate education and become aware how their decisions intersect with the oppression of others and to give space to marginalised communities and to learning more from them, rather than just relying on mainstream outlets to get their information on climate.”
Tickets to all daytime panels at The Extreme Hangout are free.
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