On the last evening of my day at COP26 in Glasgow I attended a Climate Vigil in St George's Tron Church in central Glasgow. After a few days of being in the Conference Centre and being one of the 100,000 people who marched for climate justice earlier that day it was a peaceful opportunity to reflect on what I have heard and observed during my time at COP26. Listening to renowned climate scientist, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, tell the room how “our future is in our hands” I was struck once again how we all must act in the interest of global solidarity if we are to address to the climate crisis and protect the most vulnerable communities and people.
Among the group of us who travelled to Glasgow were two young people from Galway Ireland, Jakub and Ellen, who participate in a project on youth involvement in climate action SAUTI- Youth. The project brings together young people from Tanzania and Ireland sharing lessons of how they hold local government to account for climate action. Unfortunately, our Tanzanian colleagues were unable to travel due to the logistical challenges brought about by COVID-19 and vaccine inequity. We did arrange to talk to them while we were at COP26 to ensure that we included their messages in our engagements in Glasgow. Their message, along with their Galway colleagues, was simple and straightforward – children and young people must be involved in decisions on climate action. This was a clear call from all the young people I met or heard speak at COP26 – this is not only the right thing to do but it is the smart thing to do. Young people have much more to offer to the discussions that they are given credit for and indeed it is their right to be involved in decisions that impact their lives. It is positive to see youth engagement recognised in the final COP Decision and in the Action for Climate Empowerment decision taken at COP26.