Sandy, Climate, and Youth: Announcing the Next Generation Climate Board

Trucks shoveling sand from main streets. Children wading through the sludge that used to be their living rooms. As I took in the reports from friends and news media on Hurricane Sandy, I began to realize that we have entered a new era. This is not Indonesia, or the island of Tuvalu. This is New York City.

What can we learn from this? What do we need to know about this new era? Listen closely, and you might hear Sandy speak. This is what I hear her saying:

Terry Odendahl is the Executive Director and CEO of Global Greengrants Fund.

1.   “Climate change affects everyone.”

Many of us have already personally experienced this. But seeing New York, the country’s largest city and financial center, going through such devastation, brings it home. Climate change affects us all.

2.   “It is time for action.”

For years, greenhouse gas-emitting industries have collaborated with the right wing to muddy the science of climate change. Even the term “climate debate” is a misnomer: 97 percent of scientific experts agree that climate change is man-made, says a report in USA Today. Let’s use climate disaster Sandy as a clarion call: The Earth is out of balance. We must act.

3.   “Act globally.”

When we destroy the Amazon, New Yorkers feel it. When we burn fossil fuels in the United States, rising sea levels threaten islanders’ lives. Climate is interconnected. If we truly want to turn global warming around, we do not have a choice. We must act globally.

What can I do? And what can Global Greengrants Fund do? I have been asking myself this question for years. We already make more than $1 million in climate-related grants every year. But what more can we do?

I believe women, indigenous communities, people from countries in the Global South, and young people hold a key to the solution. Each of these groups brings crucial perspectives to the table, from deep respect for the Earth to care for the next generation. And each of these groups is cut off from traditional channels to power.

So I am deeply excited to announce that Global Greengrants Fund has launched a new initiative, the Next Generation Climate Board. This board comprises three young women and two young men from five different countries. The group will be given a modest budget at first, $50,000, to make climate-related grants. With support from Global Greengrants Fund staff, the board will develop its own unique grantmaking strategy and will focus on putting grant dollars into the hands of youth-driven policy and grassroots climate-change campaigns. These young activists have already developed impressive expertise and done great work on climate issues. Learn about the Next Generation Climate Board.

Sandy calls on each and every one of us to reflect on what we can do to restore the Earth to balance. Let’s start talking about it—not only how our cities can protect us from future climate disasters—but also how we can turn global warming around. It’s going to take all of us working together to create a sustainable world.

Your turn: How do you think Sandy has changed the climate conversation? What can Global Greengrants Fund do? What can you do?