(HARLEM, N.Y.) — NEWS: Amid growing global calls for climate reparations and justice, over 350 global leaders, activists, and students convened in historic Harlem for the HBCU Green Fund’s fourth annual Climate Justice Summit: People Deliver. This event kicked off Climate Week NYC with two days of impactful discussions addressing urgent climate challenges facing marginalized communities while advancing solutions rooted in racial and economic justice.
“This year’s agenda features powerful voices from Black, Latinx, Asian American, and Indigenous communities, both in the U.S. and globally,” said Felicia Davis, founder of HBCU Green Fund. “Together, we are exploring new frontiers in climate solutions, from virtual reality to the regeneration of deserts using nature-based approaches, we are highlighting priorities for a just transition, including discussions surrounding UN COP 29 and the issue of loss and damage.”
Co-hosted by the Donors of Color Network, Columbia World Projects, ACE Observatory, Open Government Partnership, and Columbia University Climate School, Climate Justice Summit: People Deliver featured a diverse range of thought-provoking panels and discussions.
The Justice in Action Keynote Plenary, moderated by Sheila Foster of Columbia University Climate School, focused on the gaps, priorities, and opportunities for a just climate transition. This session included insights from Janene Yazzie of the NDC Collective and Malcolm Delsa from the Vanuatu Government.
Investing in Regenerative Justice and Afro-descendant Communities featured Dr. Mildred McClain, Harambee House/Citizens for Environmental Justice; Dr. Ousmane Pame, REDES Ecovillages in Senegal; and young Ugandan climate advocate Sarah Kweirt. Moderated by Davis, this session discussed the role of nature-based solutions and community-led initiatives in advancing environmental and social equity.
In a captivating speech Dr. McClain declared, “We are all part of nature and therefore part of the solution. We have to harambee this thing. We have to pull together our small, medium, and big resources to create a powerful coalition that can meet the polluters where they are and whoop their butt.”
The Donors of Color fireside chat led by Abdul Dosunmu, featured Cristina Fernandez of the David Rockefeller Fund and Isabel Leighton from Donors of Color, who stressed the critical role of philanthropy taking bold steps to support climate justice initiatives, “It’s about training ourselves to take on some risks and to push ourselves to be part of the coalition of the willing who will lead, inspire, and influence this huge wealth of resources.”
Another fireside chat: People Track Funders, brought together Melanie Allen from the Hive Fund and Ansje Miller from the Health and Environmental Funders Network. Both touched on the need for funders to be intentional about directing grants toward BIPOC-led initiatives and grassroots movements.
Mathy Stanislaus of Drexel University made a powerful point about the need for academia to relinquish control during Walking the Talk: How Academia Shows Up for Climate Justice. “You’ve got to give power to those who have suffered for decades. Faculty must be respectful of the community voice and their issues. We must be respectful and humble enough to learn from communities.” Ana Batista of The New School, Hugo Sarmiento of Columbia World Projects and Foster joined this panel.
A global panel, Building Resilience through Climate Governance and Participation, moderated by Brazilian journalist and climate justice advocate, Andréia Coutinho Louback, featured insights from global leaders such as Francesca Marzatico from the University of Otago, Massiel Cairo from the Dominican Republic, and Tim Hughes from the Open Government Partnership.
Accountability and Justice: Confronting Climate Conflicts, Colonialism, and Holding Polluters Responsible stressed the need for reparative justice and collective action. Moderated by Andreia Coutinho, speakers were Marinel Ubaldo from Oxfam, Asmaa Abumezeid from Columbia University, Francisco Vera of Guardianes por la Vida, and Juan Rosario from Ameneser.
A key highlight was founder of Studioteka, Vanessa Keith’s presentation on her virtual reality game Floating Futures, based on her book “2100: A Dystopian Utopia: The City After Climate Change.” The game demonstrates an innovative way to engage with the realities of climate change through immersive technology.
Organizer of the summit, Dr. Isatis Cintron-Rodriguez, Columbia University and ACE Observatory, moderated the final panel, Reparative Pathways: A Keynote Panel on Climate Justice. Speakers included Casey Camp-Horinek from the Ponca Nation and Vishal Prasad of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change.
About HBCU Green Fund:
Based in Atlanta, GA, with offices in Washington, DC and Dakar, Senegal, the HBCU Green Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working with historically black colleges and universities and in their surrounding communities, to advance environmental justice. The organization promotes student engagement in initiatives to address climate change and trains the next generation of global green leaders in the US and Africa.
For more information visit https://hbcugreenfund.org/.
MULTIMEDIA:
VIDEO (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ITaGfG0wI&feature=youtu.be
Related link: https://hbcugreenfund.org/
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