Episode 137 COP26 SPECIAL: Interview with youth activists Sohanur Rahman, Lucy Jordan and John Paul Jose about COP26 –expectations and reality

The Sustainability Agenda

A fascinating discussion with 3 passionate youth activists from the UK, India and Bangladesh, on 7th November 2021, about their expectations for COP26, their experience on the ground, and their concerns about the environmental challenges we are facing. Although COP26 is not yet over, and we don’t know the final outcome, these activists express profound disappointment with what they see as a “business as usual” approach-- and call out governments around the world for avoiding taking vital climate action –and the pervasive corporate greenwash. They identify the kinds of changes they would like to see to deal with global warming, and related environmental challenges, highlighting the failure to provide capital transition capital to countries in the global south—and calling for more inclusion for youth and indigenous voices in the COPs themselves. They also discuss the ongoing emotional stress dealing with climate and feelings as young activists-the sense of exhaustion and burnout.

Sohanur Rahman is a Journalist & Social Worker from Barisal in Bangladesh. He is founder of Founder of the YouthNet for Climate Justice (YN4CJ) – a voluntary youth organization network for raising awareness and taking actions to tackle the adverse effects of Climate Change. Lucy Jordan is an English climate activist, member of UK Youth Climate Coalition‏ whose mission is to mobilise and empower young people to take positive action for global climate justice—she organises its COP Working Group. John Paul Jose is a young environmental and climate activist from the coastal state of Kerala in India. He is one of the youth leaders of #FridaysForFuture in India and collaborates with many other environmental groups including UN Major Group for Children and Youth (UNMGCY), the United Nations Convention on Combatting Desertification (UNCCD).