Youth Speak Out on Climate Change

Young people will be dealing with the threats and opportunities of climate change whether they want to or not.  Listen to how one young man has chosen to speak out about climate change.

Meet Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, a 15-year-old who believes that climate change is the defining issue of his generation.  In an article called, Meet the Teenage Indigenous Hip-Hop Artist Taking on Climate Change, Rolling Stone describes him as “a 15-year-old trilingual Indigenous hip-hop artist from Boulder who sits on Obama's youth council and who's already organized youth crews on six continents.”  Others have described Xiutezcatl as the ‘Kid Warrior’ mobilizing a youth army to fight for the environment.

In a 9-minute video before the U.N.'s high-level event on climate change representing his generation, Xiuhtezcatl said that “[y]outh are standing up all over the planet to find solutions.” 

In his speech, Xiutezcatl lets world leaders know that young people care about climate change and are taking action to help find solutions for climate change:  

“Everywhere young people are rising up and taking action to solve the issues that will be left to our generation … Over 400,000 people marched in through the streets of New York City in the world’s greatest climate march. More than 220 institutions have divested from fossil fuels with the help of student-led movements and the number continues to grow. Youth are suing their state and federal governments across the United States, demanding action on climate change from our elected officials. We are flooding the streets and now we are flooding the courts to get the world to see there is a movement on the rise and we are at the forefront, fighting for the solutions we need.”

Upworthy said that Xiuhtezcatl’s U.N. speech dared world leaders to do something about climate change. "We need you to take action. We are all indigenous to this earth," said Xiuhtezcatl.

We would love to learn about other college students and young people who are taking action on climate change.  Let us know.