Takeaways from the First-Ever Youth Biodiversity Conference

When I was a graduate student at Stanford University, I remember sitting in class one day learning about the complexity of wildfires amidst climate change. Wildfires were ravaging Northern California at the time, and as we sat in class writing, I could see the smoke outside the classroom window.

Never once did my instructor credit Indigenous Peoples for preventing wildfires. Never once did they mention that the forced removal of Indigenous Peoples from their lands helped cause the current wildfire problem and that U.S anti-Indigenous policy propelled climate change.  I raised my hand and mentioned this to my classmates and instructors. I was met with blank stares. Although this was a typical interaction for me, I didn’t let it stop me from sharing this crucial perspective. In fact, I thought if I can’t convince people at this level - at a major university - I have to go higher. 

This past spring,  I was asked to speak to a youth conference in D.C. After I finished speaking, a young person asked me, “What do you do when local governments and institutions don’t listen to you?” I answered that the only way to go forward is to go higher. Aim higher. 

In order for us to have an impact on the direction of climate change and climate policy, Indigenous voices must be included at the global level and vastly involved in the decision making processes worldwide. With my education in environmental engineering and upbringing as a Lakota, I’m able to make a difference in the rooms where decisions are made.

Youth Participants at the Youth Biodiversity Conference (courtesy Anpo Jensen)

I recently returned from the Youth Biodiversity Conference in Japan, which was led by Japan’s Government Ministry of the Environment and the Global Biodiversity Youth Network. While there, I had the amazing opportunity to connect with 100 youth from around the world. Many of them are climate activists who are targeted by their own governments for their work challenging official policies and speaking out for Mother Earth. 

Throughout the conference, I was struck by the fact that we all agreed climate change is a systemic issue. There was no disagreement about that. Because we all agreed it’s a systemic challenge, we were able to dive right into possible systemic solutions. That in itself was empowering. I had hope knowing that I found other global youth who understood. 

In one case study, facilitators walked us through an exercise to help us learn what it’s like to be a policymaker. We broke down the various decisions made by various stakeholders that constitute the system. By learning how the pieces fit together, we could better understand why we are where we are.  

The conference was also noteworthy because I wasn’t the only Indigenous attendee. I was however the only delegate from the United States. It was an international conference where underrepresented voices were prioritized. 

This is one of the reasons it’s so important for Honor the Earth to engage in advocacy at a global level. It’s important for Indigenous Peoples to be in the rooms when policymakers are drafting international frameworks. We gain insight on what the next decisions are and how they will directly impact our lives. We also gain insight on what the rest of the world is doing to help in the climate crisis.

When I attend global conferences, I pick up skills and tools that I can sew into the fabric of my grassroots and science-based projects at home. 

I was recently nominated to attend the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Korea, where different nations will develop an international legally binding resolution to fight plastic pollution. There I will witness the intricacies of the drafting of an international legally binding treaty, which isn’t new to the history of Lakota People.