Day 3 of COP30–  Raising climate kids and crops

Authors: Anita Nana Okuribido (Nigeria) & Hannah Eves (Northern Ireland)

Anita and Hannah give an update on Day 4 of COP30

Anita: My takeaway from today is first and foremost about bridging the gap in green innovation  between climate change and children.The overview is that climate change remains one of the most urgent global challenges of our time, threatening the ecosystems and the lives of children and younger generations. I found out that when we are discussing climate change,we leave out the children; there is a gap. How do we bridge this gap? Children become the youth, youth become adults.  We adults keep coming to all of the COPs from COP1 to COP30 and we have hardly anything on the agenda for children. Even looking around we can’t see children and youth. Which organisation is going to bring children from 10-18 years? That is something we should be pushing for, but after 30 years children are still not included. Children are not just victims, they are powerful agents of change. They are very innovative. We need to nurture creativity and green innovation from a young age and bridge the intergenerational gap through mentors to create a sustainable future as well as future leaders and advocates!

Tearfund Latin American team (Miriam and Simone) with CCOP leader Laura and CCOP participant Hannah

Hannah: It has been powerful to hear the stories from the Latin American Tearfund team who are in Belém in the Blue Zone. They have brought together church leaders, activists and community leaders to push for climate action here in Brazil and in neighbouring countries. It has also been impactful to hear the stories from indigenous people who have shared about the risk to their livelihoods and culture as climate change continues. Jocabed Solano has spoken powerfully on panels in the Blue Zone about her experience as a Christian and member of the Guandule Nation in Panama. Her sister Miriam and two cousins shared with many during the boat parade yesterday about a Guna art and culture book project, a creative initiative to share about the impact of climate change on indigenous communities. 

An example of how panel discussions are often advertised in the Blue Zone and an example of the distinguished company who seek out Jocabed's insights.

The harvest from a Tearfund field trip. 

Also from Hannah: It was also impactful to hear about the impact of climate change on açai farmers in Belém and across Brazil. This is a popular food in Brazil and around the world, and it was important to hear that behind this popular dish is a struggling farming community because of climate change. The Tearfund team shared photos from a recent trip they went on to Visosa, an island north of Belem. They were  shown the açai farming process. I now think about these communities each time I enjoy açai whilst in the Blue Zone.

Prayer Requests

1. 1. Please pray for children: We need to look into the role of children in climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. We need to pray for children who are creative thinkers, who can turn problems into innovative solutions. Prayer that we use STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) to create a passionate interest in children. Prayer for all groups (NGOs, local authorities, community champions, schools, businesses etc.) to mobilize children and their peers and families. Let’s form children's parliaments, let’s integrate children into the policymaking for sustainable policies. Let us look for sponsorship to bring children to COP every year.
      
      
   2. Please pray for farmers: That the conversations on agriculture at COP30 honour those who farm our land, feed our people, and steward our planet after what has been disappointing initial texts when it comes to this industry. Prayer that the voices of small-scale farmers is listened to, and that support for them in climate adaptation is strong.