Climate Action

Earth Uprising demands climate action with youth-centered climate summit

Over the past few years, the climate action movement has seen a new set of young faces take the reins, from Swedish activist Greta Thunberg to Nisreen Elsaim from Sudan, who chairs the UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. To position the younger generation as a major player in climate action and demand world leaders undertake environmental reforms, the youth-led group Earth Uprising is hosting a Youth Speaks 2021 Global Climate Summit on Tuesday, April 20 from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm ET.

The summit will stream live on the Earth Uprising website as well as on EARTHDAY.ORG and across EARTHDAY.ORG social media channels. Earth Uprising encourages viewers to post their thoughts on social media using the hashtag #YouthSpeaks21.

We asked Earth Uprising International Communications Team Member and summit organizer Brooke Nelson Muzzatti what viewers can expect from the summit, what the youth role is in the climate action movement and how young people can make their voices heard. Muzzatti’s responses are recorded below.


EARTHDAY.ORG: What were your motivations for planning the youth summit?

Earth Uprising: Our motivation for planning this climate summit and our mission as Earth Uprising is to educate youth about the climate crisis because there really isn’t enough education right now. And in order to take action, people need to be educated first. Our speakers will be discussing the issues surrounding the climate crisis that matter the most to youth and that impact them the most. This is a global youth climate summit, and we will be preparing demands for President Biden and other world leaders for their summit on Earth Day. We need to hold them accountable and make sure that our voices are heard before their summit.

EDO: What do you hope summit attendees will take away from the event?

EU: This event will be very educational and very informative for the attendees. People often don’t associate systemic issues like racism or migration with the climate crisis, but in actuality, they are very, very linked. And since this is a youth-led summit, the viewers will be able to hear from and learn from incredible youth from all over the world, who will talk about a variety of different topics, from climate literacy to preparation for the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow later this year.

EDO: What does the environmental movement mean to you?

EU: This environmental movement means everything to me as a climate activist and a part of this movement. It’s not something necessarily I want to do, but something I feel I need to do for my future and for everyone’s future. That being said, the people in this movement are amazing, and I’ve been so lucky to meet some of my closest friends who are from all over the world through this work.