Matthaeus Menezes Assef
Job title:
Masters student
Area of work:
Youth participation. It is not justice without the youth voice. With that we can include also voices from indigenous communities, black communities, people from the Global South. Unfortunately, at COPs the Global North has more voice, more delegates, more support. This should change.
What are the big issues that COP29 needs to address? What are your hopes for the negotiations?
I could say many things. I will say just one: I hope they can negotiate even more on Loss and Damage. Rich countries should pay countries in the Global South to invest in infrastructure related to climate change and the environment, so that they can mitigate the climate crisis fairly. Colonialism caused countries to “develop” unequally, and capitalism is causing us to consume more and more and exploit these countries that were once colonies of exploiting countries.
What’s your message for world leaders at COP29?
If you don’t change, the climate will.