Last Friday, I attended Oceanic Global’s Ocean x Climate Summit which centered the potential of the ocean within the climate change narrative while focusing on multi-stakeholder action. It was an engaging event that included the voices of youth, communities, governments, and industry. I especially enjoyed the panel on localized action against a changing climate, which featured Mayor Mary-Jean Te (Mayor of Antique, Philippines), David Obura (Director of CORDIO, East Africa), Daniel Lin (Pasifika Storytelling Lead of Nia Tero) and Sefanaia Nawadra (Director General of SPREP). All the panelists shared the importance of engagement between multiple stakeholders at a localized level, in islands and cities, to establish long-term systemic changes within their communities. It was a refreshing discussion because amid businesses and governments making high-level commitments, we rarely hear the voices of the people who are on the ground carrying out the work towards environmental sustainability. The atmosphere in the room shifted to one of celebration as the speakers spoke up about amplifying local voices.
One person who I was especially inspired by was Mary-Jean Te. She is part of the Coastal 500, the largest global network of mayors and local government leaders, that was formed during the pandemic last year to work towards thriving and prosperous coastal communities. The purpose of the group is to amplify the voices of leaders who are representing millions of small-scale fishers across the developing countries. Mary-Jean shared how she and other leaders have been working on projects to address climate change even before the term was well-defined. Her work is important as she understands the needs and challenges of her communities; therefore, armed with her passion for the environment, she can inspire her own community to take action. Listening to her reminded me the importance of the role of a local leader in this fight against climate change.
At the summit, I had the opportunity to be a coordinator for a roundtable discussion on creating a common agenda for the ocean. The group I was with specifically focused on outreach and engagement and one of the first questions we discussed was understanding which stakeholder groups are left out of these important conversations and what we can do in our own capacities to bring them to the table. Many people mentioned that usually small-scale fishers, locals, and indigenous peoples are left out of the conversation. Someone brought up a really important point about how though a lot of people talk about amplifying voices of indigenous peoples and local communities, they are missing the steps of listening and taking action. Though they might be inviting marginalized groups to events to speak on panels, it’s not enough – we should be creating spaces that are equitable and allows them to participate with agency. Another important takeaway was the power of language. Since a lot of the conversations happening during these climate discussions are in English, important points that don’t translate well fall through the cracks. In addition, someone who has a lot of expertise may not be feeling comfortable enough speaking up since they are feeling conscious of their English not being perfect – again, excluding their important perspectives in these conversations.
These are some thoughts that I will keep in mind to ensure that I am listening with intention when I meet people at COP27 starting tomorrow.
