There is a certain delay in nature — so says a metaphor that refers to the natural time of environments in responding to human actions. It attempts to explain that often, positive or negative environmental impacts are not necessarily immediately visible. The climate crisis we are experiencing today is a consequence of past choices. (Scientists call this “climate lag,” the time between when greenhouse gas emissions are released and when climate change effects occur — up to 20 or 30 years.) The same will apply to the future: The world of the coming years is being built now. And representatives of the generation that will live with the effects of today’s choices — young people — are participating in this construction. Youth from around the world involved in environmental and climate causes gathered in November in Belém, a city in the Brazilian Amazon, to participate in COP30, the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Each was in Brazil to observe and contribute to the negotiations and decisions that will directly affect their future. These young people hailed from countries in the Global South and North. They were of different ages and with diverse experiences, but they shared a common desire: to ensure that the world will be a livable and sustainable place in the coming years. Unlike today. “Today we have our city called Port-Gentil, our economic capital, which is threatened with disappearing within 50 years according to some experts because it is being…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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