A Place at the Table

Today’s theme at COP28 was Energy and Industry, Just Transition, and Indigenous Peoples.

After reflecting on my experience here in Dubai the past few days I have come across many of these topics not just today, but everyday in COP. Firstly, I am so happy to see such a strong Indigenous presence at COP this year. I have attended many events and panels that make a space and deliberate acknowledgement for the unfair effects the climate crisis and the history of colonization and displacement has had on their people. I have also heard and felt the importance of our nature as a multigenerational story has affected Indigenous people and even still affects us now.

Women are often the heart and arrow to the orchestra of a family. For years, women have been expected to do the task of cooking, cleaning, working and providing for the family in a comforting and stabilizing manner. Across the world, women are often tasked or left with jobs that involve farming produce for the family and selling in markets to their local communities. These traditional jobs are easily learned and passed on in their families, especially for those that might not have access to other jobs due to job scarcity, lack of education or the responsibility of keeping the home. Heat stroke is a large contributor to deaths in southern countries. These deaths are unaccounted for due to the lack of data and research in these parts of the world.

I think we need to consider the root of these issues. Women aren’t able to get other sorts of jobs because they aren’t given the opportunity or funding in other aspects of the economy. This stems from colonization. People with power–often caucasian men from other countries have created and sustained an oppressive system in Indigenous areas restricting women from using their power to contribute to higher positions in their communities.

Women are quick to problem solve in times of extreme weather conditions. Women are faithful and spiritual in the safety of their families. Women are resilient to the positions they are put in. But, if women aren’t given the opportunity to use their profound skills in an effort to combat the climate crisis, they become victims. In fact, we are all victims. This world is our home and we must consider the historical context of the way things are.

I think the one theme that continues to inflict us as humans time and time again is the fear of change.

Moving from elementary to middle school and later to high school is hard and scary. Icarus was scared to transition from boy to man. Filled with shame, he flew to the sun and died. Racism ultimately stems from the “majority race” being scared of the minorities strong and empowering capabilities and in turn, pushing them to a corner so they cannot succeed. Putting your real personality out to others is nerve wracking due to fear of not being accepted, even though we know no one person is the same.

Though I think humans are victims to the same trope, I also think it’s quite beautiful. We continue to break boundaries that we didn’t know existed. I think this is what we need to do to combat the climate crisis. Not only for Indigenous women and children, but for our ancestors who brought our stories here. We need to give the underrepresented a place at the table to make decisions for our planet. Our health and well-being depends on it. Our kids’ kids depend on it. And we deserve it for ourselves.

I am deeply honored to be granted the opportunity to attend COP28 this year with Climate Generation. I have always been curious about learning how I can impact my own community, especially with knowledge that might not be readily accessible or available to others. When I started volunteering/working with Climate Gen, I realized that there were so many unjust environmental issues happening around my community. The correlation between health disparities in areas that experience environmental injustice was strong. Though I am a nursing major, I am also on the pre-medicine track and hope to use my uniquely acquired skills from both my career path and this international event to help the people within my own community become healthy and environmentally conscious individuals.

Yvonne is a Climate Generation Window Into COP delegate for COP28. To learn more, we encourage you to meet the full delegation and subscribe to the Window Into COP digest.

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