In 2015, 15-year old Edgar Tarimo saw severe rains and flooding destroying hundreds of mud houses in his hometown in Tanzania. At the same time, flood waters lifted tons of plastic bags and empty bottles that spread out across the streets. This sight sparked an idea: turning plastic waste into tiles and bricks to reconstruct the city. This gave rise to Green Venture Tanzania, a recycling company that employs hundreds of people to collect plastic waste and transform it into building materials and furniture for schools and public spaces.
Young people are not just unfairly affected by a climate crisis they did not create, they are also at the heart of calling for and creating climate action just like Edgar Tarimo.
The Youth and Future Generations Day at the recent COP27 conference saw the presentation of the Global Youth Statement, a comprehensive text synthesising the key demands of youth across 15 themes including climate finance, energy, food, health, loss and damage, nature and biodiversity and oceans. The authors of this statement aim to amplify the voices of young people globally who are collaborating to create change on climate.
