T -73 days: inclusivity, diversity and what lies ahead.

Author: Pamela EA

Welcome to On the Road to COP, where we look at the road to COP27 against a backdrop of rising urgency and optimism. In conversation with those on the frontline of the climate justice movement, we will be exploring the roadblocks to advancing climate justice, what is at stake, who is stepping up, and how everyone can join our journey towards a better future.

Here in our second instalment, we speak with Melissa Cáceres about inclusivity and diversity within climate discussion, and what she sees on the road ahead as we look towards COP27.

Melissa Alejandra Cáceres Rodas, 19, is a climate activist from Honduras currently studying accounting and finance. In 2020, she was named Climate Reality Leader by the Climate Reality Project. She is a capacity building and development coordinator at Sustenta Honduras; gender and education coordinator at Latinas for Climate; and, a spokesperson for Fridays For Future Honduras. In 2021, the young activist was the community coordinator for the first Local Conference of Youth for Climate Change (LCOY) and the Regional Conference of Youth for Climate Change (RCOY) in Honduras. She is now the National Coordinator of LCOY Honduras 2022.

Hi Melissa! Firstly, how are you? What have you been working on lately?

Melissa: This last year has been a year of hard work and personal growth. Last year I was the community coordinator at the First Local Conference of Youth on Climate Change (LCOY) and this year I am the National Coordinator!

I was also chosen as a delegate for Honduras in the Regional Youth Conference (RCOY) which will be held this September in Costa Rica. Along with other young people belonging to the Organization Sustenta Honduras, I have been working all year with the National Congress of Honduras to reform the environmental education law where we hope to include climate education as part of the national educational curriculum and continue educating youth on these issues.

I also participated in a Global Citizen project entitled "In my Words" and I am in my first year of college (scary).

“I hope we can finally move beyond the stage of speculation and empty promises and move on to concrete actions.”

Melissa Cáceres

With the work that you have recently been doing in connection to climate negotiations, what is your outlook on the upcomingCOP27?

Melissa: It is incredible how in the past six months so many things have happened regarding the climate crisis and the environmental situation in the world.

But to this we have to add many issues that were left to be discussed at COP26 and that we did not have the time nor space to touch them. COP27 will be (or should be) a very busy space, where I hope we can finally move beyond the stage of speculation and empty promises and move on to concrete actions.

Primarily, I hope it will be an inclusive space where the perspective of youth, women, and vulnerable communities most affected by climate change will be included in every decision. We must remember that the decisions made at COP27 affect lives beyond those present in Egypt at the time.

What do you see as the roadblocks to advancing climate justice? How do you think this can be fixed?

Melissa: First of all, the lack of access makes it very difficult for people from the Global South (specifically young Latinas like me) to participate in conferences and/or high-impact spaces such as COP27, due to accreditations, visas, funds, etc.

This makes it difficult for many activists to actively participate in the spaces where decision-makers meet. It is very important to remember that the climate crisis is also a gender and human rights crisis and that the climate struggle must be intersectional. Especially when spaces are not inclusive, and when people who are living the effects of the climate crisis on the frontline are not given a space at the table, we are silencing hundreds of voices.

It is important to make these spaces more accessible and try to include as many youth, women, and activists as possible, and to listen to their experiences, perspectives, and their work to achieve climate justice.

What do you think should be done to ensure negotiations are successful?

Melissa: Mainly, as I mentioned before, including public participation is vital. But it will be difficult since accessibility to COP27 this year is limited due to the location.

However, I think it is very necessary for the negotiations to have an impact, the Parties, i.e. the decision makers, take into consideration what their communities really need, what the planet really needs and what scientists are saying. There is no need for more negotiations for economic purposes that put our future at risk.

The world is evolving day by day and it is possible to set goals and formulate concrete actions (no more empty promises) that are sustainable in all countries. All that is needed is a greater commitment from the parties.

“The world is evolving day by day and it is possible to set goals and formulate concrete actions -No more empty promises. All that is needed is a greater commitment from the parties.”

Melissa Cáceres

What are potential or existing obstructions to the advancement of climate action in your country? How can COP27 serve as a space to ensure your country meets its goals?

Melissa: I believe that the lack of spaces for public participation - for example, this year the country will not be granting accreditation to COP27 to activists or members of the public- is a great setback.

This is a great setback for climate action and decision-making since it is necessary to have public participation in these spaces and the delegations of all countries should be made up of representatives of state and society alike.

I hope that the representatives that can attend COP27 will be an active part of the decision-making process and that they will be able to reach agreements that guarantee climate action in Honduras.

Finally, What brings you optimism on the road to COP27?

Melissa: We are at a critical point – this COP27 will be one of the most important in history and it will depend on the Parties whether we will remember it as a positive turning point, or the starting point of irreparable climate crises.

I hope that the negotiation spaces will be open and safe spaces where dialogue can flow and the need for intersectionality in climate processes is taken into consideration.

To continue learning about the road to COP27, read our interview with our interview with .Elijah McKenzie-Jackson & Jerome Foster II.Visit movement building to learn about what other changemakers are doing.

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