The Climate Generation: Our landmark series, one year later

One year after publishing our seven-part series, Monitor reporters Sara Miller Llana and Stephanie Hanes follow up with the activists and adapters, challengers and innovators, regenerators and conservationists of The Climate Generation. The following updates offer further insight into the triumphs and challenges of young people seeking local solutions to global climate change.

After each update, we offer a sampling of discussion questions designed to spur conversation among young readers. We hope you will share them with the young people in your life.

Ambitions soar in Namibia, even amid financial struggle

When we met Jakapita Kandanga in July 2023, she was an idealistic university student working with the Namibian chapter of the global climate activism movement Fridays for Future. 

A year later, having earned a university degree in communications, she is working in sales at a secondhand goods and furniture store in the capital, Windhoek. “I wish I could do my activism work and still survive,” she says over a WhatsApp video call. “But I need to choose between making a living and doing activism. For some reason it doesn’t go together here.”

Money, quite simply, is one of the biggest challenges that climate activists across the Global South face. It’s not just about finding a good job that pays a livable salary. 

This fall, Deon Shekuza, a Namibian climate activist we profiled, was busy with his nongovernmental organization focused on renewable energy, organizing a climate conference endorsed by the youth arm of the United Nations. But that work has been complicated by financial struggles, after he fell into debt and couldn’t execute or pay back a grant. “It’s been an unfortunate incident,” he says, adding that he is working to rectify the situation with the granter. “It’s so frustrating to be at the bottom.”

Aid for climate activists, says Ms. Kandanga, is fraught with challenges. It’s a constant struggle to gain the attention of international donors, access grants, and navigate complex rules that are often out of touch with realities on the ground. Sometimes, she says, it feels like international organizations select candidates to push an agenda but without the proper support in place to make sure a project is followed through. “It’s like they are taking a baby and expecting them to do their work.”

A lot of the time, activists are working for free. In summer 2023, we spent a Saturday with her as she gave a presentation about climate change to children in a dusty informal settlement outside Windhoek. Now she doesn’t have the time. “For the past year, it’s just hard. It’s just really hard,” she says.

Ms. Kandanga wants to apply for a postgraduate degree in environmentalism with an eye toward returning to the work she loves. She says she feels urgency to share with children across the Climate Generation what she thinks they most need to hear and understand about the crisis they are facing: “Being in denial is not a solution to a problem.” – Sara Miller Llana

Bring the story home

These questions are designed to spark discussion with children of different ages (the ones in bold for 12 and under, the ones in italics for 13-plus). Share with members of the Climate Generation in your life.

Q: Is there an eco-club in your school? What kind of activities does it carry out? 

Q: If you were going to support a cause, what would it be? Whom would you want to help you?

Q: Why do you think young people can be effective advocates and leaders? 

Bonus challenge

If there isn’t an eco-club in your school, why don’t you start one? Or you could start one in your neighborhood or among your friends. What would you prioritize as the top three concerns that your club should address?

When preparation meets reality in Bangladesh

When Cyclone Remal hit coastal Bangladesh at the end of May, it was one of the most devastating storms to affect the country in recent years. Some 8.4 million people, including 3.2 million children, sat in its path.

In the port city of Mongla, 15-year-old Mafiya Khatun took a lead in her community, ushering families to the local emergency shelter and teaching neighbors how to safely store food and medicine. Leading the cyclone preparedness response was part of a job she’s had since last March, as a climate awareness and adaptation trainer at CODEC, a community development organization in Bangladesh. 

When we met Mafiya in the fall of 2023, she was one of two dozen students in an after-school program run by CODEC, learning about climate change, child marriage, and children’s rights. Now she is teaching those sessions herself at the high school where she studies in Mongla. It’s a well-paid job for a girl her age – $4 daily plus meals when she participates in “training for trainers” sessions.

“I am really happy. I save the money,” she says. “I wish I could buy a sewing machine with it. I also bought some books with some of the money as well.” 

Mafiya was recently approached by a national nongovernmental organization called Shushilan to become a trainer. She and 25 other candidates competed for the job through a series of exams. But because of the political unrest in Bangladesh throughout July and August, that job was temporarily postponed.

Still, her ambitions have grown, thanks to her work learning about, and now teaching about, the climate around her. 

“Even a few years ago I thought I could not do anything, but now I know it is possible to do better,” she says. “In the beginning I used to sit in a corner, I was so shy; I thought nothing was possible by me. One trainer gave me courage and told me, ‘No one will judge you.’ Day by day my fears have faded away, and I am brave now to lead a team.” – Sara Miller Llana

Bring the story home

These questions are designed to spark discussion with children of different ages (the ones in bold for 12 and under, the ones in italics for 13-plus). Share with members of the Climate Generation in your life.

Q: Pull up a map and find Bangladesh on it. When you hear about Bangladesh sitting at the “world’s largest delta,” can you explain what that means?

Q: The lives of children in this story probably seem very different from yours. Can you imagine the ways that you and they might be similar? What makes you happy? What do you think makes them happy?

Q: Child marriage and climate change may seem like two completely different challenges in a person’s life. But what links them together? Can you imagine a teen girl’s experience somewhere in the world where climate change is disrupting life as usual, and think about the ways that she becomes more vulnerable to being married off?

Bonus challenge

The students in our Bangladesh story love to write pata songs, a traditional music verse. Write a poem about climate change and the effects that it has on your life and email it to
climatepoem@csmonitor.com by Jan. 31, 2025. We will select a winning poem to publish in a spring issue of the Monitor Weekly leading up to Earth Day.

In US, young plaintiffs find power in the courts

This past July, lawyers for Montana faced off again with those representing Grace Gibson-Snyder, Rikki Held, and the other young plaintiffs we featured last year – this time in front of the state’s Supreme Court. Once again, the two sides argued over whether Montana’s unique constitution, which guarantees the right to a healthful environment for current and future generations, means that the state violated the youths’ rights with a policy to ignore the climate impacts of energy decisions. 

Hundreds of onlookers gathered for the hearing, lining the sidewalk and staircase leading into the courthouse, many with handmade signs of support for the youth. They clapped as the group left after an hour of constitutional arguments and walked back into the mountain sunshine; that week, both the cities of Missoula and Billings set records for extreme heat. (That ruling is still pending, as of press time.)

A few weeks before that Montana Supreme Court hearing, the state of Hawaii had settled its own climate lawsuit with youth plaintiffs. In that case, young people argued that the state’s Department of Transportation had violated their right to a healthy and stable environment with policies that furthered fossil fuel infrastructure. Rather than fight the teens, the Hawaii government essentially agreed with them, acknowledging that it was its responsibility to help fight global warming and promising to eliminate emissions from its transportation sector by 2045.

“Climate change is indisputable. Burying our heads in the sand and making it the next generation’s problem is not pono,” said Ed Sniffen, Hawaii’s director of transportation, using the Hawaiian term for “righteous.”

Avi Lipman, the deputy director of Our Children’s Trust, the nonprofit law firm that represented both the Montana and Hawaii youth plaintiffs, called the settlement groundbreaking and praised Hawaii’s government.

“That was an unprecedented achievement for youth in climate litigation,” he said. “It’s certainly not a panacea. It’s not going to stop climate change in its tracks, but it is a very positive development for our clients and for youth everywhere.”

But it wasn’t all good news for young people hoping for legal changes. In June, an appeals court judge threw out a related, long-running federal case, agreeing with the U.S. Department of Justice that the right to a stable climate is not protected by the U.S. Constitution. Both Republican and Democratic administrations had opposed the young plaintiffs. – Stephanie Hanes

Bring the story home

These questions are designed to spark discussion with children of different ages (the ones in bold for 12 and under, the ones in italics for 13-plus). Share with members of the Climate Generation in your life.

Q: Lawsuits are one way for people to challenge laws that they think are unfair. Are there any rules in your life that you would argue against? How would you argue your case?

Q: What are legal rights? What rights do you think are most important?

Q: Some people have claimed that the youths arguing these cases are just “puppets” of the adults in their lives. What do you think about that criticism?

Bonus Challenge

Many of our young sources have found it empowering to reach out to legislators to share their concerns. Who is the state representative in your area who is most involved in climate change issues? Write them a letter or email and tell them what you’d like to see your politicians do to help the climate and the environment. 

Bankrolling climate solutions in Barbados

This summer, the government of Barbados moved one step closer to establishing a new “Blue Green Bank.” The financial institution  could provide the private capital needed by entrepreneurs like Joshua Forte and Legena Henry, whom we profiled last year.

With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, The Rockefeller Foundation, a global private investment manager, and a funding agreement with the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund, the Barbados Blue Green Bank would be the first in the Caribbean – and a model for what other developing countries could do to help spark climate innovation and resilience at home.

“This bank may have started in Barbados, but it shows the world what’s possible and sets a model for ways to reverse the climate crisis while advancing opportunity especially for vulnerable people,” Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, president of The Rockefeller Foundation, said in a statement.

The move came as Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley – named one of Time magazine’s most influential people of 2022 – increased her call for financial support for developing countries. She urged wealthy countries to consider debt relief to support small island nations’ investment in climate resilience.

Dr. Henry and her team of Climate Generation researchers, meanwhile, finished the prototype for their biofuel car. In September, they displayed it as part of a celebration they called Test Drive Zero, which also included an electric car that got its power from a sargassum-fueled generator. Mr. Forte, for his part, has begun testing his sargassum-based plant stimulant in African countries, looking at how it helps crops absorb soil nutrients and avoids the nitrogen runoff that can be problematic with synthetic fertilizers. This Caribbean product, he hopes, can help address soil health and food insecurity around the world – all in a
climate-friendly way. – Stephanie Hanes

Bring the story home

These questions are designed to spark discussion with children of different ages (the ones in bold for 12 and under, the ones in italics for 13-plus). Share with members of the Climate Generation in your life. 

Q: Think about your own life. How many hours do you spend in a car every week? What alternatives to driving might your family have?

Q: There are many natural products that can be turned into fuel. Sugar cane is one of them. Can you list a few others?

Q: Trying to start a company is no easy feat, but in some parts of the world it is harder than others. Why do you think that might be?

Bonus challenge

If you could create an invention to help the environment, what would it be? How would you make it? Who would use it? Email climatechallenge@csmonitor.com with your idea – we just might publish it in an upcoming issue.

In Portugal and beyond, small-scale farms draw big interest

Since the Monitor visited young farmers Rute Gabriel and Pipo Vieira in Portugal last year, there has been increasing global attention on the importance of regenerative agriculture and permaculture for both food security and climate resilience. Even food corporations are looking to add “regenerative” labels to their products. Industry research predicts that food with “regenerative organic certification” labels will increasingly gain market share.

At the same time, in the United States, growing networks of small farmers are working together to build what they see as a more resilient, locally based food system. Globally, permaculture is also gaining mainstream traction. The philosophy reaches beyond regenerative agriculture to focus more broadly on creating landscapes where humans can live in harmony with the environment. Universities across the U.S. are offering classes on permaculture design. In 2024, researchers published findings in the journal Nature that showed European permaculture projects cultivated soil that sequestered significantly more carbon than what is found on nearby traditional farms.

From their home with its lush gardens, set amid the stone-walled pastures of ancient Porto de Mós in central Portugal, Ms. Gabriel and Mr. Vieira this year have expanded their community of like-minded farmers. When the Monitor visited them last year, they were busy harvesting tomatoes and running online lessons about permaculture.

Since then, they have expanded both their food production and their platform, giving Portuguese speakers a place to attend permaculture lectures, connect with each other, and organize local meetups. More than 150 people from across the country have already signed up. 

“We really love the community that has grown since and all the things these amazing people have been able to do,” Ms. Gabriel wrote in a WhatsApp message. – Stephanie Hanes

Bring the story home

These questions are designed to spark discussion with children of different ages (the ones in bold for 12 and under, the ones in italics for 13-plus). Share with members of the Climate Generation in your life. 

Q: Does your family have a garden at home? What kinds of vegetables and fruits do you grow? What would you like to grow?

Q: Many farmers raise animals to produce milk, eggs, and meat. But some of these same creatures are now being kept as pets. If you could have any farm animal as a pet, what would it be and why?

Q: If we told you that you couldn’t have a car because of a warming planet, how would that affect your life? What are the kinds of choices you could make to live a “greener” life, and which changes would represent too much of a sacrifice?

Bonus challenge

Try growing some of your own food. You could sow seeds in an outdoor garden, start a windowsill herb garden, or simply sprout microgreen seeds in a glass jar. Does the food taste different? Text or email a friend or family member and tell them about it.

The rhythm and soundscape of Arctic life

For centuries, the Inuit have relied on an assurance of ice to support their hunting lifestyles. But a warming climate is forcing younger generations to adapt and take proactive measures to protect the environment amid seasonal pattern changes.

This August, Hunter Lyall, a youth “Guardian” we met in the northernmost town of mainland Canada, set off from the coast of Taloyoak to collect marine samples.

The Guardians, a group of local hunters with the Taloyoak Umaruliririgut Association, are attempting to create a protected area – to support the populations of polar bears and caribou, narwhals and beluga whales, that they depend on for food. The work entails scientific research to understand the environmental changes ahead.

When we met the Guardians in June 2023, they were monitoring the migration of caribou passing through the town to
their summer calving grounds. This past summer, they were trained to deploy hydrophones to record baseline underwater noise in key beluga whale and narwhal habitats, as shipping
activity is expected to increase in the coming years due to ice melt.

But they faced unusually rough currents, wind, and fog – and fast-moving icebergs that threatened their four boats. “It was like the icebergs had motors on them,” says Mr. Lyall by phone from Taloyoak. “It was really dangerous.”

They were able to install the hydrophones before cutting their trip short, says Emina Ida, associate specialist in Arctic-resilient habitats at World Wildlife Fund Canada. The devices will remain on the seafloor, recording the ocean soundscape, until the ice melts again next summer.

Mr. Lyall documents his Guardian expeditions on his Facebook page. One popular post featured a drone image of a polar bear taken during the hydrophone mission. The conservation work they do with the Guardians is always twinned with hunting. On this trip, they’d planned to harvest beluga for the community. It is the provision of meat, much of it going into the community freezer for the year, that is a priority for the Guardians. “But we were a couple weeks late for the whale run,” Mr. Lyall says. “So now we’re waiting for the caribou that are coming back down south for the winter.” – Sara Miller Llana

Bring the story home

These questions are designed to spark discussion with children of different ages (the ones in bold for 12 and under, the ones in italics for 13-plus). Share with members of the Climate Generation in your life. 

Q: This article mentions some animals that live in the Arctic. Can you name five other Arctic animals? Why do they need it to be cold to survive?

Q: Pull up a map and look at Nunavut. Taloyoak is considered the most northern town on the Canadian mainland. What does that mean? What’s the most northerly town that you see in all of Nunavut?

Q: How did some Inuit end up at such high latitudes? (Hint: It wasn’t by choice.) How might that history factor into Inuit lives today?

Bonus challenge

What is a species that is under threat in your area? Are there any organizations in your neighborhood that are trying to protect this species? How could you or your family and friends contribute to those efforts?

This story was produced as part of the Monitor’s Nov. 4 issue of the Monitor Weekly. Visit your local library or a Christian Science Reading Room to purchase a copy of this expanded issue dedicated to The Climate Generation. Subscribe today to receive future issues of the Monitor Weekly delivered to your home.