Effects of climate change on children and adolescents

Panel discussion on the effects of climate change on children and adolescents is held at the UNAMAZ Pavilion during COP 30.

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Jhanela Rodriguez Tuanama, 15 years old, belonging to the Ishichiwi Pueblo Quechua indigenous people of Peru, reported during COP 30 that, among the various challenges faced by her community, deforestation is one of the most present and that “the plants do not grow because of the deteriorated soil”. For Jhanela, “children and young people need to be heard in this discussion about climate change”. The testimony was given in the panel “Climate Justice and the Impact of Climate Change on Childhood”, held this Saturday (15), in the Pavilion of the Association of Amazonian Universities (UNAMAZ), during the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 30), in Belém (PA).
Another striking testimony during the panel was that of Alejandra Yuave, an indigenous woman from the Jivi people of Venezuela. “We need to continue working in defense of nature. We must make use of our ancestral knowledge, that is, live as we are, in nature. We must always respect our Mother Earth,” she emphasized.

According to Professor Dr. Nazaré Imbiriba, coordinator of the project “The Children of the Amazon,” developed by UNAMAZ, UNICEF, and the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), the panel was significant because it brought together people of different age groups—adolescents, young people, and adults—and from diverse backgrounds, including traditional peoples, such as indigenous people, as well as academics. “We discussed the impact of everything that happens on a more vulnerable population, which are the children of the Amazon, marginalized peoples,” stated the educator, alongside Professor Dr. Mariano de Castro, a member of the UNAMAZ Advisory Council.
The meeting, as Nazaré Imbiriba emphasized, contributes to strengthening the joint work between institutions of diverse origins, but with the same purpose. "It is necessary to continue working in defense of Amazonian citizenship," stressed the professor and executive secretary of UNAMAZ.
This view is shared by Leobadis Gonzalez Morais, of the Wayuu indigenous people. “We need to share knowledge and practices between people and countries, and especially with children aged 8 to 11, for example, to strengthen the mobilization for the preservation of environmental assets and the culture of native peoples,” he emphasized.
According to Moa Cortobus, Technical Advisor for Climate Resilience and Anticipatory Action at the Save the Children Foundation, "children and young people experience the effects of climate change, but they also have much to contribute with proposals and actions for the preservation of the world's biomes."
The panel's work was overseen by Professor José Seixas Lourenço, Pro Tempore President of UNAMAZ.

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