Youth for Climate Action

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]I believe that climate leadership is measured by the impact we leave in our communities.

[00:00:05]Hello, this is Michelle Lima and I've been working to transform environmental challenges into opportunities [music] for education, participation, and local action.

[00:00:17]>> [laughter] >> My understanding of climate leadership began by seeing how climate challenges affected communities around me.

[00:00:25]Growing up near rural territories, I saw droughts and flooding damage homes and access to essential services.

[00:00:33]And I began [music] asking myself, "Why are the communities most affected often the ones least represented in decisions about their future?"

[00:00:43]That question shaped my path.

[00:00:47]Seeing those realities pushed me to act.

[00:00:49]I became involved in environmental education, ecosystem restoration, water [music] protection, and youth participation, developing initiatives that have impacted in more than 1,000 people, especially women, youth, indigenous communities, and persons with disabilities.

[00:01:07]That commitment also led me to create the first green employment [music] school, promoting environmental education and sustainable opportunities for communities [music] that have limited access to these spaces.

[00:01:20]Because I believe climate action should not only respond to crisis, it should also create opportunities.

[00:01:28]One of the most [music] significant experiences in my journey came after severe flooding affected communities and neighborhoods. In response, I led the ecological corridor project, focusing on restoring ecosystems, [music] protecting water resources, and reducing vulnerability to future environmental [music] risks.

[00:01:48]Through these experiences, I learned something important. Creating projects is not enough if communities [music] lack long-term protection and representation in decisions shaping their future.

[00:02:01]That understanding [music] pushed me beyond local initiatives and toward governance, contributing to actions such [music] as supporting the approval of a municipal water protection law.

[00:02:11]However, that told me something. That local action alone cannot close the distance between vulnerable territories and international [music] climate decisions.

[00:02:20]That is why I am applying to this program.

[00:02:23]Because I want to strengthen my capacities in climate diplomacy, governance, [music] and negotiations, and to return with a stronger tools to transform knowledge into action, and to help build a future [music] where communities most affected by these challenges are no longer excluded from decisions [music] shaping our future.

[00:02:43]Because for me, climate leadership is about creating pathways so others can participate, lead, and defend [music] their territories, too.

[00:02:50]Thank you for the opportunity.