Your grocery bills keep climbing, your favorite park isn’t what it used to be and small talk about the weather keeps turning into anxious conversation about the state of the planet.
In short, you’re feeling the effects of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and land degradation.
But the high-level conferences designed to tackle these crises – like the upcoming COP30 climate conference in Brazil – can feel like they’re on another planet, far from the everyday lives of the people whose future is affected by the outcomes.
In episode 6 of TalkLandscape, we explore how international talks connect to action on the ground, unpack the key topics to watch for at COP30 and learn how the climate crisis, biodiversity and land degradation are connected through the three Rio Conventions.
We discuss the climate victories you might not have heard about, the gaps where progress still feels frustratingly slow and the opportunities for real action to happen on the ground.
Listen back to our live conversation with Benjamín Carvajal, founder and president of Uno Punto Cinco, Brian Kithinji, executive director of the Policy Action Initiative, and sustainability advocate Alokita Jha below.
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What other tangible solutions should we discuss on TalkLandscape? Send us your thoughts on social media by using #TalkLandscape, or send us a DM on Instagram. We’re reading and taking note of your questions and comments!
Meet our speakers:
Benjamín Carvajal is a mechanical civil engineer with a master’s in management for sustainable impact. He is passionate about climate action and creating a just energy transition. He has served as a One Young World Ambassador, a Youth4Climate delegate and a Goalkeeper Ambassador for the Bill Gates Foundation. Carvajal has participated at several UN climate conferences, from COP25 through COP29. His professional experience includes work with GIZ, IEA, the Ministry of Energy and CR2, and he currently leads the non-profit Uno Punto Cinco. He was also part of the founding team of the Latin American Climate Action Coalition (CLAAC), which unites youth organizations working on climate action across the region.
Brian Kithinji is the executive director of the Policy Action Initiative. He has expertise in policy development, community engagement and project management. Kithinji leads research projects in food security, migration, climate adaptation and democratic governance, driving evidence-based decision making in Africa. Previously, he worked as a correspondent for CNBC Africa, where he reported entrepreneurial stories and completed the prestigious Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellowship in the United States. Kithinji is a Rotary Peace Fellow at Makerere University and a youth advisor to the EU delegation in Kenya.
Alokita Jha is a sustainability advocate with grassroots experience in environmental policy, sustainable agriculture and community resilience. As a Youth Empowerment in Climate Action fellow and former contact point for the loss and damage working group for YOUNGO, she trained youth across the Asia-Pacific region and contributed to United Nations climate change conferences and the loss and damage agenda, focusing on climate justice, resilience and sustainable development.
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