Centering Youth in Climate Action: Lessons from COY19

by Anushka Kalyan
High School Senior, ECOS Executive Committee Member, and 2024 Environmentalist of the Year Awardee

“What is an Azerbaijan?” my economics teacher asked me when I asked him to sign the independent study contract before my weeklong trip. I laughed, but quickly realized that this relatively small country in the Caucasus region of Central Asia isn’t as top-of-mind as I assumed. After explaining that I would be travelling to Baku, Azerbaijan for the UN Youth Climate Conference (COY19), my teacher became as excited as I was.

The United Nations COP, or “Conference of Parties” climate discussions and process are massive, but COY, the pre-COP youth conference, is equally as important. COY was started in 2005 in Montreal, Canada,
by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to ensure that youth are empowered as key stakeholders in the climate discussion.

At COY19 from November 7-9, 2024, I was immersed in the global youth climate movement and shocked by the sheer number of countries represented. Each person that I met had a background in community organizing, policymaking, and loved natural resources and the environment. I was particularly touched by a representative of Zimbabwe who fights for youth representation in government, a graduate student from the Philippines who had represented her country at a Southeast Asian energy conference recently, and a 9th grader from South India who had been organizing her farming community for years. The best lessons from COY 19 were from listening to the dedicated youth leaders I met there.

I had the opportunity to co-present an hour-long workshop on scaling grassroots movements to influence climate policy, collaborating with one of the 10 U.S.-based organizations that helped organize it. Leading up to the conference, my team met frequently to ensure our presentation was well-researched, thorough, and engaging. As a delegate, I also attended other workshops, further enriching my experience.

When I landed in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, with my mother, it felt like a beautiful blend of Eastern and Western architecture, styles, and culture. While the political culture there is certainly controversial due to the suppression of free speech of its citizens, I still took note of how close-knit friends and family were, as well as how modern and historic architecture blended as one.

While the delegates were deeply motivated, I had hoped to find that COY19 itself was institutionally more committed to action-based solutions; and that conference organizers were committed to creating a network of climate activists that would, after the conference, provide updates and support through online forums or Zoom calls. With others, I pitched this idea to the conference organizers, and hope to help make it happen at next year’s COY through the UNFCCC’s Youth Constituency, YOUNGO.

COY19 emphasized the importance of centering youth in climate discussions. While there’s much to learn from experienced climate leaders, like many at ECOS, youth have the power to shape confident climate policy through global collaboration. Although my economics teacher once jokingly asked, “What is an Azerbaijan?” I am grateful for this experience. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned back home and nurturing the contacts I’ve made with people from around the world.

ECOS Board Meeting, 1/29/2025

Please join us this Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 6pm for our board meeting, featuring a welcome by the new ECOS Board of Directors President, Heather Fargo; and a showing of a video featuring a talk by Katharine Hayhoe, with discussion to follow. All are welcome to attend!

Click here for the agenda.

Upper Westside Project, January 2025, N Magazine

By Dennis Spear | N Magazine | January 2025

It is incumbent upon residents to challenge projects like this that seem to plow through previous well thought out plans and agreements for the future. If there is no accountability and respect for previous plans, then why did we have the plans at all?

Read the article below to learn more about the efforts ECOS has been making to preserve open space in Natomas.

Global Rhythms 1/18-1/19/2025

Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 2:00pm and 5:00pm
Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 2:00pm

At The Guild Theater in Sacramento

Purchase tickets for a night filled with vibrant performances from around the globe. Experience the rich cultural diversity through mesmerizing dances and music that will transport you to different parts of the world.

Get ready to be immersed in the rhythms and melodies that unite us all. This event is a celebration of unity and diversity, showcasing the beauty of different traditions coming together on one stage.

Don’t miss out on this unforgettable evening of GLOBAL RHYTHMS DANCE AND MUSIC OF OUR WORLD!

Register for Crane Tour here: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/ypce/community-centers/oak-park-center

How to Make Public Comments (Online workshop) 1/21/2025

Training: January 21, 2025

From ECOS member organization, 350 Sacramento:

Sacramento County is considering approving developments outside the urban growth boundaries. We are organizing people to publicly comment against the approval of these developments because they will encourage more driving and eliminate the conservation of open or agricultural space. We will make off-agenda public comments at the January 28 Board of Supervisors meeting

Learn more about the issues and about strategies for making public comments at a 1 hour training on January 21 at 9:30 am on Zoom

Contact Megan for more information. Meganelsea[at]gmail[dot]com; 916-541-1373

Zoom Info

350 Sacramento is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Sac County Public Comments Training
Time: Jan 21, 2025 09:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 836 7352 2108
Passcode: 268118

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ECOS Climate Committee meeting with Roger Dickinson 1/16/2025

Thursday, January 16, 2025; 6 PM start
Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155

Speaker: Sacramento City Councilmember Roger Dickinson

We’re happy to host Roger, who joined the Sacramento City Council last month.
Roger was a Sacramento County Supervisor, and a State Assemblymember.
Roger has been active in promoting public transit, having served as president of “Friends of Light Rail”, board chair of SacRT (Regional Transit), and board member of Sacramento Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit (SMART).
As city councilmember, he now serves on the boards of the air district (SMAQMD), Sacramento Transit Authority, and SacRT.
We look forward to hearing Roger’s plans for his new role, and to an exchange of ideas relating to ECOS priorities.
ECOS priorities include: transit-oriented infill development vs. sprawl (Natomas concerns, etc.);
Funding for transit, active transportation, bridges (I Street, Broadway, Truxel), Sac Valley station.

6 PM: Welcome and Introductions

6:10 PM: Roger’s plans, and exchange of ideas

7 PM: New ECOS President Heather Fargo will share plans for ECOS

7:15 PM: Updates

  • ECOS’ Earth Day, Southside Park, April 27
  • SacRT starts 15-minute headway on Sacramento-Folsom rail line
  • Lawsuits over Caltrans’ plan to add lanes to I-80 in Yolo County
  • Sacramento County Climate Action Plan, & County’s Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force
  • ECOS’ work with SacRT to highlight benefits of public transit
  • Other? – your updates welcome!

Click here to view the agenda in PDF.