Youth are '100 percent of the future' in the Latin American climate conversation
How Luis Lujan, a climate advocate and educator, is pushing for youth inclusion and intergenerational solidarity at the negotiating table
Note: This is the third installment of our “Greenest Generation” series, where we profile Gen Z climate changemakers across the globe who are tackling the climate and nature crisis. We’d like to give a special shoutout to Ana Sofia Thomas, who is working with us on this series!
Know a young person doing inspiring work on climate or nature we should feature? Leave us a note in the comments or reach out to travelfortheclimate@gmail.com with your suggestions!
Do you remember November 2019, when Greta Thunberg arrived in New York City onboard a sailboat? Having sworn off flying, she completed a transatlantic crossing from England to New York. Her goal? Continue a call for climate action on the global stage at COP 25, the premiere global climate conference. But at the last minute, a series of protests in Santiago, Chile moved the event back to Madrid — and Thunberg sailed back across the Atlantic — where she delivered her famous reprimand to world leaders for failing younger generations in the climate crisis.
With the Chilean cancellation, a whole decade has passed since Latin America played host to a COP. But in 2025, the conference returns to the region, taking place in Belém, Brazil — a gateway to the Lower Amazon. And as Latin America gears up to host next year’s COP, local youth advocates are preparing to take a seat at the table.
To kick off our overland voyage throughout Latin America, The Green Journey spoke with Luis Lujan, a digital creator and climate advocate from Mexico City, to get his perspective on the importance of youth inclusion in regional solutions and the power of climate campaigning.
TGJ: How did you start your journey getting involved in climate issues?
Luis: My climate story actually started with a cliché. When I was in elementary school, my English teacher asked us to research environmental issues. I started investigating seal hunting in Canada out of an interest in biodiversity — which quickly led me to the iconic picture of a polar bear floating on sea ice.
But as I grew up, I began to realize that climate wasn’t just something far-off and Arctic. In 2023, Category 5 Hurricane Otis hit the Gulf of Tehuantepec, which spurred me to take more concrete actions. In my home country, I witnessed the livelihoods of the most vulnerable citizens be completely devastated, and that was the point when I started advocating for the people most affected by climate change: youth.
TGJ: What does your advocacy look like?
A large focus of my work is around increasing youth participation and presence at global climate events. I work on both major events in my region — like the upcoming 2024 COP16 on biodiversity in Columbia and the major COP30 in 2025, taking place in Brazil — as well as youth-focused events and caucuses, such as YOUNGO, a network of children and youth activists who contribute to shaping the UNFCCC process, and the Global Youth Coalition.
At these events, I’m calling for a global response addressing loss and damage in my region, and for other vulnerable regions worldwide. Historically, Latin America and the Caribbean have contributed only about 5% of cumulative CO2 emissions, but our region is disproportionately impacted, both by chronic events like extreme heat and acute risks like hurricanes and cyclones.
And because our current economic situation, adaptation and mitigation is limited by budgets and resources. During my time at global conferences, I’ve witnessed progress on loss and damage, like the historic agreement to establish a fund during recent COP events, but as questions remain around how it will be rolled out, it’s more important now than ever for youth to weigh in.
The place of the youth voice in climate activism
TGJ: What do you think makes the youth voice special in the climate conversation?
Luis: People from 15-26 years old represent just 16% of the global population but represent 100% of the future. We are the generation who will have to deal with climate change impacts and we are the generation in charge of finding solutions for it. We need the youth to have the capacity and technical knowledge to make concise actions and policies. We also need to involve young people in order to build resilient networks to fight climate change and through emotional connections to the movement.
The scientific part is extremely important but emotional connection is also necessary. We need people that don’t take climate advocacy just as a job — but recognize it as a fight for our future. Many career diplomats who have been at the negotiation table for 30 years have gotten too technical and lost sense of what’s really going on.
TGJ: 16% of the solution but 100% of the future is a powerful way to put it. How do you feel the youth voice is currently being received in the global climate conversation?
Luis: I must be completely honest; I think high-level events have a long way to go in listening to youth voices. We’ve made progress in representation, but meaningful participation — actually being included in decision-making and resolution-drafting — is not yet mature. At many of these forums, the only way to meaningfully participate is through youth delegations, where I often feel we’re treated as observers or optional contributors, rather than equals. We’re invited into the conference, but not the negotiation rooms.
Truly intergenerational collaboration is the next step that I’m working towards as part of my platform. In many of my advocacy groups, we’re already preparing for COP30 in Brazil — pushing for that more enabling environment for Latin American youth to sit down with decision makers and truly be listened to.
Climate campaigning throughout Latin America
TGJ: Maybe we can pivot a little bit to talk more about your work in the Latin American and Caribbean region. From your perspective on the ground, what are some of the biggest climate change and nature crises facing this region?
Luis: I think that one of the biggest problems we have here in Latin America is the loss of biodiversity. Transnational companies tend to come and exploit resources without taking into account the needs of the regional and local communities without taking into account indigenous, women, and youth voices.
Water overexploitation and water scarcity are also big problems here in Mexico, specifically in urban areas. 58% of groundwater is extracted from exploited aquifers, while 42% of aquifers are reported to have compromised availability.
In the metropolitan area of the Valley of Mexico, we are facing scarcity in our main water provider, the Cutzamala System. Another huge general problem in Mexico is the pollution that transport produces. The transport sector is the main contributor to greenhouse gasses and this leads to a problem with clean air.
I could continue the list – but I also want to mention intersectionality. What uniquely happens with these climate issues is that they deepen our other issues. How do we expect the youth of these communities to grow up with the tools for building a cleaner world if the already unstable ground is made even more uneven.
TGJ: On the inverse side, what are some of the regional solutions you’re seeing that you’re excited about?
Luis: I’m excited about progress we’re making towards full regional ratification of the Escazú Agreement — the first international treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean concerning the environment, and the first in the world that protects the human rights of environmental defenders.
Unfortunately, Latin America has a history of political violence against environmental defenders. Between 2012 and 2022 there were 1,910 killings of environmental and land defenders in the region. The Escazú Agreement aims to stop this by giving these brave defenders legal rights and protection from persecution. It also steps in to not only guarantee that future generations — the youth of today and tomorrow — have the right to a healthy environment
The Escazú Agreement has been ratified by 25 countries in the region, and signed by 16, including my home country of Mexico. In July 2022, we saw a major success when Columbia ratified the agreement — this is critical because Columbia has had some of the most history of violence against environmental defenders.
There’s still progress to be made to bring all 33 countries in Latin America on board as signatories, but we’re witnessing a regional shift from the use of the law as a tool to silence, and even criminalize environmental defenders to the use of the law as a tool to protect them and support their work.
Youth at the heart of hope
TGJ: Lastly, we always ask: when you look at the climate situation right now, what gives you hope?
Luis: In one word: people. Young people specifically. Hope comes from territory defenders and young climate activists. What I value the most at these high-level events is not looking at the screen at a presentation, but the people I meet.
A second part would be what I like to call my people. My emotional support who believe in me and have had an impact in my life. They give me hope because they believe in what I believe. If people who are not really keen on climate change believe in you, maybe something will change for them. Not only the people who are present in the moment but also the people who have left but still give me the strength to continue fighting. It’s people that give me hope.
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