I think more than hope I am just filled with the need to [Music] act as a nation that contributes less than 0% of the global carbon emissions we are in the Frontline and one of the most affected countries my country is the resting grounds of my loved ones who have passed away I need to ensure that their resting place it Still Remains where it is the Marshall Islands we are located halfway between Havi and Australia and at most our islands are 2 m above sea level and the Marshall Island faces um the sea level rises there about more than half of the global average and that's 7 mm per year compared to the 3 mm that the that the entire world faces growing up it was seeing the the tithes go higher above the seaw walls and then rushing and washing the entire Island and the next day you see the soil has become salinated our crops have become Brown and they're dying because of the salination and the very little fresh water that we have also become salinated as well so it becomes a water security food security home security and it affects the very livelihood of all of our people as a nation that contributes less than 0% of the global carbon emissions we are in the front line and one of the most effective countries for me it's really important that the global South has a seat at the table because we are the ones who have been experiencing the climate crisis firsthand for years and we have contributed the least to it the climate crisis especially in my country India is already on our doorstep and it's only going to get worse it is important for us to be at the table be a part of negotiations and be a part of climate discourse because for me I even have a problem with the world word negotiations because we cannot negotiate with our planet and the global South knows that that's why it's really important to ensure that we're there and we're leading conversations and decision making Mr Tony greetings to you all my name is Selena LM and I am a small island girl with big dreams from the island of madro in the Marshall Islands at cop 21 I was 18 and the youngest delegate member at the um conference and I was asked by our government to be part of their delegation to Shadow our then and foreign minister Tony deu who's a big climate Champion that was our government's way of ensuring that us as young people know how to navigate these spaces because we are going to be the ones taking over these responsibilities and already are to be honest for the Frontline Frontline countries and the Pacific countries we have been super vocal in the cop negotiations and really the driving force between the 1.5 degree being added into the Tex back um in Paris at the cop 21 and also the loss and damage fund that was a collective um Collective action from all the Frontline communities because it is something that is really needed for us to be able to implement and carry out the actions that are needed to protect our countries from the effect of the climate crisis in India we have like the whole range of climate calamities unfortunately for me what gives me hope is my community that I work with these are like ridiculously young people we have and joining the movement because they care so passionately about the environment I work primarily with fro future back in India climate education is very important to us because one thing um about India is that climate education is not as accessible it's limited to private institutions that that most people don't have access to uh so what we're doing is we've been working with researchers and professors to create a climate curriculum that's accessible and can be incorporated into the school systems especially Public Schools so I write about the climate crisis and about the nuclear testing that was done in my country after World War II by the United States government the reason why I uh turn to Arts is because it's a healing process for me as well I'm headed back home in the Marshall Islands to be part of a Youth Event exhibition that's going to be focus on the nuclear testing Legacy that we have in the country um and it'll be a lot of Youth coming together to Showcase their art um uh poetry songs um art pieces paintings so I've been invited to go and speak on my experiences abroad and also perform my spoken word pieces climate activism can be in so many forms um uh in media it's often portrayed as people who are on the streets protesting and while that is very very important that's not everything so you can be an artist contributing your art to creating and raising awareness about the climate crisis you can be a writer um you can be a baker baking uh like cookies for your teammates it can be like you can be a team maker you can be a web developer you can be so many things in the climate movement because there is a role for everybody in the movement we need absolutely everyone to be doing something for our planet because this is our shared home it is our Collective responsibility to look after this home we need to understand that everything is interl and interconnected and what you do over in your backyard affects my backyard all the way in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and to be able to have that climate education and make informed decision will make sure that we continue forth in a sustainable Manner and in a way that is healthy and viable for [Music] Earth