Vanessa Nakate – the African face of climate change activism

ONE of the biggest stories in early 2020 before Covid-19 grabbed all the headlines, took place at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, where the most important global leaders, business figures, celebrities and philanthropists gather and discuss the challenges the world faces.

While this happens, there are climate change activists in the background, also doing their best to remind the most powerful people in the world of how they need to factor in the state of the environment in their decision making.

One of those activists was Ugandan Vanessa Nakate who, together with other young climate change activists, was present at the World Economic Forum. And yet when a picture was taken of these young actists, who included Greta Thunberg, Luisa Neubauer, Isabelle Axelsson and Loukina Tille, Nakate was cropped out.

The photograph was used by global media. It was an erasure that caused a storm on social media and reminded the world of how racism was still so prevalent and shone a light on the need for diversity within the environmental movement.

Nearly two years later, Nakate is a global figure, one of the leading young voices on climate change and the environmental movement. The 25-year-old was one of the loudest voices at Cop26 in Glasgow, where she was outspoken about Africa being left out of the conversation and decision making, despite the continent being severely affected by climate change.

In her speech she said: “Historically, Africans are responsible for only 3% of emissions, and yet some of us are suffering some of the most brutal impacts fuelled by the climate crisis.

“Even limiting global temperature rises to 1.5°C would not be safe for many communities in Africa. 1.2C° is already hell for us. It’s already destruction. It’s already suffering. It’s already disaster. Any rise will only make things worse."

Her book, A Bigger Picture. My

Fight to bring a New African Voice to the Climate Crisis, has shed light on the importance of more input from the Global South in the climate change conversation, diversity challenges and how the youth need to be more involved. She also touched on how being erased made her feel.

“I remember the feelings of frustration, heartbreak and anger I had because of what had happened. When I think about it now, it still feels really emotional; it’s like reliving the experience of what happened.”

Nakate’s focus on making more young Africans aware of what climate is, and what it means for them, has made her one of the most important voices in the continent. She roped in her siblings to follow the Thunberg model of skipping school so that they bring more awareness of climate change and how it stands to affect Africans even more.

In an interview with the US’s NPR media organisation, she said: “Many young people are worried about the reality of the climate crisis. They are worried about the kind of future that they are walking into.”