WITNESS at UN to Support Youth Advocating to Stop Climate Change

Kelly Matheson, Senior Attorney and Program Manager at WITNESS, recently served as a panelist at the UN’s fourth annual DPI/NGO Youth-Led Briefing on “Youth at the Forefront: Bridging the Gap between Climate Change and Climate Awareness” which focused on the role that today’s youth has in advocating for climate change and bringing about climate action. Kelly discussed the important role our youth will play in mitigating the ongoing climate change crisis in the future and the importance of this discussion ahead of the UN Climate Talks which began this week in Paris.

Kelly also spoke about the work Our Children’s Trust is doing to help 21 youths hold the U.S. government accountable by filing a federal lawsuit against President Obama and eight federal agencies in all 50 states. The lawsuit alleges that the U.S. government has failed to protect the basic human rights to life, liberty, and property for our youngest generation by allowing the use of fossil fuels despite its dangerous impact on the climate system. The fossil fuel industry has been fighting the lawsuit aggressively in order to protect their interests.

In partnership with Our Children’s Trust, WITNESS co-produced the TRUST campaign series videos which showcased nine youth discussing the ways in which the ongoing climate change crisis and the lack of action by the U.S. government is negatively impacting their lives and their futures.

Watch the full playlist of videos here.