By Ani Terton
After nearly two weeks of stalled progress by the Canada and the United States at the international climate talks, U.S. youth spoke out for a real, science-based climate treaty. Abigail Borah, a New Jersey resident, delivered a passionate speech calling for an urgent path towards a fair and binding climate treaty and admonishing members of Congress for impeding global climate progress to international ministers and high-level negotiators at the closing plenary of the Durban climate change negotiations. Borah was ejected from the talks shortly following her entreaty.
She spoke on behalf of U.S. negotiators because “they cannot speak on behalf of the United States of America,” highlighting that “the obstructionist Congress has shackled a just and delayed ambition for far too long.” “2020 is too late to wait,” urged Borah. “We need an urgent path towards a fair, ambitious, and legally binding treaty.”
The United States continues to negotiate on time borrowed from future generations and with every step of inaction, it is forcing young people to solve the quickly exacerbating climate challenges that previous generations have been unable and unwilling to address.
