On 4 May 2021 at the 12th Petersberg Climate Dialogue, Sanitation and Water for All Youth Champion, Nicole Becker, issued an urgent call to action to connect climate mitigation and water and sanitation. Speaking at the Adaptation Action Coalition Water Launch, Becker discussed her role as a climate activist, and described her quest to build a better world that is more just and environmentally sustainable.
Lucinda O’Hanlon, Senior Advisor at SWA served as a panelist and asked Becker the following question:
Nicki Becker, you are a youth champion for Sanitation and Water for all, but your background is as a climate activist. What prompted you to become engaged in water and sanitation and what learnings do you think are important for our work going forward?
Nicole Becker: I have been a climate activist for more than 2 years, and while there are many questions that I don't know the answers to, there are other things that are very clear to me: Climate is the biggest challenge of our lifetimes and it impacts everything, from the economy to heath, from food to education. It’s clear to me that we’ll start feeling the impact of climate on water. So it’s urgent we start making this connection: climate mitigation must start with a smart approach to water and sanitation.
To be honest, until two and a half years ago I didn't care about the climate crisis and water, because I still saw it as a problem far removed from our reality. But when I understood that it is a human rights issue, I had no choice but to act. That's why I founded "Youth for Climate Argentina" and started to pressure my government, companies, and world leaders to take action. All social transformations throughout history have been achieved through movements and people asking for change. Because hope is the people, in the movement. And I saw a great opportunity with SWA in particular because of its high-level convening power. Youth mobilization on climate wants to ultimately influence the actions of decision-makers, and SWA is a great opportunity for youth to be heard by the people that make the political (and financial) decisions.
I think there are a lot of lessons from climate youth activism that could work for water and sanitation:
Climate change is not about numbers, statistics, and projections - it is a human rights issue. However, the first image associated with the climate crisis is a polar bear. Polar bears are indeed in danger of extinction, but right now, millions of people are already suffering the consequences. For example, in Argentina, more than one million hectares of forest and land were burned in 2020 alone as a result of the climate crisis. For us, it is not just about the future - the crisis is now. It’s about our future as humans, and I believe youth activists have every success in making this connection. Humanize water and sanitation, take it beyond pipes and toilets and show people how it will impact their future. If everyone understands that connection, we will succeed in involving many more people in our movement than we have now.
Then, the urgency: make the case for why we should pay attention to water and sanitation NOW. COVID has proven how urgent it is to make universal access to water and sanitation more happen a.s.a.p.
And finally: Support civil society organizations, movements, and youth organizations. As a sector, you need to create an enabling environment for meaningful participation of grassroots movements in the debate. Even if these movements tell you things you don’t want to hear if they criticize your donors and governments. Listen, and find common ground.
We have the chance to change history, but for that we have to be brave enough to imagine a future that is different and tell a new story. The fight for the climate crisis and the water and sanitation is forcing the world to confront all its interrelated flaws: racism, poverty, gender inequality, and over-consumption. It is exposing evils that are deeply rooted in the entire fabric of our society. So, encouraging us to build a better world that is more just and environmentally sustainable is almost an obligation.