Canadian youth were at the forefront during New York Climate Week. One Degree Cooler co-hosted the UN Expert Roundtable: The Alliance of Generations and Sectors for Climate Action at UN Plaza in New York City. This event convened leaders from government, business, academia, youth, Indigenous groups, and the UN for a discussion on climate collaboration opportunities.
Co-hosts included the World Federation of UN Associations and the United Nations Association in Canada, in partnership with L’Oréal Canada, Yale Blue Green, and the Dartmouth Climate Alliance. More than 100 guests attended both in-person and online.
Distinguished speakers included:
- Aziel Philippos Goulandris, Secretary General of the World Federation of UN Associations (Moderator)
- Jean Lemire, Special Envoy for Climate, Government of Québec
- Maya Colombani, Chief Sustainability & Human Rights Officer, L’Oréal Canada
- Aki Temisevä, President & CEO, UN Association in Canada
- Rosi Kerr, Director of Sustainability, Dartmouth College
- Lucas Allen, Founder & President, One Degree Cooler
- Justin Langan, Indigenous Youth Leader
During the roundtable, Lucas discussed critical topics including the role of AI in climate resilience, climate anxiety in youth, and the power of youth-led climate action. He also urged leaders to adopt a positive, whole-system approach to addressing climate challenges, a perspective that resonated strongly among the participants.
Lucas commented: “The message was clear: youth shouldn’t just be spectators. We are co-authors of the solutions. That’s why One Degree Cooler has launched programs like green internships, ensuring students get hands-on experience in building a sustainable economy.”
Secretary General Goulandris stated: “We heard today that we can do sustainability and economic development at the same time. This roundtable is the first in what we hope will be a continuing series of cross-generation and cross-sector discussions and actions.”
ABOUT NEW YORK CLIMATE WEEK: New York Climate Week is the world’s largest climate gathering outside of COP and takes place annually alongside the UN General Assembly.