THE BLUE AND WHITE

Last week, New York Climate Week took place alongside the United Nations General Assembly. The purpose is to draw the attention of world leaders to the climate crisis while they’re gathered in New York City. 

On September 25, during New York Climate Week, One Degree Cooler, a Nonprofit founded by Upper Canada College student Lucas Allen, co-hosted the UN Expert Roundtable at UN Plaza in New York City. 

(From Left to Right Aziel Philippos Goulandris, Secretary General of the World Federation of UN Associations; Maya Colombani, Chief Sustainability & Human Rights Officer, L’Oréal Canada; Jean Lemire, Special Envoy for Climate, Government of Québec; Justin Langan, Indigenous Youth Leader; Aki Temisevä, President & CEO, UN Association in Canada; Lucas Allen, Founder & President, One Degree Cooler; Rosi Kerr, Director of Sustainability, Dartmouth College; Photo by Beam Lertbunnaphongs, Dartmouth College)

The purpose of this event was to focus on working together to tackle the climate crisis. The roundtable was co-hosted by the World Federation of United Nations Associations, the United Nations Association in Canada and One Degree Cooler, in partnership with Yale Blue Green and the Dartmouth Climate Alliance.

The roundtable 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

Lucas commented: “I didn’t know what to expect going in, but it turned out to be a breakthrough discussion. We were talking about roles we could all play to tackle climate change, ranging from technology to education to Indigenous knowledge. I talked about climate anxiety in youth, and how AI is being used to fight climate change.”

Over 100 guests attended both in-person and online from around the globe, including UCC Year 11 student Edward Du, who is an executive member at One Degree Cooler and a representative of Canadian youth to attend this event.

Edward commented: “It was inspiring to see youth included at the table, and to hear the leaders from different sectors all agree that we cannot move forward on climate change without youth engagement.” 

Following the roundtable discussion, there were a number of questions from guests in attendance, sparking additional insight and dialogue. This event showcased the power of collaboration across generations and institutions, while underscoring the role of youth in shaping conversations about climate.

Anyone wanting to learn more is encouraged to contact Lucas at lucas.allen@ucc.on.ca.