Kazi Susmita Jahan

Six months ago, when I started working at Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women, I had no prior experience of working in the field of climate change. But as a Bangladeshi millennial who grew up seeing the world go through worse and worse climate disasters and hearing siren alarms of a bleak future, I have been keenly interested in its reasons, effects and how to reverse it so that my future kids do not have to spend their lives in an underwater dystopia. So, when I got the chance to work in the Health and Climate Change Programme, I accepted without thinking twice. I wanted to make real contributions through impactful work that will protect our environment and our future.

A few months later, I came across an opportunity to attend the Global Youth Climate Summit 2025 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. I thought it would be a great chance to learn more about climate change measures from around the world and enrich myself by interacting with global young climate leaders excelling in this field. But alas, the plane fare alone was too expensive for me to afford! So, when Shakti Foundation decided to send two young members of their climate change team to participate in the very summit and I was selected as one of them, it came as an unexpected but pleasant stroke of luck.

The four days of the summit were filled with insightful discussions, engaging dialogues and thought-provoking experiences. A particularly impactful session was conducted by Dr. Peter Fiekowsky, who challenged us to rethink climate action beyond mitigation and adaptation. It was mesmerising to witness and hear a real-life NASA scientist talk about removing carbon-di-oxide from the atmosphere through Ocean Iron Fertilisation.

Yet, the most profound experience for me came not from a lecture hall, but from a field visit to Inhotim Institute. It is one of the largest open-air museums in Latin America, and combines art and nature to showcase the relationship between the two. When we were walking through the museum, it suddenly started to rain. It was fortunate because we got to experience an ambiance similar to that of the Amazon rainforest, even though we could not visit it this time. It renewed my appreciation for our planet, how beautiful it is, made me realise how we are ruining it and how crucial it is for us to protect the only place we have ever known as home.

After the visit to Inhotim, we attended a lecture on biodiversity by renowned expert Professor Dr Geraldo Wilson Fernandez. His lecture really inspired in me a wish to create something similar in Bangladesh, where nature will meet creativity, two things closest to us humans since as long as we can remember. But it also made me a little sad for my country, especially its women. Bangladesh has contributed only a fraction to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it stands among the nations most vulnerable to climate change. And within that reality, it is women—especially those from low-income, rural, or marginalised communities—who suffer the most, despite having done the least to cause the problem. This injustice underscores why we must approach climate work not only as environmental restoration, but as a fight for equity and dignity.

I want to thank the Global Youth Leadership Center (GYLC) for organising this important event, and also the Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women for making my participation happen. What we experienced in those four days is beyond anything I can express in five hundred words. The vibrant culture, natural beauty, amazing food and warm hospitality of Brazil have made this experience truly unforgettable. Now back in Dhaka, I carry forward this experience not just as a memory but as a mission. As a storyteller and climate advocate, I feel a renewed sense of urgency to amplify vulnerable voices and push for real change. I truly believe the seeds planted in Belo Horizonte will grow into meaningful action—especially for countries like ours, on the frontline of climate injustice.

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The writer is a Climate Change Manager at Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women and a delegate to the Global Youth Climate Summit 2025