Hope, Collaboration, and Education: Essentials in the Fight Against Climate Change
An Interview with Marie Cresswell, President of TCI and Sophie Mathur
Sophia Mathur shared her extensive journey in climate activism, which began in her childhood and has evolved through various initiatives, including her involvement with Fridays for Future. She highlighted the importance of youth engagement in climate issues, expressing concerns about the barriers young people face in participating due to the adult-centric nature of some movements and the spread of misinformation on social media. Thomas Cole echoed her sentiments, emphasizing the need for collective action and the importance of youth representation in media discussions about climate change. Their conversation underscored the urgency for government action to meet climate goals and the significance of pledges for environmental rights.
Mathur provided an update on her ongoing legal case, noting the positive developments following a successful initial hearing. The law firm representing the youth in Mathur et al vs. His Majesty the King in Right of Ontario is Ecojustice: https://ecojustice.ca/. In addition to her recent court case Mathur shares a policy simulator to educate students about the implications of various climate policies, which she believes is essential for students to understand more about climate policies before they vote next year. The support from her legal team, Ecojustice, and family has been instrumental in her journey. Additionally, she reflected on her experiences with the Fridays for Future movement, emphasizing the value of community among activists and the importance of upcoming events, such as the celebration of the movement's sixth anniversary, to inspire continued activism.
The discussion also touched on Mathur's aspirations to study policy and economics, aiming for a career in law influenced by her current work. We both acknowledged the pressing need for new climate policies in North America, drawing on successful examples from other regions in the UK. They recognized the challenges faced by Ontario's government in reducing emissions and the critical role of public awareness in driving change. Mathur concluded by stressing the collective responsibility for climate action, particularly in light of the disproportionate effects of climate inaction on vulnerable populations, and the importance of maintaining hope and collaboration in the ongoing fight against climate change.
Q - How did your passion for climate action begin?
A - My passion for climate action was deeply rooted in my upbringing. I grew up in a family that frequently discussed climate change; my grandfather was a scientist for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and my mother began advocating for climate action while she was pregnant with me. Initially, I viewed my mother's activism as just part of her job and assumed that the issue was already being addressed. However, everything changed when I was seven. I decided to accompany my mother to her lobbying meetings, where I witnessed her efforts to persuade politicians to act. It was a revelation for me—I realized that the future of the animals I loved and the planet was not guaranteed. This moment sparked my own journey into climate activism, leading me to continue attending lobbying meetings. Eventually, I wanted to expand my efforts and engage with youth-led movements like Fridays for Future and participate in the Ecojustice lawsuit.
Q - What were some of the things that you were doing in your school to reduce carbon?
A - At my elementary school, RL Beattie, I was a member of the ECO team. We focused on several initiatives, including planting gardens, enhancing the school’s waste management systems, and promoting composting. Given that we had many younger students, we aimed to instill environmental awareness that they could share with their families, fostering good habits aimed at achieving zero waste. As I progressed through school, I helped organize Fridays for Future to raise awareness among students. More recently, I collaborated with high school students to utilize a policy simulator called EnROADS, which has helped us explore and understand climate action policies.
Q - What is En-ROADS?
En-ROADS is a global climate simulator that allows students and other users to explore the impact of policies—such as electrifying transport, pricing carbon, and improving agricultural practices—have on hundreds of factors like energy prices, temperature, air quality, and sea level rise.
En-ROADS AND C-ROADS were developed by Climate Interactive, the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, and Ventana Systems. En-ROADS helps people make connections between things they care about and the possibilities available to help ensure a resilient future.
Also, there is another simulator called C-ROADS, where you can see how different countries contribute to the climate crisis as well. It demystifies stereotypical information and assumptions for example, if China reduced their GHG emissions, we'd be fully on track and the rest of the world wouldn’t have to do anything. But truly, it's a global overview of how everyone needs to do their part, especially first world countries.
Q - Did you see a lot of uptick, students adapting some of the things that you have been doing at a elementary and a secondary level?
A- Yes, I can definitely tell there's a lot of concern amongst youth. But I do feel like there's kind of a nervousness around getting engaged and acting, because a lot of people are just too nervous to speak to adults or kind of feel like it's really hard to get engaged when a lot of movements are adult oriented or extrovert oriented. But truly, you don't have to go out and give speeches, you can attend rallies. And I think that's one thing that Fridays for Future and Greta Thunberg provided was an effective way for people to show their support and their concern.
Q - How many people were there from Ontario?
A - There’s a group of seven students in Ontario as well as a broader group from several provinces appealing to the Canadian government with Dr. David Suzuki.
Q - What are your next steps, and what’s happening with the Ontario court case?
A - We are currently awaiting the next court date. While we have experienced some success, the details are still emerging as the case is relatively new, and the applicants don't have a lot of information yet. In the meantime, I will continue working with the policy simulator in more schools. I believe it’s crucial for people to understand the cause-and-effect relationships related to climate policies and their impact on the Earth’s temperature. This simulator also highlights the effects on the economy and various industries, such as agriculture, which can engage students regardless of their career aspirations as we transition to a green economy.
Q - Did they approached you or did you approach them?
A - They approached me.
And because I was the first one they approached the case is under my name.
Q - Do you feel that it's taken them a while to respond to your concerns?
A - No, I think they've done a great job. They're amazing lawyers. And like almost automatically after the decision was made, they sent us a summary, like honestly, like 10 minutes after, there was like a long paragraph explaining what these files of documents may meant. And we've had meetings amongst each other, celebrating and deconstructing things. And I think they've done a great job.
Q - Do your friends share the same passion for climate action as you do?
A - Yes, they do! It’s wonderful to have a small community of people I can discuss these issues with. While there’s a larger network of climate activists, having close friends who share my passion makes it easier to talk about specific aspects of the case and related topics.
Q - Excellent. When was Future for Fridays started?
A - Originally Fridays for Future Strikes was started in August of 2018 by Greta started as more of a global movement. But we started one in Canada six years ago on Friday, November 2, 2018. We celebrate our 6thAnniversary today with a special commemorative event.
A lot of the politicians have been showing up and as well new people from our local university, that have come to a couple of our recent events and we're looking into the future and what impact we want to make. Although we have done a lot there’s more to do with the upcoming Canadian election. Also, I'll be leaving Sudbury sometime soon as I'm graduating from high school.
Q - What are your next steps of for your education and career path?
A - I want to go to Ottawa U or Carleton U. I am interested in studying policy and economics, and eventually go into law. I would love to get into policy. The Ontario court case peaked my interest in how policy is made and how policy is reviewed.
Q – Do you have a sense that the Ontario government will be ordered to further reduce their emissions out of this court case?
A - Yes, I do have a lot of confidence in this case, but I also believe that if we aren't successful, the press and the awareness will influence people to look into climate policies before they vote and really how their vote will affect our future with the climate crisis. And maybe it won't happen legally, but maybe it'll happen socially amongst voters that most governments will be forced to take on the climate crisis. We need action now. And we need policies that protect us, especially with our federal election coming up. It's really hard to see climate change and climate policies get politicized, and be used in partisan ways instead of cooperation amongst all parties in making decisions that will properly impact our future and youth.
Q - In terms of your family, who has influenced you the most? I know that your mom and dad have definitely. Do you have any other influencers or mentors as well?
A - Well, my grandfather on my dad's side is a big inspiration to me. He was an IPCC Scientist, who immigrated from India to Canada with his family to do his work here. But for the first couple months, he was living here alone, dealing with racism but he always knew that climate change was going to be a major issue and that we needed to act on it. And it's upsetting to see that even now, we're still not on a proper track. But it's amazing to say that I'm connected to someone like that, someone who fought so hard for a safe future of someone, like me, who wasn't even alive yet.
Left to Right: Dr. David Robinson (economist), Sophia Mathur, Cathy Orlando, Dr. Doug Pritchard (engineer), Dr. Jane Pritchard (family doctor), Dr. Saniv Mathur (anesthesiology) and Gerry Labelle lobbying at Parliament Hill, Ottawa June 2024.
Q - That's so nice. You must have a special relationship with him then.
A – Yes, I did, unfortunately he passed away four years ago, but I still have a strong connection to him and my dad's side of the family. He has left an impact on me that I will be sharing with my grandchildren when I'm his age.
Q - That's so sweet. That's very heartwarming. What do you think that should be done in school buildings, communities, and campuses?
A - I think there are so many ways that we can make campuses eco-friendly. And One thing that is necessary is student engagement and getting the voice of students of what they've noticed and what they've seen in their school that they're not proud of environmentally. I've had students come up to me and tell me, that they I feel our school recycling program is not super great, and I because they know that I am engaged in climate action. I think that there should be more resources in schools to move this agenda forward. A community engagement process should include students they may not see every issue but youth can be innovative and they notice problems and find ways to solve them collectively.
Q – Wouldn’t it'd be wonderful if there were meaningful policies in Ontario for school boards with sustainability lens on everything aspect of the organization?
A - Yes, when I was on the school board Senate for two years I understood how hard was to get things done. So, getting that voice through the Senate and through the student body is effective. And I do think that we're doing the best we could. And there's obviously more work that can be done at an administrative level too. Some things can be school based whereby staff at schools can take initiative on certain things and form policies because it'll take a while for actual policies and actual regulations to be made. It makes sense for the school board to create board wide policies.
Q - What did you find was a major barrier of change for you?
A - One of the key barriers that often goes unaddressed is the expectation placed on youth by some adults to lead the climate movement. While I truly appreciate the encouragement to get involved, there's a significant misunderstanding about why many young people are stepping up to advocate for change. Many of us feel compelled to act because we see a lack of action from older generations. Plus, many engaged youth still don’t have the right to vote in upcoming elections. If there were greater recognition that we’re trying to engage and persuade adults to act, rather than simply handing over the responsibility to us, I believe we could make substantial progress together. It’s crucial to understand that the responsibility for creating a better future lies with all of us, regardless of age.
Q - What small thing can be done for many to make a difference?
A - It's crucial for people to educate themselves, listen to experts, and engage in discussions about climate change at home. Conversations can be a great way to correct misinformation—it's much easier to ask someone if they've checked their sources or if they know about the climate crisis than to try and tackle it all on social media. Not everyone needs to lead events, but there are many movements like Fridays for Future and various initiatives in schools and workplaces where individuals can contribute. Whether it’s showing up, participating, or donating, every bit helps to make a larger impact.
Q- How does climate inaction impact youth in our communities in Canada?
A - There's an action, and there's ignorance associated with whether governments or voters can create a safe future. I mean, to say it blatantly, climate change is going to get more serious if we don't act now. And that is one of the main reasons why I'm engaged is that I know that even though climate change hasn't severely impacted me yet. It's impacting people around the world. And it's going to get worse if we don't act fast. And I know we've been hearing that for so long. And we've seen the effects of it now. But it's just so upsetting, at this point to have to explain that climate change is real. We know that we need to act and of inaction is contributing to the harm of many people and to their well-being.
Q - Do you think third world countries are impacted the most by climate inaction? I.e. in Africa, a few years ago, they experienced hail the size of a snowball occurring ruining crops, food security and ability to work - because of our inactions in North America.
A - Everyone is vulnerable to misinformation, and we all have opportunities to learn—myself included, especially at just 17. Many people may not realize that being unaffected by climate change is a privilege, as countless individuals around the world are already experiencing its devastating effects, like the recent flooding. It’s disheartening to encounter climate change deniers, but despite these challenges, I remain hopeful. I know there are many people working tirelessly to make a difference, and together, we can create positive change for our planet. Hope is essential—it drives us to keep pushing for a better future.