MUTARE- A local youth environment group has signed a global pledge to extend its environmental protection work in partnership with a United States of America based organization the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce (USGCC).
The Manica Youth Assembly (MAYA) partnered with USGCC by signing the Global Climate Pledge, making a commitment to continually work at preserving the environment, the first organization from Zimbabwe to take the Pledge.
Michelle Thatcher,CEO of the USGCC welcomed this development which expands the Pledge’s international environmental network, as critical in driving the climate change movement through youth involvement.
“We are thrilled to have the Manica Youth Assembly sign the Pledge,” said Thatcher.
“The work they are doing in environmental outreach is crucial for everyone, but especially the youth. Increasing the engagement of young community members is pivotal, as they pass on climate-conscious ideas and habits to future generations.”
A growing cooperative of organizations and businesses worldwide are banding together to obtain signatures from 2 billion individuals and companies on this Global Climate Pledge by 2022. The Pledge is the first climate movement to take an inclusive and ambitious approach, breaking boundaries and engaging billions of people around the world in climate action.
MAYA, non-profit trust operating in Zimbabwe was formed in 2018, and has partnered with numerous local city councils on environmental programs, including tree planting initiatives, bolstering natural disaster responses, and community education regarding sustainable development goals.
Altogether, MAYA prioritizes the intersection of human peace and environmental protection saying if the environment is being degraded, that will further degrade peace in our communities, its media representative Jussa Kudherezera says.
“For MAYA, biodiversity is the last line of defense for humanity. As a result, we believe that climate management is the nerve centre of sustainable development and growth.”
In addition to getting youth involved in environmental activism, policies and local government,
MAYA was also recently included in a statement against police brutality in Zimbabwe during its COVID-19 lockdown, furthering their advocacy regarding issues that negatively impact our human community.
MAYA’s focus on advocacy and fighting for humanity at large complements the goals of the Global Climate Pledge. The Pledge does more than reiterate environmental problems, guiding individuals and organizations on how to alter their habits to immediately become part of the solution.
In this way, the Pledge is forging an international collective of inspired people to draw attention to causes worth noticing and caring about.
The inclusion of the MAYA highlights the building of an international environmental community, as well as showing that the Pledge is accessible to almost anyone, anywhere.
MAYA said as signatories the Pledge they will interact with other like-minded organisations to fulfill environmental objectives, allowing these organizations to build off of each other to promote change.
“Continuous deforestation will culminate in dehumanization,” says Kudherezera. “It is against this backdrop that MAYA joins other national, regional, continental and international boards in environmental awareness campaigns, such as the Global Climate Pledge.”
Thatcher said expanding environmental education is one way international communities can exponentially increase positive impact on the earth which is one core tenet of the Global Climate Pledge.
She said Global Climate Pledge was created to bridge the knowledge gap as climate change at its face is overwhelming to most people and is scientifically and ecologically inaccessible.
“Learning about the impact that we personally have on the planet, in addition to the impacts of society, is invaluable,” said Thatcher. “That knowledge helps us gain perspective about what we can do not only for the people around us, but the planet at large.”
