INTRODUCTION How do you become an accidental activist someone who stands up speaks out and confronts ignorance cruelty violence and indifference How do you deal with changing the world when so many obstacles stand in your way How do you persuade people who resist change How do you deal with powerful politicians and leaders These are questions all activists face And all activists learn that change is hard Change takes time courage patience perseverance flexibility flexibility and knowledge You can’t make change by yourself You need other people to help you You need to inspire people to join you Change is challenging and frustrating But change is also important and meaningful Every single day every single individual every one of us can make some kind of impact Jane Goodall scientist In this book we explore what makes someone become an activist for positive change such as equal and just rights for all clean water and air or solutions to the climate crisis Each person has a different story Each person comes from a different background family country religion Some activists are women Some are men Some are young and some are old but each activist shares a common goal They want to make the world a better place Is there something you’d like to change in the world We hope that reading about these amazing activists inspires you to think of ways you can make a positive change in the world After all we’re all on this planet together We all need each other 1
CHAPTER ONE FIND YOUR PASSION In 2013 Typhoon Haiyan destroyed Marinel Ubaldo’s home in the Philippines and killed more than 6,000 people Ubaldo then 16 was determined to tell the world what had happened and how the effects of climate change had devastated her family and community She wanted people in power to act before it was too late Now she travels all over the world She explains how rising seas and warming oceans make typhoons more powerful She talks about how fossil fuels pollute the oceans forcing fishermen like her father to fish dangerously dangerously far out to sea in less polluted waters AHA Storm Power What’s the difference between a cyclone and a typhoon They are both powerful storms but typhoons occur in the northwest Pacific Ocean and cyclones hit the southern Pacific and the Indian Ocean For me it’s important that people can hear a firsthand story she said If we postpone this and wait for another disaster for us to decide then maybe we might never see what tomorrow brings We might lose our future Ubaldo’s passionate words help people understand what she’s experienced and what is at stake if the world does nothing to slow climate change Passion is key to changing the world It’s about caring so much that you have to do something Passion inspires people to work toward change despite resistance and obstacles Litia Baleilevuka also speaks passionately about climate change In 2016 when Baleilevuka was 18 years old Cyclone Winston hit her community in Fiji Thousands of people were killed listed as missing or left homeless Her mother’s village Nasau on Koro Island which was once a haven of beauty and peace was shattered the cyclone blew houses and people away Baleilevuka told her story at the United Nations UN climate talks in Poland in 2018 Young activists like Ubaldo and Baleilevuka often lead the fight for change They recognize that their lives will be impacted for years to come unless people act now 3
