* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Back in 1992, a young me was part of the Rio Earth Summit, among other school children singing along to the 'We are the World'.
It was a blatantly emotional appeal to the then global leaders to commit to a more environmentally-sustainable world.
More than 20 years on, it is very frustrating that the expected changes remain unmet and new generations gather to try to mobilise the world leaders of today, in a world worse off in environmental and climate terms.
Seeing more and more girls and boys in the countries where Plan works bear the brunt of climate impact, both on their day-to-day lives and their future prospects, only adds to the frustration.
This week, global leaders will be gathering (or at least some of them – given the notable omissions of China and India) in New York for the UN Climate Summit a.k.a ${esc.hash}Climate2014.
Given all the other global problems on his shoulders; Syria, Gaza and Ebola to name but a few, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been a true Climate Ambassador, putting pressure on national governments to step up their commitments to Climate Action.
His warning of the danger of climate change is clear: “Unfortunately, time is not on our side. The clock is ticking and cannot be turned back. By sealing a deal, we can power green growth today and protect our planet for our children and their children to come.”
The day before the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit, Ban Ki-moon has set-up a pre-party-VIP style gathering, to add some red carpet headlines to discussions of climate action within the SDGs negotiations next week.
Attendees will also be discussing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) culminating in the Paris COP (Conference of the Parties) in 2015.
Those of us who work on climate change face the hugely frustrating ‘groundhog day’ syndrome of these climate change negotiations. Where pledges and commitments are made, the negotiations inevitably leading to compromises which water down any firm responsibility and accountability.
The super powers then throw their toys out of the pram and everyone then needs to go back to the drawing board at the next climate gathering.
The usual tactics for effective persuasion have, to date, repeatedly failed. From scientific evidence (see: IPPC 5th Assessment Report), to the creation of Global Climate Champions – such as Al Gore, Mary Robinson, Desmond Tutu, Yeb Sano and now even Leonardo di Caprio, to the devastating losses, damages, costs of more and more extreme climate events (such as Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Hurricane Katrina, North America’s coldest winter in 150 years, Australia’s wildfires) - all of these factors seem to have made little impact on climate action.
At Plan we see climate change as having a direct impact on children being able to realise their rights to survival, protection, development and participation.
We have done our homework and gathered the evidence which has informed our calls for greater prioritisation of the protection of girls and boys affected by and at growing risks of climate-related disasters.
We are working to empower children at risk with knowledge and skills via climate education, investing in green jobs for youth and granting children a voice in climate decisions that affect their lives.
But more needs to be done.
The younger me, who sang ‘We Are The World’ with great gusto, had almost lost faith that things could ever really change. But I am surprisingly energised by this year’s mass mobilization movements – from Brazil’s ${esc.hash}vemprarua to Ukraine’s fight for democracy.
I have come to the conclusion that people-power may be our last resort in this climate battle.
So I, like many colleagues at Plan and other organisations, and my family and friends, will be at the mass rally for Climate Action this Sunday (September 21st). How about you?
Kelly Hawrylyshylyn is Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience Advisor at Plan UK.
