As the world’s eyes turn to Brazil for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), Austin-based Texas Impact/Texas Interfaith Power & Light is sending dispatches from the conference to the Chronicle.
Ean Thomas Tafoya, vice president of state programs at environmental nonprofit GreenLatinos, kicked off his first COP this year in Belém, Brazil. This year’s COP has been called by many the “Indigenous COP,” which has made Latin America, home to countless indigenous communities, a fitting location. For Tafoya, as a person with Indigenous roots from New Mexico, the continuity of Latino and Indigenous communities across the world is evident by their understanding of the importance of protecting the earth. From Tafoya’s home in New Mexico all the way to the vast waters of the Amazon, Indigenous and Latino communities are at greater and greater risk of environmental pollution and climate crisis.
With chapters spanning from the Great Lakes to the Rio Grande, GreenLatinos unites Latinos from the United States while emphasizing their connection to Latinos from across the world. Their work centers the climate crisis as the key issue for liberation and justice. Latino communities in the United States are some of the most affected by the climate crisis, while Latin America is grossly underfunded – receiving only less than 5% of global climate finance.
Tafoya calls upon young people to step up and join the fight, arguing that their participation will be vital to push the needle towards climate action. Young people are set to experience some of the worst effects of the climate crisis in their lifetimes, yet they have begun to develop a still-growing consciousness to the importance of climate justice.
However, despite the struggles his communities have faced, Tafoya is optimistic for the future. As national governments fail to step up amid geopolitical strategizing, subnational governments are leading the way in climate advocacy. Arguing for the Belém Action Network (BAM), Tafoya remarked, “We see a world to clean energy that is cheaper and faster and better for everyone involved.”
About Texas Impact
Texas Impact exists to put faith into action. We equip faith leaders and their congregations with the information, opportunities, and outreach tools to educate their communities and engage with lawmakers on pressing public policy issues. We are an interfaith group that works together on issues that impact the most vulnerable people in our communities. We help people live out their faith in the public square, moving the faith community from charity to justice.
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