A crowded session this Monday afternoon (17th), fuelled by Malbec wine and mate — a traditional indigenous beverage from the south of Latin America — showed that Argentina is united under the commitment of combating climate change. Dozens of activists, members of civil society organisations, subnational leaders, unionists, students and companies representatives gathered to prove that there is massive interest in the subject, despite the ambiguous stance promoted by Javier Milei’s government.
“We are in a time of discouragement, many things are not working, but there is a great diversity of Argentinian here”, celebrated one of the gathering organisers, Enrique Maurtua Konstantinidis. “Many more people showed up than I thought would”, completed.
The session echoed the historical importance of the country in climate change debates. “It is important to say that the Kyoto Protocol existed because there was an Argentine leading those negotiations”, exemplified Konstantinidis, who also mentioned the papal encyclical on climate change, written by the Argentinian Francis.
Together on the stage, four secondary school students told the audience their sensations of being the generation that will suffer most of the impacts of climate change. “We are here to be aware about the decisions that are being made here at COP30, as we are the people who will live in the world with the consequences of these decisions”, explained Justina Pinto, one of the speakers. “Actually, we and the generations that will come after us”, added.
She and her colleagues are participating in a COP for the first time. They were selected to be in Belem, Brazil, after writing a manifesto with eight demands from young people from Argentina: “For example, we must promote education about climate. So that young people can have a better world”.
The idea of the gathering was to generate enthusiasm among Argentinians. “We need to be connected, generating ideas that will generate projects, that will generate change”, concluded Konstantinidis.
Provinces ally to fill the space left by the presidency
Six Argentinian provinces developed a coalition called Green Alliance Argentina to occupy the space left by Javier Milei’s presidency in what refers to climate change action. “In the context of climate change denial, we are joining forces because the impact is felt across territories. There are no borders for this impact. And those of us who are closest to it are the subnational states and municipalities”, explained the Environmental Secretary of La Pampa province, Vanina Basso.
Earlier, she had participated in a debate with other subnational representatives from Mexico and Brazil on the challenges of action in the territory. “It was a very enriching panel because, beyond listening to the challenges and opportunities that each of us faces, we firmly agree that it is very necessary to start adapting now”, stated.
To do that, the funds need to find the direct way to the communities. “So that adaptation can truly be achieved and the vulnerability of our communities and our environment to the impacts of climate change can be reduced”, completed.