Ana Puhac / Ana’s blogs
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler / Jivan’s blogs
Nathan Thanki / Nathan’s Blogs
Taggart Wass / Taggart’s Blogs
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Nathan Thanki
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What are you up to now?
ummm… well i just graduated so gimme a minute. I’m in Peru as a sort of floating activist on behalf of the Global Campaign, but hopefully doing work that ends up helping the organisers of Cumbre de los Pueblos, TierrActiva, and COY as well as international groups who will arrive in November for the COP (including [earth]!).
Which conferences did you attend as a member of Earth in Brackets?
UNFCCC COP 17, 18, 19 // UNFCCC ADP 2.4 in Bonn, march 2014, SB… i don’t remember but the one in Bangkok in 2012 // ICNP (nagoya protocol) 2011 // CSD 19 // Rio+20 // World Social Forum 2013
What did you study while you were at COA?
I studied global environmental politics and took a bunch of classes to do with that, but I also took classes on economics (Ecological Econ, Econ Development, Financial Crisis) graphic design (GDI and graphic attack) literature (proust joyce beckett, nature of narrative) and anthropology (refugee studies, belonging, water worlds)
What do you and did you think the importance is of youth involvement in international negotiations?
I think we can be a moral voice, but not only that. We can inspire hope in the jaded movements, and give them energy. We are aware of new technologies and how to use them. We have to bear witness to the process even if it is soul-crushing (think about the value of war correspondents) and I think in doing so we can also start forming a truly international, truly equitable, environmental movement.
What is Earth in Brackets to you?
My vision of EiB has evolved over the past 3.5 years. At first it was just a blog for me to post un-edited pieces while taking part in CSD with SustainUS. Then in Durban it became something more, it began to take on usefulness as an identity. From there I took it through the hatchery, which insisted that EiB be branded and marketed, and thought of as an organisation of that nature. I took some valuable lessons and tools from that experience but ultimately the following couple years of working with the group changed my mind. Nowadays I think of it more as a collective — a group of people, who for now are all based at COA, sharing a similar analysis and strategy, working in various international arenas to advance justice, be it economic, social, environmental. I think it can serve as a hub for social movements around the world rather than a grassroots group itself. My hope for the future is that we can create a stable space outside the limits of 4-year turnarounds, but whether or not that project is EiB or something else I am still unsure of.
What advice would you give to young environmental justice activists?
It’s all about the work. Leave your ego (and your Id) behind because there is plenty of that in the movements you will join. Be cutting edge but respect people with experience. Don’t expect too much — but demand the Earth! Think on longer time scales than months, but be able to plan activities tomorrow. Trust people otherwise you won’t be able to work, but don’t trust everyone. You need to develop a sense of allyship and greater good, or collective. Read a lot online. Get a political analysis. The only way to learn is by doing.
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