Hope, too, needs a space when we talk about the climate crisis. While it’s true that humanity is facing our greatest collective challenge, it’s also true that there are people, communities, and organizations taking action, right now, to cocreate a better future.
We cannot deny that we are already living with the impacts of the climate crisis. Yet we must speak honestly and urgently about them, without paralyzing ourselves in the process. Sharing information is a means to understanding our planet and creating meaningful conversations so that today, in the present moment, our societies can begin to build a more just tomorrow.
Presentes was born as a collective and collaborative effort to change the narratives around climate justice. It’s a Latin American alliance that seeks to bring the climate conversation to a wider audience while simultaneously strengthening alliances among those already working for the cause.
The challenge lies in demonstrating that when we talk about the energy transition –a fundamental step towards a better future– we must also talk about respecting human rights and the rights of nature, and caring for all forms of life on this planet.
What better way to show this than by telling the stories of those working for it every day?
Presentes is coordinated by AIDA, with the goal of bringing together civil society organizations, local communities, environmental defenders and citizens from across Latin America.
What can we do to address the climate crisis? What is clean energy? How can we build a more just world for all beings, and what does that look like?
There are some of the questions we’ll be exploring, together, through the Presentes platforms. Our goal is to extend this conversation to people from across Latin American, in all phases of their own climate journey.
As a starting point, the founding organizations signed a manifesto recognizing that, to achieve a society with climate justice, it is essential to recognize our role in this new environmental reality, and make way for a just change that leaves no one behind, that is fueled by new forms of energy, and that responds to the call of those people who, with dignity and determination, continue to fight for the defense of life on Earth.
These are the pillars of Presentes and the point from which we can, from our own focuses and starting points, begin to visualize a better future for all the beings who live on this Earth.
Each participant, whether an organization or an individual, helps to enrich the ecosystem of sharing and solidarity that is forming around Presentes. Beginning from where you are now, you can:
Add your organization to the alliance. By doing so, you’ll work with the diverse groups that form the Presentes, amplify your own organization's work, and receive a biweekly digital newsletter with valuable information to strengthen your communication efforts.
Because now is the only time there is, it’s the time to be present.
Laura Yaniz Estrada is part of AIDA's communications team, in charge of outreach. She holds a master's degree in Journalism and Public Policy from the Centro de Investigación y Docencias Económicas (CIDE). She holds a degree in Media and Journalism from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) and a diploma in National Security from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). She is interested in new narratives and environmental security.
