Naomi Momone, a 14-year-old girl from South Sudan, speaks with a profound understanding of climate change, despite confessing to never having heard of Greta Thunberg or the Fridays for Future movement. Last year, young Momone was amongst two children chosen to represent South Sudan at Dubai’s Cop 28, an achievement mediated by her participation in a “child parliament” run by the global relief agency Save the Children.
When speaking from South Sudan’s capital, Juba, Momone articulated climate change as “the most daunting challenge facing children”. She chose to champion the cause of battling climate change as she saw manifold South Sudanese children grappling with its impact. South Sudan, situated in East Africa and home to approximately 11 million, has been declared one of the “globally vulnerable countries to climate changes” by the United Nations.
Momone’s concerns were vividly showcased last March when South Sudan was subjected to a severe heatwave that pushed the daily temperatures above 40 degrees. This encouraged the country’s health and education departments to adjourn school activities for several weeks. “This month has indeed been very harsh,” mentioned Momone, discussing the plight of almost a million people who are recurrently displaced because of flooding each year in South Sudan. She also voiced apprehensions about how this heatwave could severely impact agriculture, a prime source of livelihood in her hunger-stricken homeland.
Momone, donned proudly in her “climate champion” T-shirt, revealed that her journey as a climate advocate started three years ago upon receiving internet access in her third year of school Senior 1, equivalent to Ireland’s third year. Utilising YouTube and social media, she delved into the depths of climate change and how her country was among the severely impacted ones.
Momone shares that her family’s stance on her activism is neutral. But undeterred, she engages with others about the phenomenon of climate change. South Sudan, plagued by years of civil war, may not provide the safest grounds for protests, yet Momone and her companions advocate cautiously, nurturing the hope of staging a protest someday.
She holds the belief that it is crucial for children to have a presence at international climate conferences, as they could significantly contribute to devising resolutions. Her approach involves strongly advocating, raising awareness, and educating others about climate alterations. For instance, she recently participated in a radio show discussing the impact of heatwaves on children, demonstrating another method of her advocacy work.
Furthermore, she is eager for initiatives that allow children globally to share their experiences and thoughts on the effects of climate changes. She additionally appeals for an increased allocation of funds towards the nations that are not the main contributors to climate change, with a particular focus on children, as they’re integral to the future of these countries.
Even though Africa is home to around 17 per cent of the global population, it is only accountable for an approximate four per cent of worldwide emissions. A fund to compensate for losses and damages, aimed at providing financial assistance to developing countries enduring the adverse impacts of climate change, has been established at last year’s Cop 28 conference. However, the commitments are drastically insufficient compared to the forecasted financial requirements.