A man who belongs to Ethiopia’s chapter of the Global Power Shift youth environmental activism network biked nearly 500 miles in just two months in order to draw attention to the nation’s shrinking forests. 

31-year-old Yohannes Gizaw is determined to heal Ethiopia’s forests, and his recent tour through the country could help ensure that he is not alone in this mammoth undertaking.

Ethiopia, which is also embroiled in water rights issues with Egypt in particular, is roughly 435,200 sq miles;  that’s a lot of territory to cover in a blanket of trees.  

A former lecturer at Sodo University, Mr. Gizaw rode for two months as part of a self-initiated environmental awareness campaign.

In that short time, in addition to chatting with curious bystanders along the way, he helped to put 3,000,000 new seedlings into the ground, and rehabilitate 300 hectares of damaged land at Wolaita Sodo.

He now refers to this formerly ravaged landscape as “his oxygen factory,” according to a post by Yeabsira Bogale on the Global Power Shift blog.

Perhaps you’ll recall a huge gathering, a 500 member strong force to reckon with, that converged in Istanbul this past June – right when major cities throughout Turkey were embroiled in one of the largest social uprisings in recent history.

Spearheaded by 350.org, the umbrella environmental movement co-founded by Bill McKibben, Global Power Shift comprises a growing posse of highly creative, energetic and talented youth who are intent to bring down the world’s most egregious polluters and obstructionist propagandists.

Where rich oil barons throw money and power, these young people throw their personal indignation, and their weapons of choice include knowledge, skills, bonds, and community engagement.

For sure their numbers are larger than the rich guys sitting on top of the money pile, and they’re growing larger still.

Aligned with roughly 44 other small and large environmental and social activism groups across the globe, including the well-respected Arab Digital Expression Foundation (ADEF) – proponents of open-source based Information and Communication Technologies, self-expression and knowledge-sharing.

Since their Turkish gathering, the group has returned to their respective countries in order to organize national and regional climate summits that put their summit strategy-making to work.

And their ultimate goal? “A massive and sustained show of force that disrupts the status quo and captures the public imagination.”

A bit lofty, but it’s better than the alternative, which involves running earth into the ground.

Image via Global Power Shift

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The activists, each a leader in their home country, have gathered from 134 nations to attend the Global Power Shift Summit organized by 350.org – the same group responsible for over 20,000 international peaceful demonstrations to date.

Their intent: solve the climate crisis.

It’s a tall order, particularly in Istanbul where the Turkish government executed a swift and violent crackdown in recent weeks when protestors swarmed city streets asking for environmental, political and social change.

Tomorrow’s leaders are an extraordinary group with bold visions despite several predictions of a bleak and miserable future on a very hot planet.

Joao Scarpelini, one of the lead coordinators of Global Power Shift from Brazil, said, “I want to welcome everyone that believes in the power of young people,” according to a recent statement released by the organizers.

“What’s most important is that we all get to inspire each other based on our stories, and each of us has an authentic story to tell,” said Nanjira Sambuli, a facilitator from Kenya who will be leading workshops throughout the summit.

The attendees often had to wait weeks to obtain visas to visit Turkey for this unprecedented event, but they persevered.

350.org’s Joshua Kahn Russell helped to create the event’s curriculum.

“We’re not just talking about breadth and scale and numbers,” he said, “but depth of relationships amongst one another.”

“As young people, we’re inheriting a broken world full of divisions. One of the reasons we’re coming together here is to grapple with those differences and build one big movement where we all belong.

On Thursday, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres, will address the Global Power Shift summit.

“We are fast approaching 2015, the year in which governments have to reach a new climate change agreement that guides the longer-term international response to climate change,” said Secretary Figueres in advance of her address.

“This longer-term response will affect generations to come, which is why it is critical for the voice of youth to be heard now.”

Throughout the upcoming week, participants will engage in workshops, art and training projects as well as panel discussions.

Meanwhile, the Turkish hosts have not quieted their political rhetoric at all – despite the government’s declared war on anyone who dares to “cause the country harm,” as Prime Minister Erdogan declared in a televised address at the end of the most active protests.

“We are here to stand against more than 50 coal fired power plants,” said Mahir Ilgiz, the lead Turkish organizer for Global Power Shift. “Let’s start shifting power here in Turkey.”

Image via 350.org Facebook Page

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