Covestro to Host Virtual Youth Climate Summit During COP26

At the same time as world leaders gather at the United Nations’ annual climate change conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, the first week of November, Covestro LLC will host a free, virtual climate summit for U.S. high school students that is designed to give them a voice during the global discussions and challenge them to think about their own role as climate stewards of the future. 

Covestro’s THINC30 Youthquake:  Inspiring Next Gen Climate Changemakers will feature keynotes, panels, fireside chats and spotlights with experts from a variety of fields who are all working to advance sustainability and climate solutions. It will culminate in a social media enabled forum on COP26’s Youth and Education Day on Friday, November 5, providing students an opportunity and platform to share their opinions and ideas with world leaders and each other, using #THINC30 and #COP26.

To register for THINC30 Youthquake, visit: http://thinc30youthquake2021.eventbrite.com/.

“This generation is growing up with climate change as a front and center issue – and they’re tremendously concerned about it,” said Rebecca Lucore, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at Covestro LLC, referencing a recent international study conducted by the University of Bath and the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, among others. In it, nearly half of the 10,000 16-25-year-olds surveyed across 10 countries said they experienced anxiety over the climate crisis and three-quarters felt frightened by the future.

“With Youthquake, we want to show them, in a positive way, that solutions do exist and empower them to embrace their role as climate changemakers of the very near future.”

At Youthquake, attendees will meet young climate activists making a difference and entrepreneurs whose innovative businesses are tackling climate change every single day. They will find out about climate change-related jobs, as well as how colleges and universities are building climate action and sustainability into their academic programs and on their campuses. Finally, they will learn about the concept of the Circular Economy and one entrepreneur, in particular, who is a true pioneer of the field.

Delivered as three pre-recorded, 30- to 40-minute sessions that fit into a typical class period or after-school program, Youthquake can be accessed by teachers, students and interested individuals at their convenience any time the week of November 1-5 as COP26 is happening via Covestro’s website. Prior to that, an event app filled with learning resources will be available for participants to download and explore at their own pace leading up to the first week in November. 

Featured Experts include:

• Sharon Collinge, Executive Director, Earth Leadership Program, The Sustainability Innovation Lab, University of Colorado, Boulder
• Dr. Barbara dos Santos, 2021 EDF Climate Corps Fellow and Senior Analyst, Cadmus Group
• Noah Deich, President and Co-founder, Carbon 180
• Mike Gable, Executive Director, Construction Junction
• Christine Galib, Senior Director of Programs, The Ion
• Monica Henderson, Mentor, Strong Women Strong Girls and University of Pittsburgh Public Health Graduate Student
• Leah Lizarondo, CEO and Co-Founder, 412 Food Rescue
• Lou Leonard, Dean, Falk School of Sustainability & Environment, Chatham University
• Li-Ya Maria Mar, Ph.D., ERYT-200, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Chinese, Department of Modern Languages, University of Texas-Arlington, and Co-Vice Chair at Climate Reality Project DFW
• Katie Modic, Executive Director, Communitopia
• Kim Lucas, Acting Director, City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility & Infrastructure
• Jim Pantaleo, Business Development Coordinator, Artificial Intelligence Institute for Next Generation Food Systems, University of California, Davis
• Ishrita Pol, Student Member, Climate Reality Project DFW
• Marilyn Waite, Managing Director, Climate Finance Fund, author of Sustainability at Work: Careers that Make a Difference, editor-at-large at GreenBiz
• Scott Wood, Director, Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps