Kerese Elliott, a Blue Planet Alliance Global Ambassador from St. Kitts and Nevis, shares her experience attending the third cohort of the BPA Fellowship Program.

Blue Planet Alliance’s Global Ambassadors offer their perspectives on Climate Week NYC 2024.

BPA's new Caribbean Director Kneyone Murray reflects on his participation in our Fellowship Program in Hawaii, where he "felt a real sense of accomplishment seeing how these discussions evolved into actionable plans — it made me excited for both the future of these islands, and the world."

Curaçao is an autonomous country within the kingdom of the Netherlands, and it is one of almost a dozen island countries or territories that has signed a pledge with BPA to transition to 100% renewable energy. And this week, BPA is in Curaçao to attend our MOU partner Greening the Islands’ annual summit, and to meet with government officials to help facilitate the transition.

Youth voices are a critical component of the overall climate discussion. BPA recognizes this, and that’s why we sent four of our youth ambassadors to the U.S. edition of the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY), a pivotal event within the global framework of youth-led climate action.

We can end climate change, if we summon the political will to band together and take  collective action. That is why we are so thrilled that first Antigua and Barbuda, and then St. Kitts and Nevis, have joined nine other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) countries or territories in signing a document to officially join our Blue Planet Alliance.

Our third cohort is our most geographically diverse group yet, featuring islands and countries in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. We're excited not only to share with them what we know, but to learn from them, as well.

Climate Week NYC is designed to dovetail with the annual convening of the UN General Assembly, bringing thousands of climate academics and activists, youth and experienced climatologists, public and private sector leaders together to remind world leaders what we need to do to make a sustainable planet a reality.

My experience with the Youth for the SDGs program as a BPA Global Ambassador onboard the Peace Boat was enriching, offering invaluable opportunities for cross-cultural connections, intergenerational learning, and collaboration with a diverse group of individuals committed to advancing the SDGs.

With the looming U.S. Presidential election (understandably) taking up so much media attention, there is a solid chance that all of the important work that will take place this month in NYC will be overshadowed, and not get the oxygen it deserves. 

Hurricane Ida led to 14 deaths in New York City, 11 of which were drownings that occurred in basement apartments. But these devastating effects can be prevented and managed — if there were a way to better assess areas with greater flood risk, especially in densely populated cities.

As a young activist, our Blue Planet Global Ambassador Ashley Lashley of Barbados "was struck by how often the voices of SIDS youth were overshadowed in international discussions. This motivated me to create a platform that would amplify and empower these voices."

Lilan Dayananda is a BPA Global Ambassador from Sri Lanka. His startup uses technologies like IoT devices and AI to help small farmers in his country optimize harvests and better navigate climate change.

BPA makes an invited presentation to Caribbean legislators of the highest level, preaching the benefits of renewable energy.

BPA Global Ambassador Kneyone Murray notes that, “as Caribbean people, we must come together to forge collaboration. Despite contributing the least to climate change, we face its full brunt. Therefore, we must take matters into our own hands.”

The 4th Small Island Developing States conference in Antigua last month looked to forge a new financial model for islands, so they can chart a course toward resilient prosperity.

Islands come in all shapes and sizes, and with different resources. But some commonalities bind them together, which will be explored at SIDS4 next week.

Three new islands signed agreements with us last week, pledging to go 100% by 2045. We also got to share stories and excitement about the future we are trying to build for the planet.

Read the Blue Planet Alliance Annual Report 2023 to see all the work we did last year to help the world transition to a 100% renewable-energy future.