In our 49th Climate Leadership Conversation, Ana Hanhausen engaged in a thought-provoking discussion with Nora Esther Cabrera Velasco, co-founder and director of Nuestro Futuro A.C., shedding light on pivotal aspects of climate justice and youth activism in Mexico.

When Ana asked about Nora’s perspective on leadership, Nora responded that leadership transcends mere abstraction and finds its roots in empowerment. It involves recognizing one’s capabilities and channeling them towards a cause and the betterment of others. Beyond rallying people, it’s about leveraging personal skills to advance a just cause, thereby identifying one’s strengths for a purposeful commitment.

Delving into Nuestro Futuro’s role in fostering a just energy transition in Mexico, Nora explained that the organization strives to cultivate climate justice by understanding critical public policies and key agendas. The focus has been on advocating for a just energy transition, which has emerged as a fundamental environmental policy. The challenges began with Mexico’s energy sector setbacks, prompting climate activists to engage in disputes that underscored the importance of environmental policies that safeguard both current and future generations. Nora emphasized the vital role of climate litigation in compelling decision-makers to uphold their responsibilities, and Nuestro Futuro’s proactive involvement through legal means to prevent the rollback of energy transition efforts.

When discussing Nuestro Futuro’s project challenges, Nora expressed a remarkable ability to transform difficulties into opportunities. The enormity of the climate crisis, she noted, drives them to build a fairer world even when faced with substantial obstacles. She acknowledged that while some challenges may appear daunting, they ultimately pale in comparison to the urgency of climate action. Additionally, she underscored the need to deepen the discourse on climate justice and address administrative hurdles for organizational sustainability.

Nora’s insights extended to strategies for promoting youth activism effectively in Mexico. She encouraged a departure from conventional approaches and advocated for nurturing creativity and fresh perspectives from an early age. She underscored the importance of facilitating consistent activism while managing the inevitable disappointments that arise along the way. Nora urged youth to translate their ideas into tangible actions and consolidate the youth agenda for more impactful change.

When Ana asked about balancing climate activism with a full-time job, Nora stressed the significance of a clear life philosophy that harmonizes different facets. She advised setting clear objectives and aligning daily, weekly, and monthly goals to maintain focused productivity. She highlighted resilience as a crucial attribute to navigate high-performance life, likening it to a sport where strategies ensure that global temperature targets aren’t breached.

Concluding the conversation, Nora emphasized the urgency of building climate justice and underscored the importance of seizing the present moment to craft a meaningful philosophy of life that addresses the demands of our historical era.

In sum, this dialogue between Ana and Nora highlighted the multifaceted challenges and opportunities in advancing climate justice and youth activism in Mexico. Their insights underscored the need for proactive and innovative approaches to drive impactful change for a sustainable future.

About the guest speaker: 

Nora Esther Cabrera Velasco has a law degree from the Tecnológico de Monterrey and Master in Law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Nora is a lawyer specializing in climate justice with a focus on law constitutional. She is co-founder and director of Nuestro Futuro A.C. non-profit organization for-profit that promotes climate litigation and strategic accompaniment for the construction of climate justice in Mexico. Since 2021 it represents 20 organizations and more than 200 young people in a series of climate trials. collaborated in the creation of the Youth Movement for Our Future to promote the transition fair energy. Participated as a speaker in the Open Parliament of the Reform Constitutional Law on Electrical Matters to talk about its environmental implications and climatic. It has also been part of the accompaniment and legal support of one of the first communities forcibly displaced by climate change in Mexico: “The Forest, Tabasco”. She is a professor at the Tecnológico de Monterrey and founding partner of the firm specialized in constitutional law Magaloni Abogadas.