Youth Climate Campaigners send Message in a Bottle at COP 31 

By Lagi Keresoma/

“It looks like ocean sovereignty. It looks like peace, and the opportunity to live safe and healthy lives in the islands that we come from. Islands where our homes are not measured by how many years they have left, and where our people are not counted as future climate refugees.” – Ma’atautigia Okalani Mariner

Antalya, Turkiye – While key players are locked in negotiations behind closed doors at COP31, the youth climate campaigners launched their “Message in a Bottle Campaign” where they share hopes, vision and demands for a climate resilient future.

The “Message in a Bottle Campaign” is the initiative and collaboration of Pacific Youth Council, Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, United Nations Development Programme and the COP31 Presidency Youth Climate Champion.

This session featured youth from different countries to share their personal stories inside the bottle and their hope and vision for the future.

Okalani team with UN General Secretary at COP31

Relearning songs, dance and way of living with nature
Ma’atautogia Ma’a Okalani Mariner is a young Samoan woman who is the United Nations Secretary-General Youth Advisor on Climate Change (Pacific) and the Lead Coordinator, 350 Pacific Climate Warrior Samoa and was one of the panelists in today’s youth session.

The future she envisioned for the Pacific is quite different from how others see the future.

“I envision a future where our young people spend their time relearning our songs, our dances and our ways of living with nature,” she said.

She sees a future where the generations will make art and sit with their grandparents like old times.

A future where they still wonder if they can be anything they want instead of flying 40 hours to a global conference to protest against a climate crisis they did not cause.

“And when I think of a future for Pacific people, I think of my Pacific elders whom we often see as elders still working in this space and still fighting for our future,” she said.

She said despite being tired, the elders such as grandparents continue to show up and guide our work despite being tired and having fought this fight for decades.

“So I envision a future where our giants can finally rest. Where our generation, and the next, don’t have to keep justifying our right to exist in our own homelands. Where we can simply live.”

End of a journey & work that never ends
This year marks the end of the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres’ time in office and Maatautogia had the opportunity to spend some time with him.

“He recommitted to making a lot of noise for young people and our futures, he apologized that his generation failed us and said he will continue to do everything within his ability to advocate for us,” she said.

Ma’atautogia said she was emotional when he said those words.

“That broke my heart because all I could think was, he must be so tired,” she said.

The end of the Secretary-General’s term also marks the end of Ma’atautogia’s term as the Youth Advisor on Climate Change (Pacific).

However, whilst the curtain may have fallen on her term, she believes the journey as an advocate and climate activist continues.