As young people, climate change is an ever-present factor in their lives, but it was later in life where they realised the role they could play in addressing it. Speaking to their journey up to this point they acknowledge that “it’s often so overwhelming and as ordinary citizens and it can feel like there’s not much we can do”. Similarly, they note that for a long time environmentalism was “really inaccessible” because it focused so much on an individual’s actions, rather than systemic change. Nevertheless, both found a calling to address climate change. For Phoebe this moment came from seeing the impact of climate change on both her homes of Greece and New Zealand. In Greece she would see “extreme forest fires on TV…climate change not being mentioned”, in New Zealand she also saw how climate change was having a “real impact on the culture”. Ri on the other hand was struck by projections of how future sea level rise, whilst at the same time, witnessing the news reports that the Amazon was on fire. 

For them it was highschool where they decided that the law was how they wanted to make their mark. Whilst attending law school in Wellington they joined the university’s ‘Climate Clinic’. Whilst there and with the support of an incredible tuakana, they  became interested in potential legal cases. Through this Students for Climate Solutions was born as an entity independent from the university and able to litigate. In November 2021, they filed a judicial review case in the Wellington High Court against Megan Woods, the Minister for Energy and Resources. Their case concerned the issue of permits for onshore oil exploration in Taranaki, with SFCS arguing that the Government had failed to consider the climate change implications of the decision to issue permits and further was in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ri and Phoebe note that even permits for oil exploration are “incredibly environmentally destructive” outside of their impact on climate change. They saw this litigation “as a mechanism to finally change the political thinking” that does not see the interconnection between issuing oil and gas permits, and the real-world effects of climate change. From a Net-Zero perspective their aim was to highlight to the government “that without actually stopping oil and gas exploration, and extraction, there’s no chance that we will even go near Net-Zero”. 

On Net-Zero, they believe “everyone knows what the goal is but kind of forgets that, in order to achieve that goal, you have to do quite drastic, radical systemic change”. For them, the concept “speaks of hopeful action, but in reality, quite a bit of inaction”. They recognise the importance of New Zealand’s Net-Zero target laid out in the Zero Carbon Act. However, they are concerned that New Zealand’s Net-Zero target relies too heavily on mitigation technologies (like carbon capture and storage) that do not yet exist, and much more work to reduce methane emissions in agriculture is needed. As a result, they stress that “Net-Zero needs to be met with current action”. Even so, they think a Net-Zero future is ‘really exciting’. To them it not only means systems, like energy and transport, are cleaner and more efficient, it also presents an opportunity to embed matauranga Māori and honour Te Tiriti. To reach this future, they believe society has to move away from a euro-centric approach and instead elevate indigenous and youth voices. Ultimately, this would mean “humans reconnecting with their nature” having a focus on “longevity and quality of life, rather than exponential wealth”. Indeed, for SFCS themselves, they recognise that “this is the beginning of our life’s work”.

You can keep up to date with the work of Students for Climate Solutions here.