Co-Creating the Future through Intergenerational Climate Leadership
A Conversation Across Generations
During the Annual Global Shapers Summit, I had the privilege of joining a panel on Intergenerational Climate Leadership. I spoke alongside Lindsey Prowse, who leads youth engagement at the World Economic Forum, and Marcele Oliveira, the COP30 Youth Climate Champion. The conversation was moderated by Gill Einhorn, Head of 1t.org. Together, we explored what it means to build cross-generational climate solutions that are bold, lasting, and rooted in community.
From Local Problem to Regenerative Possibility
My own climate journey began back in high school through an entrepreneurial studies course. It was there that I first started to think deeply about the problem of invasive species. I realized these species weren’t inherently bad—they were just out of place, often introduced through human actions. That realization sparked a question: what if we could turn this ecological challenge into a material solution? That led me to start experimenting with turning invasive zebra and quagga mussel shells into sustainable 3D printing filament, and later, to founding Invasive Impact Initiatives. Over time, my work evolved into a broader practice of upcycling invasive species into craft materials and educational tools. To me, innovation in the face of climate crisis means finding utility and beauty in what’s been discarded, honoring cultural and place-based knowledge, and building solutions that move us away from extraction and toward regeneration.
Collective Action, Not Individual Ego
My work spans community organizing, consulting, and creative reuse—and through all of it, I’ve seen the power of local action to shape bigger narratives. When communities take ownership of climate solutions, they’re more effective and more sustainable over time. I’ve come to understand leadership not as individual, but collective. This isn’t my work—it’s our work. That shift in mindset, from ego to ecosystem, is essential. I’ve also seen communities redefine what it means to be a climate leader. When I show up as my full self—as a Black woman, as a granddaughter, as a fiber artist—I’m reminded that identity is not separate from climate work. It is central to it. I learned from Marcele that, in Portuguese, this is referred to as “mutirão” or collective effort. This important concept is cross-cultural and is crucial for successful climate initiatives.
What Decision-Makers Often Miss
Too often, decision-makers overlook the fact that the most transformative ideas are coming from the ground up. Innovation rarely starts in the center—it begins at the margins, with people who have the lived experience, creativity, and adaptability to imagine new systems. These grassroots solutions aren’t just symbolic—they’re deeply practical, and they work.
The Skills Climate Leaders Need Next
If we want to drive systemic change, we need the next generation of climate leaders to be interdisciplinary translators—people who are fluent in science, art, culture, and policy. We need leaders who can think in systems, collaborate across fields, and listen with humility. Communication is key, but not just for the sake of messaging—it’s about building understanding between people with different lived experiences and perspectives. The best leaders I know are storytellers who can communicate urgency without despair, and who connect logic with feeling, strategy with soul.
When Intergenerational Work is Authentic
Intergenerational collaboration is essential to any lasting climate solution—but that collaboration has to be real. It can’t stop at performative gestures or token inclusion. Real partnership looks like shared leadership, where elders offer grounding and history, and youth bring fresh approaches and boldness. It requires a willingness to learn and unlearn on both sides. I’ve experienced this firsthand, working with my grandfather on a land conservation project in South Carolina that honors both legacy and innovation. I’ve also seen it in our workshops, where young people teach older adults how to upcycle invasive species, creating a space where learning flows in both directions.
Designing the Future—Together
Through the Future50 Initiative with the World Economic Forum’s Global Foresight Network, I’ve participated in exercises that make intergenerational collaboration tangible. In one activity, we practiced “backcasting”—envisioning a just, sustainable future and working backward to identify the shifts needed now. It clarified something that’s stayed with me: elders bring institutional knowledge, and young people bring visionary ideas. These strengths don’t cancel each other out. They align.
True intergenerational climate leadership means building a future together—not by asking who leads, but by asking how we lead, across age, experience, and identity. It’s not about keeping a seat at the table. It’s about designing a new table, rooted in shared values and mutual respect.
You can watch the full Intergenerational Climate Leadership panel discussion here:
Image Sources: Christa Odinga-Svanteson; Lindsey Prowse, Lead, 1t.org North America and Youth Engagement, World Economic Forum; Minwoong Eric Hwang, Partner Engagement Specialist, Public Sector, Global Collaboration Village, World Economic Forum; Natalie Pierce, Head of Global Shapers Community, World Economic Forum; speaking in Next Generation Now: Igniting Intergenerational Climate Leadership session at the Global Shapers Annual Summit 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland, 11/7/2025, 16:00 – 17:00 at World Economic Forum Headquarters – . Panel. Copyright: World Economic Forum
