Young activists are demanding livable cities to save the climate

Credit Greta Thunberg, or UrbanismTikTok — or perhaps the growing understanding that young people will almost certainly experience a vastly different climate situation than the generations who have come before them — but the world’s fiercest livability activists are our young people. Alienated by car culture and radicalized by the emerging climate crisis, young adults are clear-eyed about the ways that past inaction and bad policy have harmed the cities, culture, and planet that they will inherit. And they are vocal about their demands for a better future.

Our fall 2023 intern Modhupa Tsali is one such young person. Modhupa is a sixteen-year-old climate activist who is fiercely dedicated to ensuring a better, more just, and more livable future. For Climate Week (September 17 - 24), we spoke to Modhupa about her strong convictions, how she sees livable streets connecting to the climate, and what motivates her to keep working toward a future free of fossil fuels and climate injustice.

Modhupa and fellow activists at the 2023 March to End Fossil Fuels.

Q: What got you interested in climate activism?

M: Growing up, my family has always moved around from country to country. The one thing that’s stayed constant throughout is the climate crisis and its presence in my life. In Bangladesh I saw floods displace thousands of people from their homes in a district that already faced issues with poverty and lack of healthcare; when I lived in Malaysia, Indonesian forest fires turned the skies red for days; and just a few months ago I got to see the same thing happen once again in New York City.

The truth is that the world isn’t prepared to deal with climate disasters. We learn the science of it in middle school, but we’re still failing to take action. I lived through one major global crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic and it took away a year from my high school life. The climate crisis is going to be much worse. Unbreathable air already interfered with school and livelihoods in New York City in June. I don’t want extreme weather and natural disasters to take over my future. I know what my generation and the countless people who face environmental racism want. The only solution I see is speaking up for change.

How do you see livable streets fitting into climate work?

To build a greener future we need to transform the civil infrastructure that currently relies far too much on pollutants to fuel them- the biggest example being cars. While America has a huge reliance on cars, New York City is an exception because of its metro system. Even so, the subways are far from being able to support the entire city reliably. In the future that I want, green transportation should be efficient, comfortable, and easy-to-access, and for that to happen our streets need to be transformed in a way that supports pedestrians, bikers, and public transport systems. Allowing more people to rely on green transportation would reduce carbon emissions immensely. To reach net zero for emissions, these changes are something that we must implement.Q

Complete Streets aren’t just safe and welcoming, they help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost climate resilience. Credit: NYC DOT.

How do you feel that being from Bangladesh has impacted your outlook or activism around livable cities?

Growing up in the heavily polluted capital of a developing country has definitely affected my outlook on livable cities. Constant smoke in the air, endless traffic jams, heat, and complete lack of greenery in particular areas were the normal thing for me until I moved to New York and found out just how much better everyday life could be with even the smallest changes to the urban landscape.

In New York, we have better opportunities to change things regarding both the climate and our city’s streets. Being from my background has empowered me to push through and get my voice heard because I know how much these efforts matter. In the future that I want, no city should be as polluted as Dhaka, and the way to bring about this future is by transitioning to greener cities and lifestyles.

If you could snap your fingers and every city would be doing one thing differently in streets and public space, what would it be?

If I could snap my fingers and change one thing about the streets and public space in every city, there would be bigger, better, and safer bike lanes for getting to every neighborhood possible. Children should be able to bike to school everyday. People should be able to get to wherever they want without having to resort to cars. It wouldn't only have a huge impact on mental health, it would also give us more freedom to roam the city. Imagine a world where parents don't have to constantly worry about driving their kids everywhere because kids can just bike to wherever they want and be free. I know that’s not very realistic since cities are often too spaced out for bikes to access every neighborhood, but New York is an exception. We can transform our streets to support bikes even further so that this dream comes true.

Modhupa and fellow activists at a weekly Fridays for Future strike.

What gives you hope for the future?

What gives me hope is the people who have been working so passionately in fighting for climate justice, for example, my friends who have worked with me throughout this summer in organizing the March to End Fossil Fuels in order to pressure Biden to commit to meeting the UN’s climate goals for phasing out fossil fuels. We’re all high school students, and a bunch of us are seniors who have to worry about college apps along with our internships and other commitments. Despite all this, we’ve spent every bit of time that we can in leading this march because we’re hopeful and we refuse to give up our future to the fossil fuel industry and politicians who keep bowing down to them. People want change, and we aren’t going to stop fighting for it until we have it.

Anything else you want to mention or highlight? 

I’d like to bring up the March to End Fossil Fuels once again because this is the biggest climate action New York City has planned in years. It represents all of our hopes and our resilience in fighting for our planet. We know what needs to be done for our future, so sign the petition asking Biden to please declare a climate emergency and phase out fossil fuels.

Modhupa Tsali is sixteen years old, a senior in high school, and a member of Fridays For Future- a global youth led organization dedicated to fighting climate change. In the future, I want to study physics, perform in musical theater at least once, and contribute in some way to social justice.