Nieto: MY NAME IS SOPHIA JENKINS NIETO.

I AM 21 YEARS OLD.

I AM IN MY FOURTH YEAR OF UNDERGRAD AT UNM.

I STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY STUDIES AND AM ALSO PART OF THE STUDENT STEERING COMMITTEE FOR UNM LEADERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION AND FORESIGHT ALSO CALLED UNM LEAF.

WE ARE A GROUP OF STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY, RETIREES AND UNM COMMUNITY MEMBERS TRYING TO PUSH UNM TO USE THEIR POWER AS A RESEARCH 1 INSTITUTION AND FLAGSHIP UNIVERSITY OF OUR STATE TO ACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE.

WHEN UNM (INAUDIBLE) ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE -- BECOMING A CARBON AND WASTE FREE CAMPUS AND ENCOURAGING THE UNM FOUNDATION TO DIVEST THEIR ENDOWMENT FROM FOSSIL FUELS AND REINVEST IN RENEWABLE ENERGY.

I HAVE BEEN AWARE OF CLIMATE CHANGE MY ENTIRE LIFE, EVER SINCE I CAN REMEMBER.

I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO SOLVE THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND MY WHOLE LIFE RESOLVES AROUND THIS.

IN CLASS I LEARN ABOUT THE SCIENCE AND POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THROUGH MY WORK WITH LEAF, I TRY TO GET PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO ME.

TO UNDERSTAND THAT NOT ONLY IS CLIMATE CHANGE A REAL THREAT THAT WILL DESTROY OUR FUTURES BUT IT IS ALREADY DISPLACING PEOPLE AND DESTROYING ENVIRONMENTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD.

I AM TOLD BY ADULTS THAT I AM SO YOUNG, I HAVE MY WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF ME, THAT I HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD.

FOR PEOPLE MY AGE THAT FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN, BECAUSE OF THE THREAT CLIMATE DISASTERS POSE TO OUR LIVELIHOODS.

I WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR PLANET BUT I ALSO WANT TO SEE MY 30'S AND MAYBE HAVE KIDS SOME DAY.

SO THAT I CAN SEE THE WORLD AND HAVE IT NOT BE ON FIRE.

THIS SEEMS SIMPLE TO ME.

I AM FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE.

MY LIFE IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR.

THE LIVES OF MY GENERATION AND GENERATIONS TO COME ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR.

OUR PLANET IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR.