Vanessa Nakate's activism has propelled her to the world stage as one of the highest profile young voices in the fight against global climate change. But as she prepares to take the stage this month at the United Nations -- she wants the world to know that activism alone can't solve a climate crisis that is already affecting millions in countries around the world. "Many young people are speaking out. But then those with the political will and the resources needed to transform the entire world, they're the ones who really need to do something," said Nakate in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. Nakate, 25, says she was inspired by Greta Thunberg when she began protesting more than three years ago on the streets of the Ugandan capital, Kampala. In the years since, she's founded a movement called Rise Up, which aims to elevate the voices of African climate activists. She has spoken to world leaders at the COP 25 and COP26 climate summits. On Thursday, UNICEF appointed Nakate as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador -- a position she hopes to use to elevate the voices of people whose lives are directly impacted by climate change. "It's evident that those who are being impacted the most right now are the ones least responsible," she said. Nakate says that in a time when global news coverage is focused on the tragic stories of Ukrainians, it's also a time to remind the world that suffering -- as a result of floods, drought and famine -- continues around the world.
