HOLDING GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABLE
XIUHTEZCATL MARTINEZ | 19
KELSEY JULIANA | 23
By Mary Robinson
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez and Kelsey
Juliana took action for the planet long
before the current rise in environmen-
tal activism. At only 19 and 23 years
old, they have been prominent cam-
paigners for over a decade. They rec-
ognize the climate crisis as both an en-
vironmental and a human-rights issue,
and are champions of the intergenera-
tional dialogue needed to address it.
As a director at Earth Guardians,
Xiuhtezcatl has helped young people
in more than 60 countries build en-
vironmental and social- justice move-
ments. He has pushed the impact of
the fossil-fuel industry on indigenous
communities up the political agenda,
and has powerfully communicated the
climate crisis through his writing and
music.
Kelsey has raised awareness of the
climate emergency in classrooms, ral-
lies, film festivals and conferences in
the U.S. and internationally. Together
with 19 other young leaders, she and
Xiuhtezcatl made a constitutional case
against the use of fossil fuels with a
landmark lawsuit against the U.S. fed-
eral government.
It is young people like Xiuhtezcatl
and Kelsey who give me hope, in spite
of the crisis we face.
Robinson is a former President of
Ireland and chair of the Elders, a group
of global leaders advocating for peace,
justice and human rights
MILLER: SCANDEBERGS FOR TIME; MARTINEZ: GETTY IMAGES; JULIANA: TERRAY SYLVESTER—REDUX
