How can individuals deal with climate change? Find the community. »Yale Climate Connection

Xiye Bastida was only 15 years old when she spoke at the first international UN gathering in 2018.

That same year, Ottomie-Mexican climate activist received the UN Spirit Award for his youth leadership and tenacity. She then worked with Greta Thunberg in 2019 to lead the climate strike, which had a lasting ripple effect around the world.

Six years later, at the age of 23, her organization regained the initiative in a world where climate catastrophes and creative adaptation are part of the new normal, in which the next generation of activism and advocacy. The action actively supports frontline youth activists in 27 countries, mainly Latin America and the Global South.

Bastida relates her passion for climate justice and indigenous rights to her ancestral roots and intercultural identity. During high school, she moved from Mexico to New York City with her family and graduated from Penn State in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies and policy.

She said unwavering hope and collective action have become anchors on her journey. She advises those who want to make a difference on our warming planet.

“The only individual we all should do is find communities in climate solutions,” Bastida said.

The following interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Yale Climate Connection: Do you have a core moment that awakens you to climate change?

Xiye Bastida: When I was 13, I was flooding in my hometown of the Toluca Valley in Mexico. This is a turning point. Previously, I wanted to be a veterinarian or a scientist. When the flood occurred, I realized that there was nothing but trying my best to restore my relationship with the planet.

Plus, my parents have been activists since their 20s. They met at the Landmark Earth Earth Summit in 1992. I am also my identity because of who my parents are.

YCC: We have heard a lot of people say how life experiences of these floods and disasters are harder to ignore than climate facts and data.

Bastilda: During the Los Angeles wildfires, a sentence spreads, saying, “Climate change will manifest as a series of disasters that are shots observed through a cell phone that are getting closer and closer to your residence until you are the one who photographed it.”

That hit me because the first thing I did when the flood happened in my hometown was to take pictures. I'm in that position and now a lot of the world is experiencing this.

For me, the disasters caused by these climates are the second wave of the climate crisis.

The first wave is disconnection: “I can pollute here, I can occupy this land, I can degrade this land,” and other reasons may exacerbate the climate impact.

So I think seeing the second wave – which could be flooding, more severe rain, drought – it just changed my entire concept of identity in this world.

YCC: It sounds like you are ahead of most people’s climate awareness.

Bastilda: When I was in kindergarten, I was named a “water protector” by my teacher. I'm just responsible for turning off the faucet after turning off all the kids. But for me it was like the best thing that happened to me.

All of this is recognizing my tendencies and what I teach at home. My parents are definitely a generation of climate awareness to some extent. But maybe we don't call it “forward”, we just call it “related to the past.”

Because what we really lack is the connection with our ancestors’ knowledge and wisdom.

YCC: How did this come about in the ecosystem you grew up with?

Bastilda: I had the honor of growing up in a geographical ecosystem about an hour away from Mexico City: San Pedro Tultepec of the Toluca Valley. There is a wetland system there.

My ancestors were closely related to these wetlands around Lake Chimaliapan. My grandma collected mushrooms, frogs and other food from the land. My grandfather's life was woven from the lagoon (lagoon), which is a kind of grass. He can make bags, chairs, hats and anything.

In our Otomi Worldview, we say that woven Tule is like weaving the relationship between the land and us. We have many bio-cultural practices. This is how you understand the beauty of where you come from.

From a young age, I knew I was supposed to be there. It also brings you a significant sense of responsibility. I grew up in a custom of reciprocity, which was consolidated not only in daily life, but also in the gods and beings such as lagoons and volcanoes in the valleys.

YCC: What changes have you seen where you came?

Bastilda: Because we are so close to Mexico City, the area is one of the largest industrial sites in central Mexico. Toluca has many factories, factories and illegal wells that drill into the aquifers to obtain water.

So even over the past 20 years, even in my life, things have changed from a close relationship with our ecosystems, lands and rivers to a polluted and separated river.

Seeing this growth made me a little frustrated and confused. One thing I was told at home is that compared to seeing the reality of many industries and companies rather than the reality of caring about – “We are here to take care of the earth.”

YCC: How do you convey these feelings to something meaningful and hopeful?

Bastilda: I went to high school in New York, and that was where my activism really flourished and flourished. There is an environmental club, I joined it and then became one of its leaders.

But, I said “We have to go to Town Hall. We have to go to Albany. We have to take buses and kids' buses to make sure the delegates are listening, not staying in the club at school, watching a documentary or doing vegan challenges. We have to take buses and buses.”

To me, it's more like the power I see in New York and the potential of the media. We will use the power of New York.

I became a young member of the Administrative Committee of the People's Climate Movement at the age of 16. This makes me feel capable. From this position, I developed a youth activism training program that trained more than 70 young people.

YCC: Is this before Greta Thunberg calls for a future school strike and parade on Friday?

Bastilda: When Greta called for a climate strike in 2019, we had mobilized and organized from schools. This call just brings us to this global space and narrative.

We started organizing in New York, and our first parade had 5,000 youths. Our fourth one has 300,000 people. It's exponential, and I'll never forget that. This is what gives us hope.

A lot of my hopes I draw inspiration not only from my sources, my land and values ​​- the idea that I know our responsibility to the earth and our ancestors – it also comes from facts that have been done before.

We have mobilized hundreds of thousands and millions of people around the world. I believe in those people, I believe in the chain reaction. I know we are beacons of action in every corner of the world.

YCC: How has this strategy changed since the 2019 climate strike?

Bastilda: We need to adopt different strategies because the parade does not attract the same attention.

Part of the reason we are on the street is because it has attracted attention from media around the world. There are protests now and no one hears them. If we do this now, it won't have the same social awakening as it does.

Now, we do it all from a different perspective: we do our work through nonprofits, education, by attending UN conferences.

Now, not only are we showing up on protests, but we can actually learn how negotiations work. We have successfully changed the language of negotiation and policy at the United Nations level.

YCC: Consistently appearing in important spaces seems to be the subject of how you trigger change.

Bastilda: At the UN Conference, we went because if we weren't there, they wouldn't include youth in the text. If we weren't there, they wouldn't include indigenous people in the text. They will not include any justice framework in the text.

If the unaffected person does not exist, they will delete it. Make a difference. We keep appearing because it changes where the funds go and the ultimate change in priority.

YCC: I know burnout is a huge threat to this kind of work. What do you recommend to activists or anyone working on climate action?

Bastilda: My nonprofit is primarily committed to this, even if our colors are bright pink, we all involve hope, optimism and action. Our main program is to provide resources for young people who are training through seminars and training.

Personally, I was so burned out that I was hospitalized for my heart pal due to stress. That was when I organized a climate strike in high school.

I remember telling myself, “This is the last time I want to put my body in this position.” So I started to pay great attention to enough sleep, drink enough water, eat well, and spend time with friends and family with a smile.

Tricia Hersey has a very good book called “Resting is Resistance.” Rest is part of activism. Take a nap, take a break, say 2am, which can happen a lot in our global network of people. Ceremonies, such as sweat huts, are also important to me.

Setting boundaries is good, so we can enjoy long-term interest in pursuing climate solutions.