WHILE the President of Guyana, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, continues to have a significant international voice on environmental protection and climate security, 13-year-old Ismachiah Oduwole, a footballer from California, USA, is also playing his role in contributing towards the cause.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Chronicle, Ismachiah explained that the main reason for his visit to Guyana was to meet and have a conversation with President Ali about climate change.

According to the young activist, “my visit with President Ali was great; I told him about my mission and what got me into it, and he also signed my climate balls. Apart from that, President Ali offered my dad and me a trip to the rain forest, where I got to see the largest single-drop waterfall in the world, the Kaieteur Falls. I also got a chance to see the lush green forest. I would like to thank him for the experience and the gifts.”

He continued, “there are four reasons why I picked Guyana: the first reason is that Guyana is selling carbon credits because of its large rain forest, the second reason is that by selling carbon credits, Guyana is slowing down deforestation; and it is also contributing to absorbing carbon dioxide.
“My third reason is that Guyana has a full-proof programme for the citizens so that they can learn about the cause and prevention of climate change. The fourth and final reason why I choose Guyana is because Guyana is exploring hydroelectricity, which is when water is used to produce electricity.”

In his quest for a cleaner and better world for mankind, the 13-year-old activist took the opportunity to speak to the people of Guyana, especially the children, saying, “It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can make a difference. Ensure that you dispose of your garbage properly, and a simple gesture can go a long way. We can all make the world a better place. I went to Africa with my family, and I saw single-use plastic on the floor, and I thought to myself that the plastics were supposed to be in the trash and not just lying there. That’s when I decided that I wanted to do something to protect the climate and the earth.”

Ismachiah further explained that he was a part of the two soccer/football leagues in California. According to him, he was pleasantly “surprised” and “ecstatic” to learn that his parents “saved up” the money to send him to the FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar last December. Rather than just going to watch the match, Ismachiah said he was inspired by the work of his sister, Zuriel Oduwole, a 20-year-old filmmaker and education advocate who is also working to make the world a better place.

“So, I came up with the concept, which was to gather numerous soccer supporters from all around the world that were in Qatar and have them sign my climate balls. By signing the balls, they were making a pledge to take additional climate action and sustainability measures once they returned home. People from more than 28 countries signed the balls; Brazil, England, Argentina, Senegal, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Columbia, the Netherlands, Morocco, South Korea and many, many more,” explained Ismachiah.

The young American footballer then identified US and global companies that were making a clear mark in climate awareness as a good example for the next generation or in clear climate mitigation initiative reporting. He then began to invite the CEOs of such companies to sign a letter just for global executives and world leaders.

According to him, the CEO of the world’s largest hotel group - Anthony Capuano of Marriott Hotels; the Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles; the CEO of a major US airline, Peter Ingram of Hawaii Airlines; the UK’s top Premier League teams, Arsenal Football Club and Tottenham Hotspurs; the UAE’s largest hotel resort (JA Resorts); the CEO of the world’s biggest express shipping company, FedEx; the President of the Seychelles; Africa’s Most Sustainable Country, and most recently, President Irfaan Ali, have all signed the ball and made a pledge towards climate change. President Ali’s pledge on the ball reads, “We pledge to develop our country along a low-carbon path that is through the LCDS 2030.”

In his meeting with Ismachiah, President Ali commended the young activist for his initiative and explained to him some of the facts about Guyana’s forest.
According to the President, “the forest that we have is a part of the Amazon Forest, and it stores 20 per cent of the world’s oxygen. Our forest is the size of England and Scotland combined; it stores 19.5 gigatonnes of carbon, and 15 per cent of all the revenues that we earn on the carbon sales go directly to the Indigenous People, which are the first people of the country. The revenue goes towards them to help them directly with their livelihood.”