Miami is full of young people who continue to advocate for climate changes. During the Art Basel Miami event, youth protestors of Miami Climate Strike and supporters gathered and began on the steps of the Miami-Dade County Courthouse as they made their way to their final stop, the Torch of Friendship in Downtown Miami.
according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Miami is one of America’s major coastal cities considered to be “ground zero” for sea-level rise. The timing was perfect because of the relevancy of Art Basel Miami Beach and the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 25 occurring in December 2019.
“This strike takes place on this date (Dec. 9) because the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg calls for climate strikes every once in a while when there’s a momentous event happening in order to create meaningful climate action,” says John Paul Mejia, head organizer of Miami Climate Strike.
One of the concerns with large-scale art fairs like Art Basel Miami Beach is the carbon footprint left. In 2018, the show attracted an attendance of 83,000 people in five days, according to Art Basel.
With all this global and high-profiled attraction, it raises the concern if anyone is aware of the imminent danger Miami faces with climate change as it erodes away and if anyone is doing something about it.
Miami neighborhoods like Little Haiti are catching the eyes of developers due to the fact it sits on a higher sea level than areas like Miami Beach and Downtown Miami.
“Being born and raised in Little Haiti, flooding is something I am accustomed to. It is clear to see that the most vulnerable communities are suffering the worst from climate change,” says Jessica Saint-Fleur, Organizer for Engage Miami.
Miami artist Eddie Arroyo, known for his political paintings, centered Little Haiti in a series about gentrification that was on display in the recent Whitney Biennial.
“Art should be used to make a political statement,” says Andrew Weaver, press director of Miami Climate Strike. He says that local climate activists will use similar awareness tactics as they have for Art Basel to capitalize on the impending Super Bowl, taking place in Miami in early 2020, saying, “We are definitely going to make a political statement.”
A spokesperson for Art Basel tells artnet News the symbiotic relationship of art fairs with climate change by saying, “Art fairs are not by their nature environmentally friendly as they require extensive travel and shipping and create waste. Addressing the environmental impact of the international art world is a pressing issue.”
The bellies of the youth, climate activists of Miami, are fueled by local non-profit organizations like the CLEO Institute. Those who spoke at the strike in Downtown Miami are all certified speakers by the institute’s GenCLEO youth program. Members attend climate trainings to stay updated to the latest climate change science, share ideas and network to build community leaders.
The founder of the CLEO Institute and it’s Senior Climate Advisor, Caroline Lewis, speaks fondly by saying, “They are so unapologetic for a livable future. We, as adults, should be the wind beneath their wing to give them the opportunity to affect change. I can do nothing but applaud that.”
