Profile: Amanda Tamoka

I am a positive and practical person who spends little time brooding over an issue and instead, tries to find solutions. I enjoy taking on challenging assignments if it means helping others. I am very interested in interacting, asking questions, and constantly growing my knowledge.

I am interested in joining FXB Climate Advocates because I want to make a bigger impact on this planet by learning more about the state of the earth, brainstorming ideas to help the earth and those suffering from climate issues, and make a physical change on the earth and its inhabitants. The effects of climate change have proved to change/alter our environment in very negative ways and those results are damaging our planet as well as endangering all that inhabit it. Those negative impacts can be referred to as global warming, temperature-related death and illness, bad air and water quality, as well as vector and non-vector borne diseases. These negative impacts have proven to affect human health, population, food safety, deforestation, and the increase in endangered species. I want to join a group of peers who are willing to address the climate crisis and work together to improve our environment and society the best way we can. I also want to help others want to make a change for their environment.

Vanessa Nakate is a Ugandan climate justice activist. She was the First Fridays For Future climate activist in Uganda and founder of the Rise up Climate Movement, which aims to amplify the voices of activists from Africa. Vanessa raises awareness of the danger of climate change as well as the causes and impacts. She is also responsible for leading the campaign to save Congo’s rainforest, currently facing massive deforestation.

Vanessa inspires me because though she has faced discrimination due to her skin color, she stands up for herself and continues to fight climate change while looking for ways to improve our environment. One instance in which Vanessa faced adversity was when she cropped out of a photo showcasing prominent white climate activists, one of them, Greta Thunberg. The discriminatory act against Vanessa Nakate acted as an erasure of the voices of POCs in discussions entailing climate change.

As a Nigerian-born Nigerian and Cameroonian, I believe that it is important for my voice to be heard and not ignored. I also think it should be acknowledged that people who look like and are from countries like Vanessa and I are most vulnerable to climate change and human health issues. We must make a change as a society to be better because if we truly want to make a difference to improve the state of our planet and its people, we must all first come together despite any differences and respect as well as listen to each other.