Two campaigners whose environmental efforts put them in the global spotlight encouraged young Bermudians to keep fighting for their communities.

Pahonu Coleman, 19, and Sharona Shnayder, 24, were presenters at the annual Youth Climate Summit held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute last week.

Mr Coleman, a young Hawaiian who was among 13 plaintiffs who spearheaded an historic climate lawsuit against the Hawaiian Government, said that young people were best poised to fight for mitigating climate change.

He added that Bermuda’s community, like many other island communities, was close-knit enough to quickly educate one another and organise for change.

Mr Coleman said: “I think in Hawaii it’s similar — our community and our connection, because it’s so easy to know everyone, that’s really an advantage.

“We’re able to make collective change and it’s easier to educate people because that is your auntie or uncle or your cousins who are your neighbours.”

Ms Shnayder, whose commitment to collecting waste inspired the global Tuesdays for Trash movement, reminded youngsters to keep the conservation alive and active.

She added: “A lot of the time we see ourselves as just one person, like one drop of water in the ocean of the challenges we’re seeing, when in reality one drop of water is what creates the ripple effect.

“No one is too small to make a difference — just get out there and do something.

“You don’t have to reinvent the wheel — there are lots of organisations that are doing something, so just start there and see where it goes.”

The pair spoke during the Youth Climate Summit last week, which united young people and educators to hear talks from environmentalists and create their own conservation goals.

Mr Coleman joined other young people to file a constitutional climate lawsuit against the Hawaii Department of Transportation.

The group argued that coming generations had a right to a life-sustaining climate and that the department was not working towards that, despite federal guidelines to do so.

The transport department eventually conceded in June and agreed to reshape its air, sea and land transport systems to reach the state’s legally established goal of zero emissions by 2045.

Mr Coleman also leads Nā Kukui o Waimānalo, a non-profit organisation that helps young people better understand Hawaii’s cultural roots and geography.

The 19-year-old said that he was motivated by the love he had for his community to fight for its existence.

He added that he felt a “connection” with Bermuda as an islander and understood first-hand the dangers that faced the country and his home.

Mr Coleman explained: “Islands are going to see the sea level rise and we’ve already seen the sea level rise.

“We are seeing climate change happen in our day-to-day lives, whether it be our weather patterns, our seasons starting earlier, or our tides."

Mr Coleman said that young people were in the best position to fight for climate action because any decisions made now would ultimately affect them in the future.

He added that the battle was not just for the protection of young people, but for everyone alive today — and required assistance from all.

Mr Coleman said: "It’s going to take a multigeneration approach to really see the change that is needed.

“As young people we have this powerful voice to impact policy and projects within our communities, and as adults they have the power to make those decisions.”

Ms Shnayder spearheaded Tuesdays for Trash, which went from a form of community service in 2020 to a movement uniting people from more than 40 countries to remove 38,000 pounds of litter from every continent.

The 24-year-old said that, growing up in her home country of Nigeria, she often saw flash floods, only to find out that they were disasters that her community had got used to.

She added that the problem only changed as she moved, witnessed wildfires while living in the US and extreme heatwaves in Israel.

Ms Shnayder said: “Those were things that scientists told us would happen five years ago and at the time it felt apocalyptic, but now it’s a reality.”

She said that she wanted to address the abnormality of the problem and encourage others to tackle it head-on.

Ms Shnayder added that while she initially felt overwhelmed and underrepresented as a woman of colour, she kept the movement going out of a sense of necessity.

She reminded attendees at the YCS that their efforts did not have to be enormous to make a difference and encouraged them to weaponise their voices for good.

Ms Shnayder also reminded the young people to work together and spread the word about their actions, so that more may participate.

She said: “I could have just collected trash in silence, but because I started caring out loud and shared it on social media, that’s what turned the movement into what it is today.”