What you need to know about teen
climate activist, cosmic thapa.
politics - feature
February 6th 2020
By Zoe Olawore
In this month's print edition we asked you to tweet us using the hashtag #askcosmic to send us the questions you'd like us to ask Cosmic Thapa. Below is a transcript of a phone interview and at the end is an exclusive video interview with Cosmic. Due to COVID-19 the video interview was conducted over Zoom. Continue reading and check out the video to see if your questions were answered!
Cosmic Thapa is an eighteen years old climate change activist who started fighting for change at the age of twelve years old. Although Cosmic was born in Sri Lanka, she migrated to London when she was six due to the civil war. When she heard that Sri Lanka was ranked the sixth country most affected by climate change she began to learn more about climate change and worked to raise awareness.
Stay safe and happy reading!
Cosmic Thapa at Sky Gardens
How it all started
Zoe: One thing I think has shocked many people is the fact that you started combatting climate change at twelve years old. On Twitter @annabelle_uh asked what is it that made you want to start fighting climate change at such a young age?
Cosmic: Migrating to London I often felt privileged in comparison to my cousins and family members who were still in Sri Lanka since when I left the civil war in Sri Lanka was still going on. I felt so privileged but guilty that I had been so lucky: when I found out that Sri Lanka was predicted to be heavily affected by climate change I knew I had to start doing something. Initially, I was motivated by fear and guilt but now it’s just passion.
Zoe: Being an immigrant myself I can definitely relate to that feeling of being so privileged you almost feel a sense of responsibility to help others back home. At the age of twelve though I can imagine there were a lot of limitations to what you could do to combat climate change so how did you start out?
Cosmic: Yep there were SO many limitations, particularly from my parents. I think they were worried that I would become so passionate about fighting climate change that I would not focus in school anymore and they saw education as the pathway to success so they restricted the amount of time and energy I could dedicate to learning about climate change.
Zoe: I’m interested, did those limitations from your parents dishearten you or did it just further your desire to learn more about climate change?
Cosmic: Definitely the latter. It’s like when a parent tells you not to do something you naturally want to do that thing even more.
Zoe: It’s ironic how that happens! When it comes to such a big problem such as the climate crisis people may feel anxious because they don’t know how to start tackling the problem or if their efforts will change anything. @Pixiecatto asked what were your first steps in tackling climate change because she also doesn't know where to start.
Cosmic:I can definitely empathise with that situation because I've been there. When I first got interested in fighting this problem I started with researching in my local libraries, reading the books and watching videos on the computers. After this, and I don't know how I even had the confidence to do this, anytime I had the opportunity to share my interests or do presentations in school I would talk about climate change. I guess that was my way of raising awareness. So Pixie I would say it's best to start with researching and raising awareness!
Cosmic Thapa at Sky Gardens
HOW THE ACTIVISM GREW
Zoe: It’s so interesting how when we are younger we feel much bolder to be able to speak about what interests us or do what we are interested in? How did your activism change when you got older?
Cosmic: It’s true but as I got older my passion for the movement grew and grew, and so did my efforts. I’m sure you’ve heard about her but Greta Thunberg is another teen climate activist and she spent school days protesting climate change outside the Swedish parliament by herself. Her efforts were covered by publications like the BBC and it became an international movement. Seeing other young people fighting hard to combat climate change also made me want to work harder and do more.
Zoe: It’s impressive that she was holding these strikes, initially, all by herself. I've got to respect the grind! I know that you also played a key role in the school strikes for climate change which were inspired by Thunberg's efforts. Can you tell us more about that?
Cosmic: Yeah! When I heard about Greta’s work I knew I had to join the movement. In the past I had made friends with other teen activists via social media so I reached out to them saying how I wanted to create a similar school strike but in the UK. I created one whatsapp group, added my friends and told them to add people that would be interested. I wrote a letter to the Westminster police force telling them about this protest and thankfully it got approved.
Zoe: You mentioned that you used social media to gather protestors together, and I understand that social media is now a powerful tool for activists, too. How else has social media aided your activism?
Cosmic: Recently I've really began to focus on using Twitter and Tik Tok because both these platforms allow content to go easily viral. So if I want to share some information that I think needs to be heard by a large audience that's the platform I'll use. I remember one time I posted about the UK climate summit which world leaders would be attending and how young people could protest outside - that tweet gained a lot of attention.
Zoe: I love that! @Shannoncolem_5 asked how you were actually able to balance your school work with your activism?
Cosmic: It's definitely not an easy thing to do: there were times when I've felt overwhelmed with the work especially around the time when we organised the national school strikes. I also had added pressure from my parents who made it clear that if they saw my grades dropping I would have to limit my involvement in the movement. That being said, I was able to balance the two by limiting other activities such as using social media. At times I would spend lunchtimes doing outstanding work and I avoid going out with friends too often! You don't want to be too extreme because it's important to give yourself breaks but that being said combatting climate change is such an important goal that we have to be willing to make certain sacrifices.
Zoe: I remember when I was revising for GCSEs and it was a lot! People often underestimate how much revision is required when you’re taking exams for nine to ten subjects. I was also curious: were there any obstacles that you came across when you were trying to organise the school strike?
Cosmic: 100%. The biggest obstacle was the fact that a lot of teenagers were initially scared to leave school to protest because we thought we’d potentially be arrested for truancy. When these concerns were raised on social media at first I nearly lost hope. However, I did more research and I found a loophole within the law. When students have parent’s permission the students can leave school under ‘special circumstances’, and this was something very special and important to us!
What the future holds
Zoe: So far we’ve talked about fighting climate change while you were super young and what you did as a young teenager. Do you have any plans for how you would like to combat climate change in the near future?
Cosmic: Yeah I actually submitted my UCAS application yesterday and I am applying for a degree in Environmental Sciences. I’m really interested in developing my understanding of climate change so that my activism is always informed by scientific data and empirical evidence.
Zoe: I feel like people often underestimate how important it is to be knowledgeable about social issues, not just passionate. Do you also have any plans post-uni?
Cosmic: To be honest I’m not 100% sure what I’m gonna do after university. I might try and do a master’s degree at a university that conducts high quality research. That way I can also be part of the professionals who are discovering new and important information about climate change. Or I might try and enter politics with the Green party or the Labour party. Not too sure yet!
Zoe: I’m convinced that whatever you choose to do, you’ll be fine. To end this interview with a final question: @kylawaiters asked what advice do you have for young people who want to help combat climate change.
Cosmic: I think my main advice would be not to underestimate the power of your voice. It’s important not to become fatalistic and believe that climate change is so big of an issue that your voice won’t make a difference because that’s not the case. No matter how small it is, everyone has a platform and
influence. For example, you have family members and friends that are willing to hear you and change their opinions/lifestyle based on what you have to say and that can have a knock-on effect. Be confident that you can make a difference because you can!
Cosmic Thapa at Sky Gardens
video interview
Next month's edition will be focused on the feminist movement and gender equality so if you have particular activists that you would like to see then contact us @frankmagazine on all major social media platforms to have your say!