Xiuhtezcatl Martinez (Nahuatl languages: ?uw'teskat??, "shoo-TEHZ-caht") or Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez, is an indigenous environmental activist, hip hop artist and youth director of Earth Guardians, a worldwide conservation organization.
Martinez is one of 21 plaintiffs involved in the Juliana v. US case, suing the federal government and Donald Trump administration for failing to act on climate change. The case began in 2015. A federal court rejected the government's move to dismiss the case in November 2016.
Video Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
Activism
As a teenager, Martinez has given TED talks and spoke before the United Nations on environmental policy. In 2015, speaking before the UN for the third time (when he was 15 years old), Martinez urged immediate climate action saying, "What's at stake right now is the existence of my generation."
In 2015 he competed with young musicians from around the world who submitted self-produced music "to inspire the negotiations" at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with their music and Martinez's selection "Speak for the Trees" was chosen as the Jury Award Winner.
Climate change lawsuit
In 2015, Martinez and 21 other youths filed a lawsuit against the US Federal government, Juliana et al. v United States et al.. They argue that the federal government is denying their constitutional right to life, liberty and property by ignoring climate change. The plaintiffs also included parties from the fossil fuel industry as defendants in the lawsuit, but said parties were removed as defendants during pre-trial proceedings. The plaintiffs range in age from 9 to 20 and ten of the children have either Black or Indigenous backgrounds. The lawsuit was launched while Obama was still in office, but in 2017 the plaintiffs substituted the former president's name for Trump's.
Maps Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
Family
Martinez lives with his family in Boulder, Colorado. His mother, Tamara Roske, is the Executive Director of Earth Guardians, a worldwide organization of conservation-minded children and young adults. He has two younger siblings, a sister, Tonantzin, and a brother, Itzcuauhtli. His father, Siri Martinez, is of Aztec heritage and he has raised his children in the tradition of the Indigenous Meshika of the Aztec people of Mexico.
Book
- We Rise: The Earth Guardians Guide to Building a Movement That Restores the Planet - 2017
See also
- Climate change mitigation
References
External links
- Xiuhtezcatl Martinez on Facebook
- Xiuhtezcatl Martinez on IMDb
- TEDx talk
- United Nations speech
- Real Time with Bill Maher interview
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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