Fighting Climate Change with Poems: Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
Provided by: United Nations Climate Change |Published on: March 12, 2026
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Synopsis
This 4-minute video from UN Climate Change features Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, a climate activist and poet from the Marshall Islands.
In the video, Jetnil-Kijiner talks about using poetry to alert people to the climate impacts that the people of the Marshall Islands are already facing, and to urge them to act before the Marshall Islands are underwater.
Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner is a passionate speaker, commanding the attention of viewers.
Students will benefit from hearing her speak about using poetry to bring humanity into the issue of climate change and remind people of the real, human consequences.
Prerequisites
Teachers may want to explain what it means for the university to divest from fossil fuels.
Students should be familiar with climate change causes, impacts, and solutions.
Differentiation & Implementation
Teachers can make connections to geography by having students find the Marshall Islands on a map and research their economy, culture, environment, and risks due to climate change.
Teachers can use the first lesson in this unit to analyze Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner's poem, "2 Degrees", from a literary standpoint.
Students can use this video as inspiration for writing their own poems about a climate or environmental issue that is important to them.
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