Alex Ortiz is a youth climate activist, scientist, and local organizer, accelerating the just transition to a world powered by renewable energy and working to break free from fossil fuels. Originally focusing his pursuits on studying meteorology, Alex was introduced to the world of student organizing through his University’s fossil fuel divestment campaign, working to communicate the complexities of climate change to the broader campus community through interdisciplinary discourse. Since then, he has organized students as part of the Don’t Frack Maryland Campaign through Maryland PIRG, successfully pushing Maryland to become the first state nationwide with natural gas reserves to pass a legislative ban on fracking. Additionally, he spent the past summer traversing the state of Vermont, working with 350Vermont as part of their statewide Summer Pop-Up Series, developing a four-day community climate change curriculum project, elevating local residents’ voices and concerns and enabling collaboration with local stakeholders to create actionable change. Currently, Alex is working with Oil Change International and the Sunrise Movement as a campaigner on their #NoFossilFuelMoney Pledge Campaign, pressuring electoral candidates to reject dirty money, separating oil and state, and making climate change the top priority in America’s 2018 mid-term elections, and beyond.
As part of the SustainUS Delegation to the 2018 World Bank Meetings, Alex is excited to expand youth engagement and elevate youth voices in traditionally private spaces, working on increasing transparency and accountability in the Bank’s decision-making processes and its commitment to ending all upstream oil and gas finance by 2019. The World Bank must prove that it is serious about addressing and solving the climate crisis, as it is one of the few institutions that have the capacity and influence to reach national, sub-national and private institutions across the globe. It has already committed to ending extreme poverty by 2030 – now it’s on us to ensure that these communities will be presented the opportunity to be lifted out of poverty through sustainable development and a just, equitable transition to a renewable, healthy future.”
