"Pooja Tilvawala knows it’s a gamble to use more than $46,000 of her own savings to help young people get to the United Nations climate summit in Brazil. But she thinks it’s a necessary one.

As national delegations, activists and other attendees struggle to find affordable places to stay by November, with some deciding not to go at all, Tilvawala, who lives in London, has spent hours working from afar to find lodging in Belem, negotiate prices and contracts and put down deposits. She did all that to create a housing portal specifically for young people who want to be part of the international conference. If not enough people sign up for the housing she’s secured, she might lose some of what she’s put down.

“There’s always a huge number of fossil fuel company representatives there. And who’s going to be there to combat those voices and those negotiating influences?” said Tilvawala, founder and executive director of the global organization Youth Climate Collaborative. “So I was like, ‘We need to be here.’”"

Melina Walling and Seth Borenstein report for the Associated Press September 21, 2025.  [2]