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CH A P T E R ON E
FIND YOUR PASSION

In 2013 Typhoon Haiyan destroyed Marinel Ubaldo’s AHA!
home in the Philippines and killed more than 6,000
people. Ubaldo, then 16, was determined to tell the Storm Power
world what had happened and how the effects of climate
change had devastated her family and community. She What’s the difference between a cyclone and
a typhoon? They are both powerful storms, but
wanted people in power to act before it was too late. typhoons occur in the northwest Pacific Ocean,
Now she travels all over the world. She explains how and cyclones hit the southern Pacific and the
rising seas and warming oceans make typhoons more Indian Ocean.
powerful. She talks about how fossil fuels pollute the
oceans, forcing fishermen like her father to fish danger-
ously far out to sea in less polluted waters.
“For me, it’s important that people can hear a firsthand story,” she said. “If we

postpone this and wait for another disaster for us to decide, then maybe we might
never see what tomorrow brings. We might lose our future.”
Ubaldo’s passionate words help people understand what she’s experienced and
what is at stake if the world does nothing to slow climate change.
Passion is key to changing the world. It’s about caring so much that you have to
do something. Passion inspires people to work toward change despite resistance and
obstacles.
Litia Baleilevuka also speaks passionately about climate change. In 2016, when
Baleilevuka was 18 years old, Cyclone Winston hit her community in Fiji. Thousands

of people were killed, listed as missing or left homeless. Her mother’s village, Nasau on
Koro Island, which was once a haven of beauty and peace, was shattered—the cyclone
blew houses and people away. Baleilevuka told her story at the United Nations (UN)
climate talks in Poland in 2018.
Young activists like Ubaldo and Baleilevuka often lead the fight for change. They
recognize that their lives will be impacted for years to come unless people act now.

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