Over the past two weeks, the eyes of the world have turned to the Convening of Parties (COP21) climate talks in Paris, France. Leaders from every corner of the globe, from more than 190 countries, have been actively engaged on a serious conversation about each nation’s long-term goals on the pressing issue of climate change. Among the topics discussed are emissions reductions, the accelerating changes in global temperature, the mitigation of the impacts of climate change, the respective responsibilities and capabilities of each country present in the talks, and of course, who shoulders the financial responsibility for what. The outcome of these talks will undeniably impact every living thing in this planet.

As part of a delegation of Latinos put together by the World Wildlife Fund, I was honored to be invited to attend the COP21 conference – on my personal capacity as a Latino rights advocate –along with Mark Magaña, Founder of Green Latinos, and Hector Sánchez, President of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA). Our delegation’s main objective was to ensure that the issue of climate justice, particularly as it applies to Latinos, is taken into consideration as the parties set forth the legally binding global climate action agreement to be put into effect in 2020. Every activity we participated in, from talks about the impact on our community to meetings with indigenous and leaders from Latin America and around the world, were set to ensure that climate justice again takes a front -and- center stage in the negotiations about the future of our planet.

Why should the impact to underserved communities be taken into consideration? This week, as we celebrate the 67th anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights, signed in Paris in 1948, it is worth noting that affected populations around the world are guaranteed the funds and resources that support clean air and water, sustainable development of these areas, protection from natural disasters, and from the exploitation of natural resources by big business. Climate change affects everyone on earth, but its impact is truly disproportionate on these communities.

Consider these facts about the Latino community: Some 28 million Latinos currently live in California, Texas, and Florida, the states most affected by droughts, flooding, and other extreme climate phenomena. According to an NRDC study, 50 percent of Latinos live in one of the 25 cities most contaminated by ozone. Another study by Yale University shows that Latinos also tend to live in areas with higher pollution. A high percentage (49 percent) also live in coastal communities prone to hurricanes, sea level rise, and erosion. These factors, among many others, make people in these communities more vulnerable to things like heat-related deaths, coastal storm-related losses, as well as health-related problems such as increased asthma attacks, cardiovascular problems, cancers and other ailments. Latino children, whose families often live in these areas, are 40 percent more likely to die from asthma than non-Latino white children. Other low-income communities, such as African Americans, indigenous people, as well as those living in rural and underdeveloped areas of the country also bear the brunt of these risks.

In Latin America, a region with obvious deep ties to the U.S. Latino community, 13.2 million people have been affected by disasters such as droughts, excessive rains, and floods in 2015 alone. These, like other developing and other underdeveloped countries, have increasingly become hubs for fracking, deforestation, air, and water contamination. This increases the vulnerability of entire segments of the population to devastating life and monetary losses. And this is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Climate change’s adverse effects extend all the way to how these communities work, their income opportunities, and their quality of life – to their very existence.

With 77 percent of the Latino population agreeing that the U.S. should do whatever it takes to protect the environment, we must ensure political candidates include climate change solutions for our communities at the top of their agenda.

In spite of these alarming statistics, not all discourse around the conference is doom-and-gloom. There is also a very real sense of hope and optimism around these talks. On an interview with Univision earlier this week, Hector Sánchez shared his excitement about potential collaborations on the issue with “important sectors as well as with our colleagues from Latin American nations. We must explore all of these connections we have as Latinos.” Felipe Calderón, ex-President of Mexico and a long-time climate advocate, also expressed his hope for a more united Latino/Latin American front against this issue. “It gives me joy to see all of these small initiatives, all these small seeds being planted, he said. “I hope they fall on fertile ground and that there is a Latino voice in the United States, throughout the world, and of course in our Latin American region, for the planet.”

Yet, optimism can only get you so far. In the next couple of days, as the talks come to an end, it is imperative that the leaders involved in the discussion integrate language about protecting human rights into the operational and financial aspects of the agreement, as well as in the so-called ‘ambition goals’ of each country. An agreement on reinforcing the rights of the most impacted populations, with the support from all the convening parties, is the best way to ensure these talks go beyond being simply that, talks. Mariana Panuncio, World Wildlife Fund’s Director for the Latin American region, asserts, “For the upcoming agreement to work, it will require universal participation. This means all countries in the world, as well as the private sector and the civil society, must unite efforts to face this.”

What you can do
We can talk about saving the planet and carbon emissions until we run out of air. But the message won’t truly hit home until we can connect the dots between climate change, what is going on in Paris and the direct implications of the upcoming agreement on our daily life and that of our families. For our community, it is crucial to understand that there is a real connection between power plant locations and the dire numbers in Latino children’s asthma rates, for example, or the impact of increased temperatures on the agricultural jobs – in which our community is overrepresented – and on the recurrent floods in our own hometowns in Latin America.

1. Get informed
So what can we do to ensure these talks reflect and honor the tenets of climate justice they were designed to uphold? The first step is to get informed. Sites like climático.org, from the World Wildlife Fund, and Planeta Futuro, from the Spanish El País newspaper, offer bilingual resources explaining the issue and how it affects our communities in the U.S. and abroad. U.S. Spanish-language media empires Univision and Telemundo have also been closely following the conference. Armed with this newfound awareness on climate impact, it is equally important to share with your friends, family and everyone you know.

2. Vote with your wallet
The second step is perhaps the easiest: Let your wallet speak for you. By actively informing yourself about what companies operate under a clean economy, you are bound to make better shopping decisions, thus sending a strong message to the marketplace about how seriously you take this issue. Apps such as GoodGuide rate common food, personal care, and household products on how ‘green’ they are.

3. Rock the Vote
With the U.S. elections next year, the third step is imperative: Vote. With the current alarmist state of affairs against immigrants in this country, we must continue to remind politicians of our growing political muscle. With 77 percent of the Latino population agreeing that the U.S. should do whatever it takes to protect the environment, we must ensure political candidates include climate change solutions for our communities at the top of their agenda.

4. Participate online
Last but not least, you can also make sure your voice is loud and clear at the COP conference. You can participate on the online discussions taking place under hashtags #COP21, #COP21Latino, and #EarthToParis to voice your questions and concerns. You can also let leaders at the COP know you want a solution to these issues by tweeting them using tweetyourleader.org.

We are at a critical juncture on our planet’s history, and we still have a hand on what kind of earth we want our future generations to inherit. Having attended the COP21 conference made me painfully aware of the extent to which all the social justice issues I have been involved on in the past few years are interrelated. For this reason, I pledge to do all I can to make sure we can prevent an irreversible deterioration of our environment and further damage to the disadvantaged communities of the world. I hope you pledge to do so too.

Earth to Paris: In December, leaders, experts, and advocates will gather in Paris as all the nations of the world come together to finalize a new global climate agreement. In the lead up to this marquee moment, Global Daily and our partner Climasphere are featuring a series on why climate is from voices all over the world: from activists, advocates to thought leaders.