Vocabulary of An Open Letter to UN Secretory General

Word	Phonemic Transcription	Meaning
Advocate	/ˈædvəkət/	to speak or write in support of something
Adolescent	/ˈædələsənt/	a person between the ages of 13 and 19
Aspirations	/ˌæspəˈreɪʃənz/	hopes or ambitions
Assess	/əˈses/	to judge or evaluate the value, importance, or quality of something
Bold	/bōld/	courageous, confident, and determined
Call to action	/kɔl/	a request or demand for people to do something
Climate change	/ˈklaɪmət/	a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth's local, regional and global climates. These changes have a broad range of observed effects that are synonymous with the term.
Courage	/ˈkər(ə)j/	the ability to do something that frightens one
Decarbonize	/diˈkärbəˌnaɪz/	to remove carbon from something
Deforestation	/ˌdiːfɔrɪˈsteɪʃən/	the clearing of a forest or stand of trees
Empower	/ɪmˈpaʊər/	to give someone the authority or power to do something
Equity	/ˈɛkwəti/	the quality of being fair and impartial
Existential threat	/ɪɡˈziːstenˈʃəl/	a threat to the continued existence of something
Fossil fuels	/ˈfɔsəl/	fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas that are formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals
Future generations	/ˈfjuːtʃər/	people who will live in the future
Global	/ˈɡloʊbəl/	relating to the whole world
Greenhouse gases	/ˈɡriːnˌhɔʊs/	gases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap heat
Harmonize	/ˈhɑːrməniz/	to bring into agreement or into a state of accord
Inaction	/ɪnˈækʃən/	the state of not doing something
Influence	/ɪnˈfluəns/	the power to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something
Inspire	/ɪnˈspaɪr/	to fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or create something
Intense	/ɪnˈtens/	very great in degree or amount
Leadership	/ˈliːdəship/	the ability to lead a group of people or an organization
Legacy	/ˈlɛɡəsi/	something that is handed down from one generation to another
Mobilize	/ˈmoʊbəˌlaɪz/	to organize and make ready for action
Moral	/ˈmɔrəl/	relating to principles of right and wrong behavior
Motivate	/ˈmoʊtəˌveɪt/	to provide (someone) with the reason or encouragement to do something
Opportunity	/ˌɑːpərˈtuniti/	a time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something
Pledge	/pledʒ/	a solemn promise or assurance
Prioritize	/prəˈraɪəraɪz/	to decide which things are most important and should be dealt with first
Problem-solving	/ˈprəbləm/	the process of identifying and resolving problems
Protect	/prəˈtekt/	to keep safe from harm or danger
Represent	/rɪˈpräzɛnt/	to act on behalf of or speak for someone or something
Resilience	/rɪˈzilɪəns/	the ability to recover quickly from difficulties
Sustainable	/sənˈsteɪnəbəl/	able to be maintained at a steady level without exhausting resources or causing damage to the environment
Take action	/teɪk/	to do something to solve a problem or achieve a goal
Urgent	/ˈɜːrdʒənt/	requiring immediate action
Vulnerable	/ˈvʌlnərəbl/	open to attack