Conscious Leader: Rachel Welch-Phillips is convicted about climate action

Climate Action is a moral and ethical imperative

An interview with sustainability activist Rachel Welch-Phillips

“Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else. Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” Maya Angelou

You describe yourself as a passionate advocate of sustainability. Tell us what it means to be an advocate of sustainability and why should sustainability matter to youth in the region?

"The core is empathy – advocates must listen to and understand the perspectives and experiences of others. Today’s technology provides overwhelming access to information that allows millennials and beyond to understand different viewpoints and foster collaboration. It has united the world in the magnitude of the sustainability challenges we face and facilitated truly impactful action.

Sustainability is all about meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.

I am of the view that for the first time in history, sustainable transformation of how we live as a human race is not a choice but a mandate for survival. No one feels that imperative more than today’s youth."

Trinidad and Tobago is in a vulnerable position to climate change. In 2018, in a ratification to its 2015 intent, the country has made a commitment under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2030. Is this target realistic? AND what is needed to realise this.

"Vulnerable is an understatement. As a small island state Trinidad and Tobago faces the imminent threats of sea level rise which are many and significant. The reality is that nothing will change for the current generation even if we do reduce 15% of our emissions by 2030 – what is coming our way is as a result of past behaviour. So, unless we find a way to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere at exponential rates, the damage is done – however we DO have a moral and ethical imperative to ensure that the way we live today doesn’t compromise the world our children live in.

Trinidad and Tobago like much of the Caribbean is not a data-strong nation so progress towards the target can be difficult to transparently track. However, according to the First Biennial Update Report to the UNFCCC, 90% of our nation’s measurable greenhouse gas emissions are derived from two sectors: energy and industrial processes and product use. Our Paris commitment target is only feasible where targeted action is taken in these two sectors."

You hold a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Environmental Policy. What inspired you to pursue this course of study and how has that informed how you see the world.

"I have always held a deep love and care for the natural environment – this could be attributed to many things, but simple childhood pleasures like racing sticks with my brother in the river that flowed behind my Maraval home certainly fortified it. However, when I was around 12 years old that river was diverted and the hills around it sliced into to build an upper middle class townhouse community, and I was livid. This, coupled with a burning need to pursue justice at all costs (hence the law degree that followed!) led me to want to equip myself with all the information I could to be part of the solution to these infuriating problems.

The Bachelor of Arts Environmental Policy degree at Middlebury College, a liberal arts college in Vermont, brought together economics, political science, psychology, atmospheric physics, geology and even the arts to paint a wholistic picture of the magnitude of what is required to achieve sustainable transformation. The Master of Philosophy in Environmental Policy at the University of Cambridge then delved into the depths of regulatory and legislative frameworks (or lack thereof), spatial economic limitations and macro geopolitical hurdles. The enormous complexity of the problem became truly apparent.

I made it my life’s purpose to be a part of the solutions."

Your studies seem to have taken you across borders. Is there a reason why you have chosen to live or work in other countries – and what have you learned from that experience.

"As the daughter of a diplomat, I left Trinidad aged 8 years old and only returned at the start of 2021. Crossing borders became a way of life both for academic pursuits and pure leisure – I attended International Schools for primary and secondary education, went to universities on three different continents, made friends from every corner of the planet and learned four languages fluently. I am also an avid foodie often travelling purely for culinary exposures."

Tell us about your 2018 Lawyer of the Year Award, while working for an international law firm in London Bird & Bird. It seems your award was linked to your work in diversity and inclusion.

"During that time, I was practising law as a solicitor of England and Wales working at an international law firm in London. I absolutely loved it there. But it became very apparent very quickly that the legal profession in London was lacking in faces that looked like mine. Challenge accepted.

In 2017 I founded the first multi-cultural employee resource group at the firm called Embrace which was born of a desire to celebrate and quite literally embrace racial and cultural difference and evolved into a platform that provides opportunities to dissect stereotypes, break glass ceilings and shake up the status quo in a historically homogenous profession. Through social media campaigns, community outreach and a series of varied events, Embrace engaged with key stakeholders to improve representation, retention and attitudes to racial diversity within the legal profession. Embrace continues strong to this day!

I strongly believe that there are individual moments in your life that are truly definitional to your purpose. I will never forget the day I spoke about the path to law to secondary school students in Lambeth, South London (a predominantly non-white area). Afterward, a young black girl said to me, “I didn’t know lawyers in London could look like you – I thought they had to be white men”. Well, if there was ever a motivating moment in life, this was it. I proceeded to sign up for every mentorship, legal aid clinic and diversity event I could get my hands on – visibility is everything. As a young person it is hard to aspire to what you don’t see. It was those efforts that were recognised by the First 100 Years organisation in awarding me the 2018 Lawyer of the Year Award.

Embrace was also awarded Outstanding Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Network at the UK Diversity Legal Awards 2019."

In interpreting minorities and exclusion, would you say that youth face a particular kind of exclusion? Are we engaging enough with youth and leveraging their value in shaping our regional future?

"The simple answer to that in my opinion is No. It has been a stark reminder for me having lived abroad for so long how hierarchical our power structures in the Caribbean are. We live within societal structures where tenure often outweighs competence, age equates to wisdom and demands deference, and the energy and innovation of youth is undervalued and dismissed, often under the guise of “impertinence” . While there is a place for deference and discipline in society, this should not stifle inclusion.

Involving youth in decision-making cannot and should not be tokenised – it requires creating inclusive and safe spaces for their voices to be heard, respected and valued in order to be effective. This involves empowering youth of all backgrounds providing them knowledge, platforms, skills and resources to contribute to shaping their communities. It must be executed with a long-term lens - ongoing mentorship and access to opportunities must accompany the platform given."

Has the DEI agenda changed over the last 5 years? If so why? If not why?

"Well, let’s start with – what is the DEI agenda? Diversity equity and inclusion looks different in different spaces. As a lawyer in London my race and gender were always a minority. In the Caribbean this has not been the case. I am surrounded by mentors, leaders and advisors in my profession that look and sound like me. However, open conversations in the workplace around inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community for example were commonplace in corporate London and almost completely absent in corporate Trinidad & Tobago.

It is my view that the DEI agenda is essentially an equity gap analysis of a society’s treatment of different categories of people based on cultural norms, historical contexts, legal frameworks, socio-economic factors and levels of awareness around social justice. Nonetheless, every DEI agenda should centre on equal access, availability and opportunity for every human being to enjoy internationally accepted human rights."

How are you influencing DEI issues today?

"Visibility remains the name of the game – I continue to act as a mentor, both formally through programs such as the AMCHAM/IDB Women’s Mentorship Programme, as well as informally to friends, family and social network connections. Mentorship ensures you never (even inadvertently) pull the ladder up behind you on your way up the rungs.

I am also currently developing a non-profit organisation aimed at building a community of women where passion meets experience and potential is connected to access and opportunity. My hope is to encourage a pipeline of women to engender positive disruption and societal change.

In addition, as a new member of the ANSA McAL family, I am excited to contribute to the vast number of sustainability and social responsibility initiatives that are run across the Group. As Head of Legal and Compliance at ANSA Merchant Bank, I will be contributing to the development of the bank’s Natural Capital Hub to finance positive impact on people and the planet. As a strongly purpose driven individual and an ambitious career woman, it is crucial for my purpose to be aligned with that of the organisation I work for. The ANSA Group has provided me with an incredible opportunity to pair my legal and corporate sustainability passions to do meaningful work. Watch this space!"

What do you think may the most pressing issues facing our youth; and what should be done about it.

"I believe the most pressing challenge facing our youth is one of a lack of HOPE. The current generation of youth were born into a world of undeniable climate science preaching inevitable disaster, multiple wars viewed first hand on smart phones, the worst global pandemic in over 100 years, and systemic resource depletion at a magnitude that feels unstoppable.

Hope drives resilience, optimism and a sense of agency among youth but hope doesn’t grow on trees. In order to inspire hope in our youth we need to provide positive role models, foster a sense of belonging, offer opportunities for success, teach coping and resilience, encourage positive solution-oriented thinking, promote social justice, celebrate difference and encourage civic engagement all while mentoring and supporting them as they navigate unprecedented challenges. Sustainability in unattainable without empathy and youth involvement."

Driven as you are by the many societal issues that each need urgent action, what is that thing that keeps you awake at night and what keeps you focussed?

Instances of social injustice. Anything I see or hear that causes harm to someone or something undeservedly and feeling like I can do nothing about it really upsets me. Also, I have two toddlers. Maia is 4 and Levi is 2. They are the more frequent reason I am up at night :) My husband Ian is a renewable energy expert working on projects across the Caribbean, so we share a green soul. He is my soulmate in every respect. He keeps me focussed – and calm

Rachel Welch-Phillips is Head of Legal and Compliance at ANSA Merchant Bank, a member of NextGen Board of IDB Country Office of Trinidad and Tobago, and Vice Chair of the ESG Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago.