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Climate change is our inheritance. We must not be passive observers to the decisions and processes that will determine our future.
More than half of young people are concerned about climate change. More than 40% of young people feel that the actions taken by their governments will not prevent them from experiencing it. These are just a few of the alarming results from a survey of over 1,000 young people across 91 countries about the impact of climate change on their daily life, mental health, and outlook for the future.
Half of the world’s population is under 30. However, we are virtually excluded from the decision-making process that has so far failed to take the necessary steps to ensure a sustainable future.
According to a Zambian woman aged 26, who participated in the survey, “young people need decision making power, not just an invitation to the table”.
The survey is the foundation of A new reportOn the issues of concern for youths, June’s Stockholm+50 Conference will be held. It marks 50 years of international decision making on environmental issues and the anniversary of the seminal United Nations Conference on the Human Environment.
We, the youth of the world, were not born in 1972, when conference attendees set out to improve the environment and ensure equality in human development. But we can clearly see that the better future that was envisioned has not come about.
Our report outlines a vision of a future that reflects the aspiration, determination, and solidarity of young people to create a healthy planet. This requires young people to be fully integrated in policy-making and decision-making circles.
It is alarming that only seven countries had made commitments to the Paris Agreement in 2019 and included youth as a stakeholder in decision-making processes related to climate action.
Governments are a hindrance to progress by leaving us out. The climate crisis demands creativity, energy, passion, which are the defining characteristics for youth. These assets can be used to create powerful results.
Frans Timmermans, the Vice President of European Commission, acknowledged that the landmark EU Green Deal could not have been achieved without Greta Thunberg’s climate strikes “Fridays for Future”, which mobilized more 14 million people.
Eric Onchonga, a youth entrepreneur who cofounded Irri Hub Ke, is offering climate-smart irrigation solutions in Kenya to small-scale farmers to address droughts, food insecurity, and other issues.
After decades of being absent, turtles are now laying eggs at Versova beach, Mumbai, after Afroz Shah, a young lawyer, initiated a movement of more than 200,000 volunteers to remove tons of plastic.
History has proven that young people are change agents. It is a fact we all know.
Our survey respondents believe that youth can improve climate efforts. It is time for policymakers and others to recognize our potential. We can all lead the way towards a more sustainable and just society.
Our democratic systems should be reformed to make room for young people. This includes youth quotas and youth-only committees. Because young people lack the financial resources of their elders it is important that they are able to participate in democratic processes.
It is also necessary for governments to reform education systems in order to integrate climate change into school curricula. This will help future generations understand the complex issues that we face and provide a foundation for action.
There are many other ways to increase youth involvement.
One is skills training. The Youth Climate Innovation Hubs of Nigeria have provided support to young people from six regions in Nigeria with entrepreneurship and skills training. This has helped them turn promising ideas into real projects.
Another option is to provide funding to support ideas. Canada’s federal government supports a direct to youth funding program through Student Energy. This youth-led organization enables a variety of clean energy projects. To show that governments care about climate action, such initiatives should be replicated elsewhere.
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Climate change is our inheritance. We cannot be passive observers to the decisions and processes that will determine our future. To steer decisions, our hands should be on top of the process and not on the placard.
This existential threat requires all hands and all generations to be addressed.
This opinion piece is the author’s and not that of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Robin Hocquet (24), is a research associate at Stockholm Environment Institute. He is also one of the authors for the youth-led report “Charting youth vision for a just, sustainable future”.
