Youth as a stakeholder in Climate Action

As youth movements increasingly shed light on the importance of going beyond climate pledges to implementing action plans to reach sustainable climate goals, CFC Sri Lanka takes a look at some of the critical contributions from Youth Activists from around the world as well as in Sri Lanka, in their bid to fighting the climate crisis.

Why it’s essential to involve Youth in combating Climate Change

Youth are the next generation of leaders, and involving them in the decision-making process is vital in all aspects related to climate action. As the impacts of climate change continue to cripple many countries worldwide, with its effects intensifying over time, one thing has become certain: the planet will be left in the hands of children and youth in the coming decades.

The world is home to 1.8 billion youth between the ages of 10 to 24. This is, in fact, the largest generation of youth in history. Luckily, awareness among many youth movements about the challenges and risks of the climate crisis is on the rise in many parts of the world, providing an opportunity to achieve sustainable development by minimising the threats posed by climate calamities.

Young people’s global mobilisation shows their massive power to hold decision-makers accountable. Their message is clear, “the older generation has failed, and it is the young who will pay in full with their very futures.”

Young people are not the only victims of climate change. They are also valuable contributors to climate action. They are agents of change, entrepreneurs and innovators. Through education, science or technology, young people are scaling up their efforts and using their skills to accelerate climate action.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated, “My generation has largely failed until now to preserve justice in the world and the planet. It is your generation that must make us accountable to make sure that we don’t betray the future of humankind” at the Youth Climate summit in 2019

Young Climate activists from around the world

Greta Thunberg, born on 3rd January 2003, is a Swedish environmental activist known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. She became a global influencer to push youth climate activism; the Guardian magazine describes her influence as the “Greta Effect.” She received numerous awards, including an honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, inclusion in Time’s 100 most influential people, inclusion in the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women (2019), and nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, 2020, and 2021.  Friday’s for Future is a global movement that started due to the Greta effect.

Thunberg refused to attend COP27 this year, stating that.

 “The Cops are mainly used as an opportunity for leaders and people in power to get attention, using many different kinds of greenwashing,” she said.

She added, “The COP’s Conferences are not meant to change the whole system” but instead encourage gradual progress. “So as it is, the COPs are not working unless we use them as an opportunity to mobilize.”

According to the Sustainability magazine, the Top 5 Climate Activists for the year 2022 were,

• Greta Thunberg from Sweden
• Haven Colema from USA
• Jerome Foster II from USA
• Anuna De Wever from Belgium and
• Leah Namugerwa from Uganda

Updates from COY17

COY17 is an annual event under the banner of YOUNGO – The Official Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It was formed after consultation with young people from more than 149 countries and presented at the 17th UN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY17). This year’s event was hosted in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from the 2nd to the 4th of November, on the sidelines of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27).  It comprises intense policy demands across 15 themes, ranging from climate finance and energy to ‘loss and damage’ and climate justice.

The components of this event included,

• Capacity Building,
• Cultural Exchange,
• Skill Building Workshops and
• Policy Documents.

COY officially started in 2005 in Montreal ahead of COP11. In 2009, during COP15, the UNFCCC secretariat and the member states of the convention officially recognized youth as a constituency to represent the formal voice of children and youth in UNFCCC processes.

Minister of Environment of the Arabic Republic of Egypt and envoy for COP 27, Yasmine Fouad, stated, “the change we aspire to will come at the hands of young people who can face the effects of climate change.” She added that “We are all united in our war against climate change and through the climate conference (COP27)”

YOUNGO also organizes the following COYs to strive for universal accessibility

1. Global COY (GCOY) is the most significant and substantial youth conference related to the multilateral UN climate processes. It is the official gathering of YOUNGO members and all interested youth. It happens a couple of days before the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) at the exact location.
2. Virtual COY (VCO) is the virtual space where the global youth community facing different barriers such as lack of travel funds, visa restrictions, age barriers or environmental considerations comes together. vCOY ensures the voices of less privileged, vulnerable, marginalized, refugee and Indigenous groups are adequately heard and represented. All inputs are fed into the Official Youth Policy Document
3. Regional COYs (RCOY) and Local COYs (LCOY) are organized prior to the GCOY across the world to localize the climate conversation and gather more inputs from the ground. RCOYs and LCOYs discuss and develop respective outputs, which feed into national and regional climate policy-making and, consequently, climate negotiations.

The executive summary of the  third official Global Youth Policy Paper this year includes

Demands to “Accelerate the implementation of the environmental dimension of Sustainable Development in the context of the Decade of Action”,

Urging governments to,

• to expand formal and non-formal education regarding the causes, effects and solutions of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation to enhance capacity among youth, prepare them for green jobs and build a sustainable future.
• Immediately establish a fossil-fuel non-proliferation treaty to phase out fossil fuels and scale up 100% safe, clean and sustainable energy for all to reach net-negative emissions by 2050.
• Strengthen the environmental rule of law and ensure that the polluter-pays principle is applied by integrating all ecological, social, welfare and health costs into harmful activities.

 Demands to “Ensure Inclusive Processes for Decision Making”

Urging governments to,

• Adopt participatory and inclusive decision-making processes at every level to ensure the meaningful engagement of all rights holders, highlighting youth and those most strongly affected by the triple planetary crisis.
• Safeguarding the peaceful democratic order through the principles of press freedom, free speech, free and fair elections and the protection of all youth activists worldwide.
• Increase investments in children and youth through targeted programs, and support to civil society organizations, entrepreneurs and marginalized groups – recognizing that investing in children and youth gives substantial leverage towards a sustainable future.

Young Indigenous women share powerful messages for COP27 leaders.

Several woman youth leaders of indigenous communities shared a strong message with world leaders during the ongoing COP27 summit. As some of the most vulnerable yet least contributors to the human-induced climate change effects, these women shared a common theme on how climate change had impacted the balance of their delicate eco-systems and the need for leaders to take swift action in this regard without barely clinging into sugarcoated climate promises.

Climate responsibility of Youth in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankans youth need to be better involved in climate action and require a fixed platform for meaningful networking with the government. With that intention, “Youth Road to COP27 and beyond” was organized on the 29th of October. It was a round table discussion between the Egyptian ambassador, His Excellency Maged Mosleh, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Honorable Roshan Ranasinghe, dignitaries from the Ministry of Youth Affairs, and the Youth activists from various Nongovernmental Organizations working towards climate change mitigation. The purpose of this event was to create a platform that would allow the Sri Lankan youth to voice their concerns, opinions, and ideas about the country’s climate action plan.

His Excellency Maged Mosleh mentioned the importance of creating a platform for Youth to voice their concerns on Climate Change. He also said how Youth are involved in the agenda of COP27 and the importance of creating a network between youth from around the globe. Moreover, he spoke about how all the good work done in the field of Environmental Conservation and Climate change mitigation goes unheard as it doesn’t attract much prominence. Additionally, he explained how this youth platform would allow the Youth of Sri Lanka to be mobilised and seen as a united front fighting climate change, attracting much required global attention. H E Mosleh opened the Platform for the youth participants to voice their opinions. A common concern brought up by the majority was the lack of awareness given to young students around the country regarding climate change and the importance of involving youth in the country’s decision-making strategies. Many young activists voiced their opinions based on the experiences they have had in the field working with rural communities. Each concern raised was noted down and discussed among the dignitaries present.

In addition, SLYCAN Trust (Sri Lanka Youth Climate Action Network) held the annual Global Youth Forum on Climate change (GYFCC) on the 28th of October.  The Pre-COP27 Youth Forum aims to recognize the importance of youth participation in climate action and climate negotiations. SLYCAN Trust is a leading organization working on climate change, adaptation, resilience and sustainable development.

Mr Ruwan Wijewardene, Presidential Advisor on Climate Change, was the guest speaker who mentioned the value of COP27 in his keynote speech—followed by Watsala Jayamanna, program officer of UNICEF in Climate Change & Resilience presenting about climate change, children, and youth. She discussed climate change-induced fast-onset natural disasters and slow-onset events and their effects on children, the education system, and Sri Lankan youth.  The Director of research and knowledge management at SLYCAN trust, Mr Dennis Mombauer, introduced the critical elements of COP27 and youth engagement in climate action.

The session proceeded in group discussion, where the team members were expected to identify problems faced by youth when engaging in climate action with suggested solutions, access to public information and youth engagement in climate action and the role of international cooperations for youth engagement in climate action. The findings were presented and taken into consideration by the SLYCAN trust.

Conclusion

The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Sri Lanka has set targets to be achieved in the years 2030 and 2050. The country must engage youth in these processes, from decision-making to implementation. After all, it is the responsibility of children and Youth to ensure the safety of the future that they are entitled.