Saturday, the twelfth of August, was International Youth Day. This year’s theme celebrated youth all around the world developing the aptitudes to transform our world into a sustainable and climate-friendly place. In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared this day ‘Youth Day’ as a way to raise awareness about the challenges that young people encounter and how they can overcome these difficulties, and of course, to emphasize the accomplishments of young people worldwide. Our world’s youth make up a large demographic whose health, mindset, and education can positively or negatively impact our planet. But why exactly are youth so important in conservation and climate action?
In conservation and development, youth are essential stewards.
As the future’s decision-makers and leaders, today’s youth can have a significant influence on the environment via their actions. Young people can promote and encourage responsible and respectful behavior towards nature and wildlife while raising awareness of the risks humans pose to our environment and its wild inhabitants.
In recent and record-breaking news, young environmental activists in Montana won a lawsuit against state agencies for violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment by allowing fossil fuel development. This trial aimed to constitute whether the right to a healthy and livable climate is protected by state law. This victory established the responsibility the government has to protect citizens from climate change. The attorney representing the youth stated that this victory is a “huge win for Montana, for youth, for democracy, and for our climate.”
Today’s younger generations are paving the way for a better, more sustainable future.
With the state of our climate emergency, youth are faced with an impossible situation: the uncertainty of their future on a dying planet. As climate change and its consequences ramp up, the futures of our younger generations are in peril. This has led to an unprecedented mobilization of youth all over the world, showcasing their power to hold decision-makers accountable for their actions.
“They are agents of change, entrepreneurs and innovators. Whether through education, science or technology, young people are scaling up their efforts and using their skills to accelerate climate action.”
United Nations
While in the past, youth were often dismissed by world leaders, within these past several years, youth around the world have united together to organize climate protests and make their voices heard to draw attention to the impacts of climate change, earning them a seat at the climate action and conservation table. Today, we see young climate activists like Greta Thunberg making waves and not shying away from holding decision-makers accountable for their roles in progressing or neglecting the climate crisis.
The role of youth in climate action and conservation is profound. We believe that we must make room for our younger generations to speak their minds and hold us accountable. Decision-makers and institutions must be held to their promises and must execute them in sustainable manners. After all, we will be leaving this earth in the very capable hands of these generations and those that come after them. As a rule we all learned growing up, we must strive to leave it better than we found it.
Image by: Jonathan Kemper via Unsplash.