As the Climate COP in Glasgow continues into its second week, it is a good time to reflect on the role and success of youth in moving the global conservation around climate change forward. World leaders have tended to dismiss youth climate activists, yet in the past several years youth-led climate protests and actions have drawn attention to the impact of climate change now and in the future. By not welcoming younger activists in this conversation, climate action is likely to fail and it is the youth who will pay the highest price.
For a week in September of 2019, millions of young people protested around the world to demand urgent action on climate change. Organizers called this week of protests the Global Climate Strike. They demanded that governments and businesses commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 and to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Protests began in Australia and soon spread to hundreds of areas throughout the world. Greta Thunberg, only 18 years old at the time and already a well-known Swedish activist, used her platform at the UN in New York to urge leaders to take action.
Last year, In Mexico, fifteen young adults, between the ages of 17 and 23, filed a lawsuit against the Mexican government. Defensa Ambiental del Noroeste (DAN) brought a criminal justice lawsuit, on behalf of the 15 anonymous young adults, before the Federal Courts. This is the first of its kind in Mexico. The fifteen plaintiffs asked that the Mexican government issue and implement regulations and public policies based on the General Law on Climate Change (GCCL). They demanded that the government comply with its obligations drawn from the GCCL. Within the GCCL, Mexico stated that they would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 22%, reduce black carbon emissions by 51%, and 50% of emissions relative to those emitted in 2000 by 2030.
DAN filed three new lawsuits in 2021 on behalf of over 50 children and young adults from the State of Baja California Sur. These lawsuits demanded that the federal government, Baja California Sur, and four municipalities take urgent action on their obligations to tackle climate change. On November 8th, 2021, the official newspaper of the Mexican government published the Special Climate Change Program (PECC). The federal government has finally published this important policy and it’s vital in the implementation and the success of actions against climate change. Thanks to the lawsuit brought on by over 50 young adults and children, the Mexican government has hit an important milestone in the fight against climate change.
In September of 2021, two climate change conferences took place in Milan, Italy called ‘Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition’ and the pre-COP Summit ‘All4Climate’. Youth engagement in climate policies and plans is vital to the sustainability of the policies and plans created by today’s leaders.
Last week, Greta Thunberg arrived in Glasgow for COP26 and joined a protest holding political leaders accountable for not meeting their own goals to address climate change. While Thunberg rightfully gets lots of attention from news outlets and media, there are thousands upon thousands of young climate activists working for change. Isra Hirsi, Autumn Peltier, Helena Guaglinga, Bruno Rodriguez, and Mari Copeny are all prominent climate activists below the age of 20 who are fighting for climate issues for their generations and future generations.
The role of youth in climate advocacy and movement building is profound. At OneNature we appreciate and support these youth movements and applaud them for standing up for our present and their future.
Young People vs Climate Change
Pre-COP26 youth event in Milan scheduled for September 2021
Photo credit: Callum Shaw via Unsplash