Ecological crisis demands involving young people in decision making

Young people will likely inherit their elders' legacy of ecological devastation yet they are hopelessly underrepresented in Ireland's democratic structures. Photograph: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ieWhen I read about projections for the near future by climate scientists, I am sometimes at a loss as to the lack of widespread protest by the public.

Local elections are the launching pads for most political careers at the national level. The 40 per cent gender quota that will apply to political parties in the next general election means that more women are likely to run in the 2024 local elections. However no quota applies to age.

The ecological crisis demands a new form of politics and a commitment to involving young people in decision-making. But we should not forget the need for climate-friendly candidates. In 2019, the centre left won just 23 per cent of the seats. Women represented 23.7 per cent of the total, with the lowest shares of women among independents, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, and Fine Gael.

Clearly the age and gender profile of local government leadership today is not adequately representative of voters. The least we should expect from publicly-funded political parties is a diverse and representative slate of candidates in the 2024 local elections, with climate-literate young people to the fore.Motorists set to face congestion or clean-air zone charges under new traffic plan

Rising Tides: Ireland’s Future in a Warmer World - Kills off myth we are among small states with minor emissionsSurge in prosecutions of asylum seekers arriving without passportsSSE and Bord na Móna to spend €1bn on wind farms

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