OPINION | Heed the youth on climate change

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OPINION | Heed the youth on climate change: To force a climate breakthrough, leaders must listen to and promote the stories of young people

To end the climate wars globally, those of us with the means to do so need to urgently promote and amplify new stories and narratives that connect to and reflect the values and views of the world’s youth.

Yet, in town halls and municipal council chambers around the world lively and constructive discussions are taking place on how to accelerate the shift towhile avoiding social and economic upheaval. Avoiding such upheaval is especially critical when some of the necessary actions threaten the power of business elites and governments .

Central to one of the most common narratives we hear, often drowning out all the other stories, is the perception that action on climate change must be a zero-sum game. Too many feel it is a war in which there will inevitably be winners and losers. There are those, primarily in the Global North, who argue the whole world must all move at the same accelerated pace to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Put simply: a climate narrative focused on limits to economic growth and future pessimism is fundamentally disconnected from their aspirations and values. Neither does it reflect the huge economic opportunities climate action presents, which many young people are among the biggest proponents of. Data backs these opportunities up. Renewable energy currently creates five times more jobs than fossil fuels. And, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the number of renewable energy jobs grew from 1.7 million in 2004, to 10.3 million in 2017, and 11.5 million in 2019. So-called just energy transition deals are already being set up to enable particular willing countries to shore up the finance needed to do the jump while protecting their peoples’ welfare.

 

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