Friday, March 29, 2024

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GIVE MILLENIALS A SEAT AT THE CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS TABLE

My generation was born into a world where climate change is an unassailable fact, not a simple theory for one to deny or accept (unless you are Donald Trump). It is a global threat; whose effects can be seen in almost every sphere of our lives and threatens our very survival. Call us millennials, Gen Y/Z, digital natives, self-seeking or entitled, we’re the consumers, employees and future leaders who will witness the devastating effects of climate change. It is against this backdrop, that we need a front row seat at the table in the fight against climate change.

Decision makers, mostly middle-aged and older people, need to recognize that young people will play a special role in our collective future. It is difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that the people at the forefront of making decisions on how ambitious we should be toward a low-carbon pathway may not be around in the next 30-50 years. It is therefore unacceptable that those with the biggest stake in the future be sidelined.

Though millennials are struggling with the precariousness of today’s economic conditions, we are best placed to turn around the adversity tomorrow. However, this will be dependent on whether the aging generation will finally yield power to us and let us start cleaning up the mess we’ve been handed.

Unfortunately, several studies reveal that while we are the most aware and educated generation, most of us millennials will not sacrifice comfort for action. Given that we make up 27% of the global population– how and where we choose to work, eat, drink and spend our money and time will be gamechangers. It’s not only time for us to make systematic behavioral changes, but also leverage the strengths we have over older generations.

One such strength is that we are the most connected generation in history, and have the capacity to arrange coordinated global climate change campaigns. Social media has proven to be an incredibly effective tool as ideas diffuse rapidly through it. Through social media shaming and online campaigns, we have rallied against the irresponsible actions/negligence of state, market and civil society actors, and tangible change has been witnessed. We can use it to call out the appalling acts of climate change denial, snap it, hashtag it, tweet /retweet it, and share it with our networks. By doing so, we can change the attitudes of people towards climate change, influence better policy decisions and better climate action will surely follow.

We also need to leverage our creativity and come up with innovative solutions to climate change that will make us be heard. After all, we can’t expect a seat at the table if we bring nothing to the table.

Now more than ever, we need to leave our comfort zones and unite to make this the issue we tackle and overcome!

For examples of how millennials/young people are getting involved (or can get involved) in combating climate change, please visit:

https://unfccc.int/cc_inet/files/cc_inet/information_pool/application/pdf/growingtogether.pdf

By: Sherri Habwe

Analyst, Climate Change