Youth for Climate: Boosting Ambition

Here is the summary of the Manifesto “Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition”. For the Youth4Climate participants gathered in Milan, the promises of climate neutrality by 2050 are not enough to meet climate targets: it is necessary to eliminate emissions from the fossil industry by 2030. 

By Ashoka Brazil

Translation: Andressa Barduzzi

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From September 28 to 30, 2021, about 400 young people, between 15 and 29 years of age, from 186 countries, met in Milan, Italy, to discuss the main urgencies and priorities of climate action. In their luggage, they carried the draft of a document prepared in remote meetings with thousands of other young people. And there they polished a Manifesto that will be discussed on November 5 with global leaders gathered at the UN Conference on Climate Change, COP26. You can find HERE the document in English, in full. Below, we propose the free translation of the Executive Summary of the document.

YOUTH THROUGH THE CLIMATE: BOOSTING AMBITION

1 – YOUTH BOOSTING AMBITION

SIGNIFICANT PARTICIPATION – From now on, we demand that the relevant countries and institutions ensure the engagement and significant involvement of youth in all decision-making in processes that have implications for climate change, and that they offer a favorable environment for the participation of young people in the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of multilateral, national and local climate policies.

EFFECTIVE TRAINING – We ask countries to urgently increase financial, administrative and logistical support conditions to promote youth engagement and effectively boost resolute and concrete climate actions.

FINANCING – We ask countries, international organizations and public and private financial institutions to make funds available urgently to support the participation of young people in decision-making processes that have implications for climate change at all levels.

2 – SUSTAINABLE RESUMPTION

ENERGY TRANSITION AND GREEN JOBS – We call for an urgent, holistic, diversified and inclusive energy transition by 2030, which prioritizes energy efficiency and sustainable energy, meeting the commitment to a maximum increase of 1.5°C in the average temperature of the Earth. We also demand funding, training, research and technology sharing to ensure a transition with a decent level of jobs, providing adequate support for communities affected and vulnerable to climate change.

ADAPTATION, RESILIENCE, AND MITIGATION OF LOSSES AND DAMAGE – We require the strengthening of various means of implementing adaptation processes, resilience and mitigation of losses and damage, suitable for multiple local conditions, which ensure that solutions continuously reach vulnerable groups and regions.

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS – We demand that Nature-Based Solutions be prioritized as a key strategy to address the climate crisis and that the need for a socially just and equitable society be emphasized, especially recognizing, representing, respecting and protecting the rights of local and indigenous peoples and emphasizing local knowledge.

FINANCIAL FLOWS – It is urgent that decision makers at all levels, in the public and private sectors, create a transparent and responsible climate finance system with robust regulation of carbon emissions, ensuring sufficient investments for the transition to a low-carbon economy, especially in impoverished communities, ensuring equal opportunities for people of all sexes, ages and backgrounds, as well as eradicating the exploitation

TOURISM – At COP26, we demand the recognition of tourism’s responsibility in meeting global climate change goals, so the impacts of climate change on locations economically dependent on tourism activities (for example, Small Island Developing States) should be considered. We request the inclusion of all stakeholders (including young people, women, indigenous communities, and other marginalized groups) in training, monitoring, investment and decision-making processes, towards the resilient recovery of blue and green tourism.

3 – ENGAGEMENT OF NON-STATE ACTORS

INFRASTRUCTURE AND FINANCING FOR NON-STATE ACTORS – Support the participation of young entrepreneurs, artists, farmers and athletes, in particular emerging economies and marginalized groups (ethnic minorities, indigenous people with disabilities, among others), as well as existing non-state actors who advocate ethical and sustainable development practices and adopt climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions, providing access to public and private funding, as well as the development of critical infrastructure (including Internet access).

ALIGNMENT OF NON-STATE ACTORS WITH THE OBJECTIVES OF DECARBONIZATION –

A) Require non-state actors, in particular the private sector, to commit to decarbonizing their current and future supply chains. The transition must begin immediately and requires the presentation of plans and the fulfillment of annual goals.

B) Increase the transparency and environmental responsibility of non-state actors, requesting robust annual climate reports that inform the origin of the data and ensure that the information is consolidated by a relevant and reliable entity.

INFLUENCE OF FOSSIL FUELS ON NON-STATE ACTORS AND THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY AS NON-STATE ACTORS – The abolition of the fossil fuel industry must be rapid and begin immediately with its total elimination by 2030, and a fair and decentralized transition projected to and with workers of cooperatives, local and indigenous communities, and those most affected by the Any non-state actors, including UN bodies, fashion, sports, art, entrepreneurship, agriculture, etc. entities should deny any investments and repudiate lobbying activities of the fuel industry, especially in relation to international negotiations.

4 – CLIMATE CHANGE-AWARENESS SOCIETY

SHOWING IMPACTS AND SOLUTIONS – Decision makers need to commit to working with young people and communities in confronting climate change, recognizing and supporting populations placed in vulnerable situations, ensuring access to various resources, such as health services, and amplifying various voices. They should invest in the creation of platforms that serve multiple actors and support mechanisms for sharing information about the state of climate change and possible solutions to the crisis. They should also encourage participation in decision-making spaces.