How young people think we should build back better after COVID-19
COVID-19 presents an opportunity to disrupt the system and create a new trajectory for the planet in decades to come. This is why young people must be involved.
M
uch like climate change, the coronavirus does not respect national borders. Its impacts have reached almost every corner of the globe. Young people between the ages of 15-24, who make up around 19% of the global population, are faced with the double threat of the global pandemic and the adverse impacts of climate change. However, this is the generation that is waking up to the climate emergency. It is time to use this unexpected opportunity to finally achieve transformational change.
COVID-19 has prompted the world to slow down and take a break from some of the unsustainable practices that have dominated our way of life since the 20th Century. Since restrictions were put in place, global CO2 emissions have dropped by 17%, water bodies are becoming cleaner and wildlife is returning to its previous habitat. In response, some governments have used this time as an opportunity to increase their efforts towards a more resilient future. These positive changes that we have experienced in the last five months give young people advocating for climate justice a renewed sense of hope.
At the same time, the international community is calling for governments to #BuildBackBetter when recovering from COVID-19. Many people recognise that it is insufficient to simply rebuild our former way of life. Instead, we must reorganise priorities and plan for a more resilient future.
The fire is not out, the arsonists are just on holiday
COVID-19 presents an opportunity to disrupt the system and create a new trajectory for the planet in decades to come. But what about the impacts of climate change that are already here today? Devastating extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity as a result of the changing global temperatures. Tropical storms such as Cyclone Amphan in South Asia, Tropical Storm Amanda in Central America and floods across Africa, have affected over 150,000 people in the last few months alone. Not to mention the destruction of entire ecosystems, such as wildfires burning down forests in Siberia and glacial collapse in Canada. These events are a stark reminder that the damage caused by decades of carbon-intensive activities has already been done and that we must build resilience and adapt to the impacts.
Climate adaptation action is essential for achieving climate justice for current and future generations. It aims to protect communities from climate-related threats by building resilience and allowing them to cope with the impacts. Adaptation must be integrated into plans to #BuildBackBetter from the COVID-19 pandemic and global leaders must seize this opportunity to protect communities and reduce the level of risk for future generations.
The double threat of COVID-19 and climate change
Young people are the hardest hit by both the pandemic and climate change. According to the UN Inter Agency Network on Youth Development, the impacts of COVID-19 on young people include disruptions to their education, access to their rights, and increased unemployment rates. For instance, 1 in 5 young people are currently out of education or work, a rate that is 3 times higher than adults, which leaves young people at a heightened risk of poverty and exploitation. This is coupled with the fact that young people are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, with UNICEF estimating that 1.7 million children lose their lives to environmental risks each year and adolescents are experiencing disruptions to their education and livelihoods.
This vulnerability to the double threat of both climate change and COVID-19 is exacerbated by the fact that young people have limited capacity to cope due to their inadequate access to decision-making power. Young people are often excluded or tokenized in climate change negotiations, resulting in policies that fail to address their best interests. Although this is improving and young people are gaining status as positive agents of change, the #BuildBackBetter process needs to be more effective in integrating the perspectives of young people into decision-making processes at all levels.
Youth in Climate Adaptation during COVID-19
Last year, the Global Commission on Adaptation partnered with YOUNGO (the youth constituency of the UNFCCC) to produce the first-ever background paper on the role of young people in climate adaptation: Adapt for Our Future. The paper uncovered a wealth of youth-focused innovations to help people to cope with the impacts of climate change all around the world. During COVID-19, these actions have continued, albeit in an adjusted and remote way. However, this research also exposed a high level of concern about the funding and capacity-building opportunities for youth-led adaptation projects. These uncertainties have now been amplified by the pandemic and there are fears that the insufficient inclusion of youth in decision-making processes to #BuildBackBetter will be a missed opportunity for change.
How can we move forward?
COVID-19 has undoubtedly affected our lives in a way we could never have imagined, but this time has allowed us to rethink our priorities. It has taught us that the ‘impossible’ is possible and that transformational change can be achieved when policy makers are willing.
However, system change will not be achieved without transforming the current institutional structures which limit the participation of young people in adaptation planning and decision-making. World leaders and decision-makers have the opportunity now, through the #BuildBackBetter process, to establish policies that facilitate youth contribution in the development, implementation, and review of climate change adaptation strategies. This will require institutional mechanisms that acknowledge the diverse needs and innovative potential of young people, and ensure their status as an equal stakeholder.
It is important to highlight that “youth” is not a homogenous group. Young people have a wealth of knowledge and experiences from a range of different perspectives, which are an asset in the co-creation of adaptation solutions. By including young people in decision-making processes, we benefit from a two-way intergenerational exchange of information that will not only improve the effectiveness of adaptation action today, but it will also qualify young people to take on these roles in the future.
In order to tap into this potential, funds must be allocated to capacity-building and innovation opportunities for youth-led climate adaptation action. This needs to be in conjunction with support from an institutional setting to engage youth in decision-making processes as equal stakeholders. By integrating these recommendations into plans to #BuildBackBetter, we can make great strides towards a just and resilient world for present and future generations.
The ideas presented in this article aim to inspire adaptation action – they are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Global Center on Adaptation.
