youth responses to climate change
DESCRIPTION
A presentation made by Grace Mwaura on behalf of African youth, at the Ecological Society for Eastern Africa (ECSEA) conference on the 21st May 2010TRANSCRIPT
African youth responses to Climate Change
62% -below 25 years of age. Youth- 15-24 years of age according to UN. 2005 -2015 the youth population is expected to
grow by 36 M. 2015- The youth labor force is expected to grow
by more than 22 M, to almost 135 M. These young people will demand education
and/or jobs. Challenge & Opportunity: Providing quality
education and productive employmentaddressing climate change challenges
The East African Economy is mainly dependent on agriculture and tourism
The above mentioned sectors get directly affected by climate change. IPCC has estimated up to 50% reduction in agriculture production
The above sectors offer the youth employment directly or indirectly
Effects on these 2 sectors lead to effects on other sectors like: education, health, water and sanitation and infrastructure that youth rely on.
Opportunities: Finding solutions;
Advocating Change;
Opportunity Windows;
Support Systems
Challenges: Unemployment:
Education; Economic crisis; Conflicts; Social
Strive; Food insecurity
1. Community level- Finding Solutions
You don’t need money or power to have a good idea; Only fresh thinking and ACTION is needed to solve our societal problems.
▪ Innovative (Education, IT)
▪ Simple
▪ Energetic
▪ Have the time
2. Nationally/Internationally-Advocating Change
Involvement in decision making processes
Make Youth voices heard- pressure groups, protests, Marches,
Contacting political representatives e.g. MPs,
Demand more action from the government
Local Mitigation & Adaptation projects Research Awareness campaigns Capacity building & Training Information Sharing Nurturing leadership Individual/Collective Commitments & Action
Mobilize & Empower youth to become change agents
Educate the youth & communities on sustainable lifestyles.
Facilitate & Engage youth and communities in climate mitigation & adaptation projects.
Participate and support the drafting of country environmental/climate change policies.
Ensure proper governance in the implementation of climate change programmes
NURTURING LEADERSHIP PARTICIPATE
Learning and sharing climate information IT- Emails; mailing lists; websites, blogs; social networks
Documentation of youth best practices Films, blogs; media engagements; Campaigns
Awareness creation: Conferences; Workshops; Seminars; consultative
meetings; etc. Networks & information sharing- The growing youth
movements around the world stands at over 2,000 members
Working with governments, NGOs, CBOs, institutions etc
Research
CAMPAIGNS EDUCATION
Growing Network
Commitment & Passion
Volunteerism
Knowledge & Skills
Innovation
Networking
Energy & Time
INNOVATIVE SIMPLE
Youth (and children)
Governments
Learning Institutions
Organizations (NGOs, CBOs,
IGOs, etc)
Businesses & Private sector
Community members
The education system sparsely addresses climate change challenges & solutions
Capacity Gaps-Skills, Knowledge Research gaps-lack of support for extensive
research on youth & climate change in Africa Institutionalizing youth actions on climate
change Transition of the young professionals
The generation that causes environmental damage is not the generation which pays
the price”
Professor Wangari Maathai