Youth Mainstreaming towards Climate Friendly Future

The sea is swallowing villages, eating away at shorelines, withering crops. Relocation of people ... cries over loved ones, dying of hunger and thirst. It's catastrophic. It's sad ... but it's real. Timoci, 14, Fiji.

The world is talking about Energy Transition and why is it so necessary to shift from Fossil based systems to Renewable Energy Sources for a Sustainable Future. Youth can play a very Pivotal role in driving this transition and accelerating the mission to achieve NetZero Goals. If we want the future generations to thrive, the engagement of youth is important. The responsiveness towards Climate Sustenance and Awareness is possible when multiple stakeholders, NGO's, Climate Forums, Philanthropic Organizations working towards Climate Resiliency and Call to Action Initiatives create widespread awareness initiatives, trainings and engagement activities around Climate Action and Innovations. This requires lot of effort and delivery not only from grassroot level but also up to a level where all the infrastructure facility and opportunity is available but still there is lack in both awareness and initiatives.

As per report published by National Centre for Biotechnology Information, Youth play a crucial role in combating climate change. A questionnaire-based pilot survey was conducted in Pune city of Maharashtra state, Indian to assess awareness about climate change among the college going youth. Amongst 201 respondents 66.2% were males and 33.8% were females studying in various faculties or courses. About 98.5% respondents said global climate is changing, 95.5% of the respondents also commented that human activities contribute to climate change. The study also assessed awareness regarding major international organizations and panels working on global climate change and its effects. Only 45.3% of the respondents knew about the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and the Kyoto Protocol while 45.8% were aware of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which conducts scientific analysis of climate change, global warming and its impacts. About 54.5% of the respondents believed that youth could play a major role in combating climate change.

There are various ways by which there can be active involvement and development of leadership capacities possible. Schools and Colleges can play a very important role and as a link pin between Empowering Youth and Sustainable Energy Transition. This can be through modifying the syllabus in schools which necessarily includes a subject on Climate and Sustainability, both theoretical and practical orientation sessions through lectures should be taken, practical orientation can be given through involvement and engagement in activities advocating Climate Resiliency, Importance of Energy Transition and Renewable Energy Sources, Innovations happening around the Climate Space and what is the future and the possible Career choices to make in the Climate Space especially in the Energy Sector.

Now is the time when the young minds, the potential of youth of the country be harnessed in the right direction. Youth themselves need to be mentally aware about the nuances of Climate Crisis and what are ways by which knowledge, promotion and advocacy of Climate related issues be made and the population be sensitised. This is the way when the youth of our country can create that ripple effect of positive change and work collaboratively. There are many Climate platforms that offer opportunities for youth and encourage their involvement to give them the experience, that knowledge and instil in them the rigour to work in the Climate Space through Internships, Cohort based or Community based programmes, Fellowships and regular mode of Education. There is no doubt that these initiatives do provide expert knowledge, experienced mentorship to Mentees, visit to on the ground implementation sites or visits to places where some pilot projects are been carried out and the applicants can be made to work on these projects or some tasks assigned during the course or duration of the Programme.

Shifting the systems to a more sustainable state and creating pathways for smoother transition requires a positive mindset, agile frame of behaviour to handle any systemic change. As people are susceptible to change and cannot handle it so easily. It is important to catalyse the efforts and mindset of these young minds, the young leaders who can create that difference and social impact. With Digitization too, the youth is very empowered to seek information, hone those skills, connection and confidence to self educate and educate others as with the advent of advanced technology and innovations there has been an immense bag of information and news on the subject.

AS we know that Education and Training is the only way to build awareness, a common understanding about the Energy Transition and the entire landscape, the only thing that needs to be done is to encourage the youth to participate as they are the trailblazers of Tomorrow. They need direction, at present they have scattered knowledge which needs to be channelised in the right direction since they are the future pioneers or inventors of growth and sustainability of the planet. Notwithstanding to mention here that many a times bold and innovative ideas or solutions come from young minds.

You might think that we are too young to know about the risks and realities of climate change. But we see its effects in our daily lives.

(This Quote is been used with the lenses of the young children and youth and how they see it and exist in the current scenario of Environmental Degradation, Carbon Emissions, Pollution, Weather extremes, Acute and Chronic Medical Illnesses, Species loss, Depletion of Resources and Biodiversity and Epidemics.)

Gertrude, 16, Tanzania.

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