To me, one answer to the question of “who and what is next” is obvious: Young people! They’re the ones who will inherit the planet. They will inherit the fallout of rising emissions, worsening natural disasters, resource shortages, and the cascading crises that climate change causes.
By Danielle J. Nierenberg
Yesterday was a rest day here in Baku, but today, the United Nations Climate Change Conference gets back underway in full force.
And, as UN Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen said, “it is climate crunch time.” The negotiations and decisions on the table this week are life-or-death questions for the future of the planet.
Many of us here at COP29 are reflecting on what comes next – both during the second week of the conference and also more big-picture. How do we ramp up climate action in our own communities? What will our countries’ climate action plans post-COP, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), commit to? What will the future of the planet actually look like?
Young People
To me, one answer to the question of “who and what is next” is obvious: Young people! They’re the ones who will inherit the planet. They will inherit the fallout of rising emissions, worsening natural disasters, resource shortages, and the cascading crises that climate change causes.
“If world leaders say we are the leaders of today – not just tomorrow – then why aren’t we at the table now, shaping the ambitions for our future?” says Bodh Maathura, a 24-year-old UNICEF Sri Lanka Youth Advocate. “Young people must be recognized as partners in creating, implementing, and monitoring the NDCs.”
Young people aren’t fooled by empty promises and talk with no action. Youth activists at COP have been clear-eyed in pointing out that a failure to meaningfully address the climate crisis doesn’t mean solutions don’t exist – but simply that high-level leaders are unwilling to prioritize them. They can see through the BS and are demanding better – something all of us should be inspired to do, too.
“There is a lot of money. There is enough money all around, but we also know it is going to militarism, wars and genocides. There is simply no political will,” says youth advocate Alab Mirasol Ayroso. “This is why we refuse to be sidelined and silenced. We want the world to listen, hear us and our demands.”
Credit where it’s due goes to countries like Pakistan, which committed at COP29 to fully enshrining the rights and interests of young people in their upcoming NDC plans.
“We must ensure our children and young people are prepared for the future they are growing into,” Honourable Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister of Sindh Province in Pakistan, told UNICEF.
…. And, G20
Between COP29 here in Baku and the G20 Summit, a meeting of major heads of state that’s taking place in Brazil today and tomorrow, there’s plenty of opportunity to make real change. At the G20, for example, I hope countries will ratify the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, a large-scale treaty to accelerate public policy and technological solutions around the world.
The next few days are so important, and we must keep our eyes open. Let’s follow the lead of our youth advocates in demanding that world leaders prioritize the climate, prioritize the food system, and prioritize a nourished and just future for all people and the planet!
Danielle J. Nierenberg is an American activist, author and journalist. In 2013, Nierenberg co-founded Food Tank: The Think Tank For Food and currently serves as its president.
Food Tank’s Dispatch from the U.N. Climate Change Conference is a special newsletter series running daily during COP29.
