The UN’s fourth World Youth Report, ‘Youth and Climate Change’, was published in December 2010. The report appraises the involvement of today’s youth in addressing climate change and shows how, at different local and international levels, young people can address climate change among their peers. The past youth reports were ‘Young People’s Transition to Adulthood–Progress and Challenges’(2007); 'Young People Today and in 2015’(2005); and `The Global Situation of Young People’(2003).
The report is organised into four chapters. Chapter One describes the fundamentals of climate change and its impact on ecosystems and livelihoods, as well as the international legal and policy framework with UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. Chapter Two focuses on how the threat that climate change poses to livelihood, food security, health, and safety affects the development of young people in developing countries. Chapter Three highlights consumption patterns, lifestyles, and the role of education for sustainable development and in preparing young people to take advantage of green job opportunities. Chapter Four showcases existing youth mobilisation efforts and initiatives to combat climate change.
Climate change is recognised as one of the greatest challenges of this century to humankind. Addressing the challenges and adjusting to them is certain to be a defining feature of the coming years for young people. It is therefore essential that they educate themselves and become more actively involved in combating this threat. This report is intended to assist youth and youth organisations in such an endeavour. This publication has come out at a time when efforts to address climate change are receiving unparalleled attention in the international arena, offering young people a unique opportunity for their voice to be heard in the debate. The young will be facing the impact of climate change throughout their lives. They must contribute to the process of addressing this critical challenge.
Figures and boxes illustrate the topics and make it easy for them to be understood. The report is backed by a statistical index about demography, literacy, gross and net enrolment ratios, labour force participation, unemployment, access to sanitation and water, and the leading causes of death among young people. Comparisons are made between different countries and regions. The first three chapters end with a short annotated list of references for readers interested in more in-depth information on climate change. The report clearly highlights the important role played by young people in addressing climate change and offers suggestions on how they might be more effectively integrated as individual and collective agents of change within the realm of climate change adaptation and mitigation.
The publication can be downloaded at www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/wyr10.htm
World Youth Report: Youth and Climate Change
United Nations publication
ISBN 978-92-1-130303-2
Great to see blog. Keep going.
ReplyDeleteThanks. will try my best to update too. :)
Delete