Rising temperatures and fading action: The sweltering summer of 2023 calls for empowering youth climate advocates
The scorching summer of 2023 will be remembered as the hottest on record, yet action on climate is lagging. Tackling this biggest challenge of our era requires embracing a new paradigm that includes the voices and perspectives of our most promising advocates for change - children and youth.
"Our house is on fire", proclaimed Greta Thunberg in her powerful speech to world leaders at Davos in 2019. Undeniably, we are facing failures, yet there remains a precious window of opportunity to reverse the course. We can still mend the damages.
However, to tackle the issues plaguing our world, we cannot rely on the same conventional thinking that contributed to their creation, as aptly expressed by Einstein. Instead, we must embrace a new paradigm that includes the voices and perspectives of our most promising advocates for change - children and young people.
Our house has been on fire this summer, when the news channels have been abuzz with reports that July has once again shattered temperature records. Italy sweltered at a scorching 48 degrees Celsius, while wildfires continue to spread across Southern Europe. The northern Atlantic's temperature has exceeded scientists' expectations, and the planet is reeling from the brutal impacts of heat, leading to the tragic loss of millions of lives. Slowly but surely, it dawns on us, mere mortals, that we can no longer rely on climate compensation to escape these mounting challenges.
The climate crisis stands as just one of several existential threats - not least the threat posed by the culture of relentless acceleration and ceaseless pursuit of performance. This hurried pace of life, across all aspects of our lives, distances us from what truly matters: quality time, family, meaningful conversations, strong communities, the serenity of nature, and the richness of culture and literature.
Anxiety grips the world, morphing into a formidable monster that now poses a global mental health problem. In my own country, Denmark, distress among children and young people escalates each year. Jon Clifton, the CEO of the international analytics institute Gallup, reveals that people worldwide have experienced a surge in sadness, stress, and worry over the past decade, signaling a severe well-being crisis. As a result, humanity finds itself sinking deeper into unhappiness—a fact that cannot be ignored.
Revisiting the climate crisis, a June 2023 study, including UNICEF Denmark, discloses that one-third of students in secondary education grapple with thoughts and worries about the climate that disrupt their daily lives. These findings align with similar global studies, with some children even struggling to sleep due to their concerns.
For years, children and young people have fought for adults to take the world's challenges seriously, not by merely flying around to observe melting glaciers, but by pausing to appreciate the wealth of blessings around us. Pursuing endless economic growth and fixating on high GDP figures have proven futile in fostering genuine happiness. When will we break free from the insatiable desire for more and more, and begin to understand that what we truly need is presence and togetherness?
Jon Clifton emphasizes that world leaders have failed to address distress seriously, often excusing it as a consequence of the pandemic. The truth is, we must embark on an entirely new conversation. We need to engage in extensive discussions about the consequences of our societal framework, and these conversations should include all voices, not just those who shout the loudest. To solve our problems, we cannot rely on the same thinking that contributed to their creation. Children and young people deserve a seat at the table, as recognized by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. They have the right to be involved in matters that concern them, and we cannot deny them the right to express opinions and attitudes, providing them with an arena to share their perspectives with adults. Time and again, we witness the incredible competence and heartfelt insights of children and young people.
In a democratic society, everyone deserves to be heard. However, we, as adults, often struggle to communicate effectively with younger citizens. The solution is simple – we must listen and speak, not just speak without consideration for their voices.
Though the term "systemic change" is on everyone's lips, true transformative leadership is yet to emerge, except for the tireless efforts of individuals like Greta Thunberg. We, the adults, have missed crucial opportunities. A profound systemic change necessitates involving children and young people in every conversation and valuing their ideas on creating a society that is flexible, empathetic, and understanding, much like a nurturing body.
And if we are to preserve hope in these trying times, I firmly believe that hope lies in meaningful conversations and collective togetherness. We must embrace a fresh perspective on the world, one that belongs to the children, who, it turns out, are far wiser than we could have ever imagined.
Bio
Anne Mette Friis is the Chair of the Board of Directors at The Child Friendly Governance Project. She is Project Lead at Bryd Tabsheden, a Danish organisation that combats violence against children and young people, and a speaker and moderator large conferences with a focus on children's right to co-determination. Previously, Ms Friis was Director of National Programs with UNICEF Denmark, where she led the collaboration between government and child rights organisations in Denmark and the establishment of the Rights Respecting Schools and Child Friendly Cities programs in Denmark and Greenland. Ms Friis has also been Head of Programs at Denmark’s first children’s shelter Joannahuset and The Human Practice Foundation, and is member of Save the Children Denmark’s Executive Board. She has published numerous textbooks on children's rights.