THE ROLE OF THE YOUTH IN ADVOCACY FOR ACTION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE.

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In a bid to fully unleash young people’s potential especially in respect of issues threatening their future, youth should have skills & values required for their active participation in the decisions shaping their own survival. They should equally be inspired to understand the imperatives of building peaceful and inclusive societies for a safer and more sustainable future.
As John F Kennedy said, “The future promise of any nation can be directly measured by the present prospects of its youth, and this world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, and youths of appetite for adventure over the love of ease”, to this end, giving young people a place in decision-making builds a broader base of citizen involvement and creates stronger, more inclusive communities.
The MD of Global platform Uganda, Mr. Primus Bahigi at the opening of the 5th National Inter University Creative Arts Expo and Debate Championship, quoted that, "Our challenges today, will not be solved by any person but ourselves. That we should imagine the life and world we and our children want to live in and then begin to work and walk towards it". The gesture in this quotation means that the future of this world is in the hands of the youths, and so is the need to act against climate change because it is one of the most critical global challenges of our time. Recent events have emphatically demonstrated our growing vulnerability to climate change whose impacts ranges from affecting agriculture, further endangering food security, to sea-level rise and the accelerated erosion of coastal zones increasing the intensity of natural disasters, species extinction, and spread of vector-borne diseases. Climate Change is recognized today as the greatest environmental challenge, threatening to affect all spheres of our lives and will leave behind severe catastrophic effects if not dealt with promptly.
There however has to be inter-generational collaborations for the youths to be able to carry on with the nature’s call. The older generation has to allow change to happen at the speed of trust and apply respect and recognition in both directions. An exchange of knowledge and expertise can combat inequitable power dynamics of ageism and credentialism that often lead to competing, co-opting, or providing inconsistent funding to successful youth work.
During the International Youth Day 2008, Ban Ki-moon (the then Secretary-General of the United Nations) said that young people who are adept at spreading new habits and technologies are well placed to contribute to the fight against climate change. Mr. Ban stressed: “They (youth) are adaptable and can quickly make low-carbon lifestyles and career choices a part of their daily lives. Youth should therefore be given a chance to take an active part in the decision-making of local, national and global levels because they can actively support initiatives that will lead to the passage of far-reaching legislation.”
 A more defined role should be given to the youth to prevent the impact of climate change because the young generation inhabits the Earth and inherits the responsibility to protect the planet, in fighting the complex scientific problems and social quandaries presented by climate change. No one can remain untouched by this global challenge. We are bound to face the severe consequences of climate change unless and until we take strict measures to curb global warming and its huge ripple effects.

Climate change is real and happening. The solutions won’t come only from conference rooms full of scientists, big corporations and government officials. Everyone has a role to play in the fight against climate change. Youths are idealistic, innovative, connected and everywhere. 

We need to be the solution.



Comments

  1. Unknown13 September 2019 at 16:11

    There is no planet B, as youths the future is in our hands, thanks brother.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rogers Tulyahabwe14 September 2019 at 06:52

    You're welcome. You're very right there's no planet B and that's why we should give our only home the attention it needs to preserve it.

    ReplyDelete

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