Note: This post relates to the OECD e-consultation on Youth and Climate Change, happening NOW! Everyone is welcome. To participate, visit http://groups.takingitglobal.org/oecd-climate and join in!

Here is a summary of our first week's discussion, on the role of youth in Adaptation to climate change:


The first week of the e-consultation was a wonderful beginning to the discussion. We heard from young leaders and motivated citizens from Africa, South America, Australasia, Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East. Responses were consistently interesting, various and full of insight. As many of you noted, young people are often much more involved and capable than they are given credit for. I will present here a brief summary of the main issues covered in our discussion on Adaptation to climate impacts and the particular role of youth.

*Impacts of climate change*
Everyone who responded this week observed that climate change is already impacting their communities in negative ways. While some of these effects present more serious challenges than others, it was startling to hear first-hand how communities on every continent are already feeling tangible impacts. Your responses show us that climate change is manifesting itself differently in different places. For some, the impacts are slow and steady (for example, desertification in Brazil and India, gradual changing of seasons and shifting ecosystems, sea-level rise). For others, the impacts are sudden and violent (for example, the increases in extreme weather, flooding and mudslides in many places, and glacier lake outburst floods in Nepal). The consequences of climate change are being felt in very different ways but, throughout, there is a common thread: the impacts these events have on people and their livelihoods. We heard how in many places agricultural yields and food security have decreased due to climate change. The availability of water is also a serious concern, with many respondents reporting a likelihood of serious water crises in their area in the near future. Public health, transportation infrastructure, natural resource industries and tourism are all being affected. Though these impacts are often different in each country, there is a common need to adapt to them to minimise their negative effects on societies and economies.

*Adaptation to date*
Most of the adaptation so far, you reported, has been reactive. In other words, changes have been made in order to react to impacts already being felt. In India farmers have been switching from water-intensive crops to more drought-resistant ones in response to a decrease in rainfall. Indigenous farming methods have been promoted in Nepal to conserve water. An early-monitoring pilot project has been set up at a glacier lake to warn villagers if it is in danger of bursting and causing a sudden flood. Watering bans have been put in place in many municipalities in the summer months when there are water shortages. Countries such as New Zealand, which rely on dwindling water resources for generating hydroelectricity, are being forced to reconsider how they generate their energy.

A more pro-active approach – planning to lessen impacts before they happen – has been taken in a few cases, but is far less common to date. The majority of respondents do not believe their governments have sufficient plans in place to adapt to climate change. Several countries, such as Brazil and the Philippines have undertaken public education campaigns, but respondents also noted their impact has mostly been in urban centres and more efforts need to be made to spread their message to the provinces. Comprehensive, forward-looking plans for all effected sectors of the economy will help everyone cope better, but as you noted, it is also very important to ensure they are implemented and enforced.

*The Role of Youth in Adaptation*
While the effects of climate change already seem dire, there is certainly room for hopefulness. As we have seen in both Week One and Week Two of this e-consultation, young people around the world recognise we are key stakeholders and are ready to work for change.

A major role for youth that was identified was raising awareness and promoting positive change amongst peers, communities, and society as a whole. You felt that youth already play the role of messengers and catalysts for change; energetic, committed and creative idealists who are able to question assumptions and must deliver the promise of sustainable, socially equitable development.

Another common thread extended that role to educating governments as well. The need to “speak up to decision-makers who are not taking action” was identified as a major role. It was also noted that, while opportunities to engage in the public sphere sometimes exist, young people may need encouragement to do so.

Lastly, many of you felt that young people could play a very important role in suggesting, planning and implementing adaptation projects or long-term adaptation plans.


*Support for Youth*
Generally, you felt that youth were not adequately supported by governments or international institutions, but that family and societal support has been an important help. In the case of grassroots coalitions such as Energy Action in the United States, youth have created their own strong support networks, often by using ICTs, social networks and innovative new approaches to movement building. Many great suggestions for how youth could be better supported were made.

A lot of ideas clustered around education. Many felt that there were inadequate resources for young people on climate change issues. As one of you stated, “it is vital that the UN and other international organizations… have programs geared to the inclusion and dissemination of information on climate change for young people.” Better education is also needed about opportunities for involvement that already exist. In many cases young people are not aware of the programs or organisations they could be involved with and more effort needs to be made to connect them.

Skills training and experience was another major area. Programs are needed to train and empower youth to be involved in community adaptation planning, disaster response and project work.

Lastly, young people need to be engaged with adaptation planning and delivery in a genuine way. Tokenistic gestures from politicians are not enough and do not support our potential to contribute. Youth should be recognised as major stakeholders and have a space to take part in decision-making that effects us. As you said, “we are the future, and we should be allowed to have a say about the environment that will be ours for years to come.” This participation should be encouraged at all levels (from the village to international fora) and young people must take the responsibility to make use of such opportunities.

As we have seen this week, there is much room for improvement when it comes to involving youth in climate change adaptation, but there are also many benefits to doing so. Young people stand ready to contribute a great deal in this area and by working together this potential can be realized.

Together there is a lot of work ahead. As we will see in our Week Two discussion on Mitigation, these issues are closely linked; how much we reduce our emissions now will determine how much we will need to adapt in the future.

A huge thank you to everyone who has participated so far!