Youth in Climate Action

The current age is besieged with multiple global issues, among which climate change is the one that draws more and more attention at this moment.

Since the Paris Agreement on December 12, 2015, global leaders have been endeavoring to settle this emergency concerning all humans. Besides state-level actions, companies, organizations and individuals are joining this movement. People realize that not only are they the victims of climate change, but they are also significant contributors to climate action.

My generation has largely failed until now to preserve both justice in the world and to preserve the planet. It is your generation that must make us be accountable to make sure that we don’t betray the future of humankind.

United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres

At present, youth, accounting for a major part of the global population, is the key group in climate action. Zoe, a 23-year-old girl from China, is one of them. She is a master student from Zhejiang University and now study climate change at the University of Manchester for her second degree.

“At first, I am not sure about my research field, and it is my supervisor’s work on environmental issues that influence me a lot. So when choosing my second-degree program, I find MSc International Development: Environmental Climate Change and Development at the University of Manchester is what I am looking for.”

Though Zoe has much anticipation for her studies abroad, she still met various problems as a newcomer to a foreign land.

“In the first few days, I was always surrounded by loneliness especially when there are no familiar faces around you …… and you have to buy all the daily necessities on your own after long hours of flight.”

This is the common dilemma that nearly all international students encounter as a newcomer. But after almost two months in Manchester, Zoe is quite used to life. Now, the new challenge for her is to cope with huge loads of schoolwork. She said, “every week there are substantive readings flooding in, and I find myself really immersed in climate change.”

There are not so many Asian faces in this major and Zoe realizes the local youth does take a sharp eye on climate change. When discussing the actions that different countries have taken toward environmental protection, British students can easily pinpoint the specific policy that their government has established. “Now I understand there is still much for me to learn on this issue”, Zoe said.

“Critical thinking” is a concept that Zoe keeps in mind when taking her courses. “I find all my courses are critical of the climate actions that seem to be environment-oriented while not.” This offers a new perspective for Zoe to explore climate change issues and she notices that this phenomenon is quite commonplace. As lots of decisions on climate action are result-oriented, indigenous peoples and local communities are always excluded from the decision-making process.

“This reminds me of the time when Shanghai becomes the pilot city to carry out the strict garbage sorting policy. Some improper rules cause discontent among citizens. For example, people have to dump rubbish at a fixed time during the day. If this kind of policy is not improved later, a sense of resistance towards environmental protection will easily develop in the public.”

To tackle climate change, people and the environment are two interdependent elements, and every measure should be adjusted to local conditions. “I am happy that when reflecting on previous climate projects, there is always plenty of experience to learn.” Though studying climate change is not as simple as she thought, she is determined that she is working on the right thing for the human future.

In the age of globalization, young people are more willing to care about global issues rather than only their surroundings. “I feel positive that more young people like me will join this action”, said Zoe.