POSTSCRIPT

YOUTH, CLIMATE CHANGE

Navigating a Warming Future

One antidote to climate doomism is highlighting the importance of collective action and a non-zero sum
perspective in combating climate change.

Navaneeth M S

T
he year 2022 was an eventful year for the human- “sustainable” lifestyles that include reducing consumption
induced trajectory of climate change. For one, it was which ranges from thrift shopping (extending the life of a
tied to the fourth warmest year on record, with record- pre-existing good to reduce overall environmental costs) to
breaking heat waves and wildfires breaking out across the shifting dietary preference to vegan options (foods which are
globe. It was also the year in which the parties to CoP27 perceived to cause fewer emissions). Notwithstanding the
(Conference of the Parties) agreed to a historic decision to privileged and elitist attitude the same carries, it is crucial to
operationalise a loss and damage fund, which is particularly recognise that such personal choices often fail to consider
helpful for nations most vulnerable to climate change. the stark realities and limited options faced by different indi-
Nevertheless, we continue to emit at greater scales (the viduals. For instance, vegan food is frequently costlier and
world is likely to overshoot the 1.5°C limit), while the tech- less accessible, which significantly affects its adoption. Such
nologies that were supposed to mitigate the impact or decar- personal choices, although well-intentioned, also weigh
bonise our economies (nuclear fusion, carbon capture, low- poorly against the reality that the 100 active fossil fuel pro-
cost battery, etc) are still in nascent or experimental stages. ducers have been linked to 71% of global industrial GHGs
Similarly, the “developing” world is faced with the dilemma since 1988.
of finding a balance between growth and the rising risk of As a generation that has grown up in an era of rapid
climate change. The region is projected to account Electoral change and uncertainty, it is understandable
for an increasing share of emissions while facing democracies when global surveys indicate young people are
the gravest threat of climate change since most of produce more less optimistic about the future. Moreover, recent
the low carbon energy options remain unutilised ambitious climate trends show that youth satisfaction with democ-
due to high initial costs. Nevertheless, the most policies, and youth racy is deteriorating, not only in absolute terms
worrying factor of a warming world is climate tip- can actively shape but also in comparison to how older generations
ping points which could cause irreversible chang- the direction of felt at similar periods in their lives. Even within
es to climate systems, and the fact that we could these policies via India, available data points to low participation
be triggering some tipping points already. One active participation and interest of youth in the electoral process. A
would be tempted here to compare human deci- polarising narrative that is common among youth
sion-making regarding risks with Dornbusch’s law in eco- is that the older generations are responsible for various soci-
nomics which states that crises take longer to arrive than one etal issues that include climate crises along with economic
can imagine, but when they do come, it happens faster than inequalities, youth unemployment, welfare state problems,
one can possibly imagine. History shows that avoidable cri- and deteriorating mental health among younger popula-
ses often happen, and when they do, the best solutions to tions. But this defeatist approach that the “future” has been
mitigate the same come at a much later stage. The 2008 glob- stolen is unfounded given that none of the research points
al financial crisis and the initial surge of the COVID-19 pan- with certainty that we are past the point of no return. This
demic are instances where preventive measures could have loss of faith in democracy ought to be regained since elector-
been taken earlier, but effective solutions were not imple- al democracies produce more ambitious climate policies, and
mented until much later. the youth can actively shape the direction of these policies
On the one hand, the concerning pace of environmental via active participation.
degradation and rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are Youth leadership in the climate movement has shown a
sure to induce a state of despair in many, especially the notable upswing in recent years, becoming an increasingly
younger populations, which ultimately leads to climate influential force which incorporates themes of human rights
“doomism”: the idea that the world has already lost the battle and justice within climate mitigation strategies. The ongoing
against climate change, and there is little one can do now. and tireless Fridays for Future demonstrations led by young
This defeatism stems from the proposition that societal be- people in college campuses around the world have gained
haviours are often slow to change, and this delay in drastic significant momentum and garnered heightened attention
change would simply mean that all the mitigation efforts for the climate crisis. Moreover, youth leaders have demon-
would only help to pause the inevitable. On the other hand, strated exceptional proficiency in utilising both social and
an emerging trend among urban youth embraces adopting traditional media platforms to elevate climate change as a
62 June 10, 2023 vol lViII no 23 EPW Economic & Political Weekly
 POSTSCRIPT
YOUTH, CLIMATE CHANGE
priority topic during election cycles. This surge in youth
leadership has resulted in the emergence of a powerful
cohort of popular youth-led climate organisations such as
Climate Cardinals, Earth Uprising, Zero Hour, One Up Ac-
tion, and Sunrise Movement, which have been providing in-
creasingly sophisticated, sustained, and impactful leadership
for the climate movement—especially during the run-up to-
wards CoP26 and CoP27. Young people can have a concrete
impact on the decisions that determine the future through
grassroots campaigning, lobbying, and advocacy for a green-
er future. By creating a groundswell of public pressure and
leveraging their collective demand-side influence, they can
drive industries, especially upcoming ones, towards more
sustainable and environmentally responsible practices.
Climate change needs to be seen as a problem of global
commons and, by its nature, needs a non-zero-sum perspec-
tive. While it is true that such an activist approach does little
to combat emission by autocratic regimes elsewhere, the
cumulative nature of the same means that a reduction in
emission anywhere contributes to a less apocalyptic future.
The success with environmental treaties such as the Montreal
Protocol, which aimed at protecting the ozone layer, high-
lights that consensus can be achieved when it comes to
addressing pressing environmental issues. Additionally, it is
vital to recognise the growing influence of youth movements,
Economic & Political Weekly EPW June 10, 2023 vol lViII no 23
which have proven their ability to mobilise and apply pres-
sure on civil society, governments, and even corporations. Over
the years, youth movements have evolved to varying degrees
which range from sensational ones where protestors glue
themselves to various museum displays to more obstructionist
ones that involve direct stand-offs to block fossil fuel infra-
structure. The methods have become more innovative as
well, with Students for Bhopal, a non-partisan network of
supporters working in solidarity with the survivors of the
Bhopal gas tragedy, actively pressuring the shareholders of
Dow Jones to compel the corporation to resolve its outstand-
ing liabilities in Bhopal. Other creative forms of generating
awareness include using popular art forms like rap songs
which, for instance, forced Unilever to compensate its workers
for hazardous working conditions and environmental rac-
ism. Moreover, it is essential to debunk the climate doom-
ism narrative by highlighting the potential of democratic
movements and the inspiring impact youth can have along
with a renewed imagination for collective action. Possibili-
ties for a sustainable future are boundless, but it needs a
wilful acceptance of history that humans are bad at predict-
ing the future: in terms of both good and bad outcomes.
Navaneeth M S (msnavu@gmail.com) is in his final year of an integrated masters in
development studies at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. His interests lie at
the intersection of inequality, climate policy, and sustainability.
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