COP 26 and are the youth more concerned about environmental change now more than ever?
- Jan 25, 2022
- 2 min read
According to the young environmental engagement organisation (@yee.organisation_ on Instagram) ‘We indeed feel that more and more young people are starting to get concerned about climate change’
The COP 26 also known as the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference is an annual conference that takes place every year and was brought about by the United Nations with four main aims being the following;
1. Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach
2. Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats
3. Mobilise finance
4. Work together to deliver.
The conference took place on Sunday 31st October and ended on Friday the 12th of November and according to BBC approximately 100,000 people took over the streets of Glasgow where they marched in the name of calling or more steps towards tackling the global climate crisis many of the marchers being young people.
In the conference late last year views of over 40,000 young climate leaders presented to ministers, negotiators and officials and there was a very strong presence of young people who are dedicated to the cause of climate change.
Speaking with a young environmentalist by the name of Waithera Nyoro, 27, from Kenya, who is inspired by the likes of Wangari Maathai who was a Kenyan environmental activist who also became the first woman from Africa to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Waithera feels ‘we are a conscious generation and that it’s more our blessing than our curse.’
6th November 2021, Birmingham city, taken by me.
Young people all over the world are beginning to become more and more concerned about climate change and the environment and want to take action. Greta Thunburg is an 18 year old environmental activist and has criticised the COP26 whilst she was attending a youth protest, and referred to the conference as a ‘PR exercise’.
On another note, the next COP will be held in Egypt, where protests such as the one in Glasgow may not be able to happen as they did in 2021 due to more restrictions on demonstrations and protests within the country.
According to The Social Science Research Network, ‘A large proportion of children and young people around the world report significant emotional distress and a wide range of painful, complex emotions’ relating to climate change anxieties.
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