Catch Them Young –How To Position The Young People For Effective Climate Action In Africa

Most young people still believe that their input and contributions towards climate change don't matter, but the fact remains that they stand as the future of tomorrow and so must be educated with sufficient knowledge and technical know-how on climate actions in Africa in order to participate fully

Anthony Oyakhilome Justice, a United Nations Academic Impact and Millennium Campus Network Fellow and Campus Director for the class of 2020 and a student at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria once told a story on how he took part in a drainage clean-up project with the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Network Hub. He said; “While we were working, a young man walked up to me and asked, “Why are you people doing this?” I told him that we were trying to keep the environment cleaner and safer. “Are they paying you guys to do this?”, he asked. “Plus, isn't this supposed to be the job of the government?” I replied that we were working not for pay but to play our part in ensuring that we have a better world to live in and that the government cannot do it alone. He looked at me incredulously and walked away

Several young people are totally ignorant of what is happening to the African environment and the majority of the ones that are aware think the responsibility lies with the government. Therefore, the young generations need to understand that they are the 'captains of tomorrow' – this knowledge will prepare them to be actively involved in this race with the consciousness that they are energetic, smart, vibrant, creative, and entrepreneurial.

Marie-Claire Graf, the youth non-governmental organization (YOUNGO) Focal Point from the Global North opined that “Young people must sit at the table when decisions are taken and be included in climaterelated policy formulation as well as its implementation."

According to the United Nations estimation, the population of young people in Africa stands at roughly 1.21 billion.

Though the definition of “youth” varies from country to country, the United Nations defined it as people between the ages of 15 and 24.

The Earth's global temperature is warming, meaning that weather patterns and ecosystems are changing more quickly than animal species and human communities can adapt. Many of the world's greatest challenges, from poverty to displacement, wildlife extinction to extreme weather events, are being intensified by climate change.

Climate change impacts range from affecting agriculture, and 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. A typical example can be related to the flood occurrence in Nigeria in 2022, many lost their lives, homes, families, farmlands, livestock, and other sources of livelihood and it has also affected the economy of the country

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Africa as a region is the most vulnerable to climate change compared to other regions of the world due to its complex climate system. Africa accounts for only 7.1 percent of global greenhouse emissions.

After experiencing these drastic effects caused by climate change, almost half of the young people in Africa said they have reconsidered having children, according to results from a UNICEF U-Report poll of 243,512 worldwide respondents.

Globally, 2 in 5 young people said the impacts of climate change have made them reconsider their desire to start a family. This concern was highest in African regions, with the greatest percentage of young people reporting that they are reconsidering having children found in the Middle East & North Africa (44 percent) and Sub-Saharan Africa (43 percent).

However, these perceptions can be tamed if the African youths understand that proper awareness and deliberate actions are the critical agent in addressing the issue of climate change.

In the classroom, young people can be taught the impact of global warming and learn how to adapt to climate change. These will empower and motivate them to take action and also helps them to make informed decisions towards their environment and beyond.

According to Diana Taylor, Managing Director of Marketing Humber, “This is an incredible opportunity for school and college students to come forward with their own inspiring solutions to the issues that are causing and worsening climate change.

“We know that young people represent the future, and they are the ones who will be most impacted by the devastating consequences of climate change, so we want to tap into their creativity, imagination, innovation, and passion.

Some African students are already climate action activists, fighting and creating awareness on how to curb the menace of climate change. Let's take a glance at a few of these students;

Yero Sarr

He first got involved in the youth climate activist space at the age of 16.

Fears around the future of young people across the planet prompted him to become very active in the fight against climate change – and to make sure that others join him in this race.

Yero is Senegalese student and co-founder of the Fridays For Future movement. He believes that collective action is far better than individual action.

Yero's strength is mobilising people; he works with several environmental organisations on many issues important to him.

Raeesah Noor-Mahomed

She is an 18-year-old South African final year student in high school who led a boycott to demand that the country's environmental department declare a climate emergency.

Fast-forward to a year later, and they have been invited as an observer to COP26.

The Johannesburg-based intersectional activist strives to decolonise Africa, connecting to activists around the continent to make activism more inclusive and accessible with the organisations Stage for Change and 65 Years.

Remy Zahiga

Remy is a 24-year-old African climate youth activist and geology graduate that is very passionate about climate change.

He's from the Democratic Republic of Congo and he believes that climate change directly affects each and every one living in the Congo Basin, the world's second largest rainforest.

He is no stranger to the impacts of environmental degradation, especially with the constant threat that industrial logging poses on the forest and the communities that live there.

He feels that world leaders are far from taking decisive action on the climate crisis.

Dixon Bahandagira

Dixon Bahandagira (23) is an environmental science student with a massive ambition. He desires to plant one million trees in his home country, Uganda, to counter the impact of the climate crisis there. According to him, more than 200 lives have been lost in his home country since 2017 due to severe floods and landslides exacerbated by climate change.

He fears that the situation will get worse due to lack of political will, and has decided to tackle the issue head-on. Dixon has already planted more than 100,000 in the space of one year –using more than 10 different species and teaching local people to take care of the plants until they are fully grown.

Evelyn Acham

In order to make a difference in Uganda's capital, Kampala, she learned more about the climate crisis, the African youth climate activist began to understand the intersectionality between climate change and race – and why it was so important to include it in her home country's school syllabus.

As the national coordinator of the Rise up Movement, Evelyn remains at the forefront of the Ugandan climate movement, organising climate strikes and calling for divestment from fossil fuels.

The few young African climate activist did not just dive into the actions, some were taught what to do, some looked into their environment and made a decision to fight it, some choose to fight the menace looking back at the ugly experience it posed on them and their loved ones while some naturally aligned because they love nature.

Young people are key stakeholders in the environmental sustainability of our planet in terms of the actions they take now and the influence they have on peers and family, but also because they will become the decision-makers, parents, teachers, business-people, consumers and citizens of the future world we are aiming to protect.

However, the number of young people who are consistently fighting this course is low in Africa. The Ichikowitz Family Foundation conducted 4500 face-toface interviews with young people from 18 to 24 years from 15 countries in Africa, including South Africa. Data showed that 70% of young Africans are concerned about climate change, less than 50% of African youth are satisfied with the effectiveness of their government's climate change policies and 64% are striving to decrease their carbon footprint.

Certain steps need to be taken to ensure that 99% of young people in Africa join this crusade so that Africa can live in a better world

At the United Nations framework convention on climate change COP27 which took place on November 2022 in Egypt, UNICEF made a call on the younger generations to:

PREVENT. African youths should cut emissions drastically and urgently in order to prevent a climate catastrophe.

PROTECT. Secure clear action on adaptation that protects every child from the accelerating impacts of climate change through the Global Stocktake and Global Goal on Adaptation.

PREPARE. Advance climate change education and meaningful participation to prepare children and youth through the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Action Plan.

PRIORITIZE. Accelerating climate finance investment in climate-resilient social services that reach the most at-risk children, youths and unlock progress on loss and damage

In addressing these challenges, the government of African countries must look inward to prepare and utilise its greatest asset – the youth – to address climate change.

This opportunity, if properly harnessed, provides an avenue for climate action. But then you ask, why are the youth important in the fight against climate change? How can the youth be prepared for sustainable climate action? And how can they develop solutions that will help the continent to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate?

The foundation for a climate-smart and environmentally-conscious generation begins with education.

Experts and major stakeholders have suggested that climate education is a key factor in mitigating the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.

Mainstreaming climate-related courses into school curricula from the elementary will position the younger generation to be aware, understand, and join the global conversation on the subject of climate change.

It will also raise a generation of young Af `ricans who understand the climatic uniqueness of the continent and embrace climate action at a young age.

The long-term result of investing in climate/environmental education will be evident when young people address and find solutions to climate change and environmental issues peculiar to their regions.

Similarly, problem-solving and innovation are common traits associated with the youth demography, as young men and women can think outside the box. African youths have the capability to develop both nature-based and technology-driven solutions to address climate-related issues in their regions. Young Africans are championing proforestation, reforestation, and clean cooking solutions to promote forest conservation; clean energy solutions to transition communities from dirty fuels to sustainable energy; climate-smart agricultural practices that reduce land degradation and promote food security; circular-economy businesses in cities to address waste; advanced tracking and warning systems to monitor and reduce disasters and risks associated to global warming.

Therefore, there is a need for a supportive environment that offers young innovators the opportunity to envisage, develop, and scale their ideas into implementable solutions. The national and sub-national governments must create policies while VCs and impact investors fund such businesses to foster innovation among youth-led solutions

Across the globe, there is a growing trend of young people actively participating not only in the conversation on climate but in planning and implementation. This is what Africa needs. The huge chasm between current decisionmakers and the youth must be bridged and allow for inclusive participation by the youth.

Addressing climate change, no doubt requires collective intergenerational effort. However, the younger generation is at greater risk of climate change impacts – in half a century, they and their children will bear the brunt of previous generations – should tipping points be reached.

A climate-smart, innovative generation included in the implementation process will usher in a new era of climate action in Africa.

To create a disruptive positive change, the youths must take Action Now!

For us and for the planet!