For a long time, the climate change conversation has been dominated by scientists and technocrats who use concepts and language that are easily ignored by ordinary folks going about their lives.
Youths across the globe have now changed the language, and 2019 was a pivotal year in that sense. The Fridays for Future movement, pioneered by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, sparked climate concern, interest and youth activism around the world, including in African states. Their voices are putting emotional pressure on policymakers and world leaders to take climate action seriously if they care for future generations.
Eighty per cent of African youth are today anxious about climate change, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); 86 per cent worry about water shortages, while 79 per cent are concerned about plastic waste; and 53 per cent believe that ecological preservation is more important than increasing farm harvest. Read more…
