The head of the United Nations said on Monday he will start meeting regularly with young climate activists, saying participation by youth on the frontlines is critical to scaling up action to slow global warming. A group of seven people, ages 18 to 28, from seven countries will sit down with U.S. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to advise him on global warming issues, he said in a video on Twitter. “We have seen young people on the front lines of climate action, showing us what bold leadership looks like,” Guterres said in a video on Twitter.
The announcement marked an acknowledgement of the role young people have been playing in combating climate change as they look to their future. Young climate change activists met with U.N. leaders last fall to demand a greater role in global decision-making and planning processes to combat global warming. The one-day summit at the U.N. drew more than 1,000 young climate campaigners from more than 120 countries.
Guterres, who has made climate change his signature issue since taking office in 2017, said recently that governments should consider the issue when designing economic stimulus responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Unable to gather due to coronavirus restrictions, young activists from about 20 countries recently took to YouTube in a 24-hour broadcast to share ideas on how to fight global warming. Previously they were skipping classes, marching through cities and holding vigils outside government buildings in regular Friday protests. The founder of Fridays for Future, Sweden’s Greta Thunberg, 17, addressed the United Nations last year.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
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