social
As the world teeters between ecological collapse and environmental renewal, the younger generation finds itself in a paradoxical position. On one hand, youth are hailed as the torchbearers of sustainability and innovation. On the other, they are the reluctant inheritors of a planet deeply wounded by decades of unsustainable policies, resource extraction, and political inertia. The dichotomy between hopeful sustainability narratives and the stark realities of insufficient global environmental governance has triggered a seismic shift in youth consciousness. The question now arises: Are we building sustainable futures or are we merely painting over broken promises?
For today’s youth, this is not an abstract debate—it is a lived experience. As wildfires, heatwaves, floods, and biodiversity loss become daily headlines, the generational contract seems to have been breached. The promises made by governments and global institutions are being met with skepticism and critique from the very people they claim to protect. What follows is a deeper exploration of this youth perspective, as it scrutinizes the structures, challenges, and possibilities of global environmental governance.
Global Environmental Governance: Structures, Failures, and Gaps:
Global environmental governance (GEG) refers to the collection of international agreements, institutions, mechanisms, and processes designed to manage humanity’s impact on the Earth’s environment. The core architecture of GEG includes entities like:
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), established in 1972 to provide leadership in environmental matters. UNEP coordinates environmental initiatives, conducts scientific assessments, and facilitates multilateral cooperation through conventions and forums. However, it often lacks the financial and political authority to enforce environmental protection across sovereign nations.
The Paris Agreement (2015), a landmark climate accord aiming to limit global warming to well below 2°C, ideally to 1.5°C. While its goals are ambitious, the agreement relies on voluntary Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), leading to under-delivery and wide disparities in climate action.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the scientific body that informs policy with rigorous climate assessments. While its reports shape public discourse and influence negotiations, the IPCC has no executive authority to enforce its recommendations.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which promotes biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and equitable benefit-sharing. However, despite global ratification, implementation remains fragmented and biodiversity loss continues at alarming rates.
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971), one of the oldest international environmental treaties, focuses on the conservation and wise use of wetlands. These ecosystems are critical for water purification, flood control, biodiversity preservation, and climate regulation. More than 2,400 Ramsar Sites covering over 250 million hectares are protected under this treaty.
India, a party to the Ramsar Convention, currently has 91 designated wetlands of international importance. However, many of these wetlands are under severe threat from unregulated urban development, pollution, and encroachment. Youth-led and civil society initiatives in places like the East Kolkata Wetlands, Sundarbans Wetland, Chilika Lake in Odisha, and Pallikaranai Marsh in Tamil Nadu are actively pushing back against degradation. These grassroots movements combine legal activism, ecological education, and community participation to safeguard these vital ecosystems, underscoring the need for stronger implementation and youth involvement in environmental stewardship.
Despite the existence of these structures, GEG suffers from several systemic failures:
Non-binding commitments:
The Paris Agreement, for instance, allows countries to determine their own Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are not legally enforceable. This often leads to underambitious targets and poor compliance.
Global North-South divide:
Developing nations argue that industrialized countries, responsible for the majority of historical emissions, impose unrealistic expectations without equitable financial or technological support.
Policy lag and inconsistency:
International negotiations are slow and often yield diluted results due to diplomatic compromises. While climate change requires swift action, governance mechanisms often operate on timelines that do not match the urgency.
Corporate capture and greenwashing:
Multinational corporations influence negotiations to protect economic interests, weakening the integrity of environmental promises.
These institutional shortcomings have widened the credibility gap between stated goals and ground realities—a gap that youth are increasingly refusing to tolerate. These governance gaps have rendered many global environmental frameworks ineffective in addressing the escalating climate and ecological crises. The youth are increasingly aware of this disconnect.
Youth as Environmental Stakeholders: The Rising Tide of Consciousness:
Today’s youth are no longer passive observers in the climate dialogue. Rather, they are organizing, mobilizing, and innovating at unprecedented levels to challenge the status quo. Movements like Fridays for Future, initiated by Greta Thunberg, have become global symbols of youth climate resistance. Young people in every corner of the globe—from the Philippines to Uganda, from Argentina to India—are rising to demand environmental accountability.
What sets this generation apart is its unique set of characteristics:
Intergenerational justice framing:
Youth activists argue that decisions made today will disproportionately affect their futures. They see the climate crisis not just as an environmental issue but a matter of justice.
Science-backed demands:
Unlike previous waves of environmentalism that were often driven by intuition and moral appeal, today’s youth anchor their activism in data. They cite the IPCC, NASA climate models, and peer-reviewed science to support their positions.
Digital fluency:
Social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok have become potent tools for awareness and activism. Campaigns go viral in minutes, galvanizing global support.
In a 2021 Lancet survey of over 10,000 youth across ten countries:
75% reported believing that “the future is frightening.”
59% felt that governments were “betraying them.”
45% said “climate anxiety negatively affected their daily lives.”
These statistics are not just data points—they are a reflection of a psychological crisis parallel to the environmental one.
Case Studies: When Promises Fall Short:
The disconnect between global environmental promises and on-ground reality is starkly evident in numerous cases:
1. The Paris Agreement and the 1.5°C Goal:
Despite nearly every country signing the agreement, we are on track for a 2.7°C rise by the end of the century if current policies continue. Coal plants are still being approved in many countries, and carbon markets remain poorly regulated. For youth who were told the Paris Agreement was a turning point, the current trajectory feels like betrayal.
2. Amazon Deforestation:
International pledges to curb deforestation, including those made at COP26, have failed to stop the increasing destruction of the Amazon. Brazil’s INPE reported over 13,000 square kilometers of deforestation in 2021—a 15-year high. Indigenous youth who call the forest their home face daily threats.
3. Plastic Treaty Negotiations:
The UNEP-led initiative to draft a legally binding plastics treaty has faced strong resistance from petrochemical industries. Youth see this as a sign that corporate interests are still being prioritized over ecological health.
These examples have led many young people to question whether global governance institutions are capable of delivering real change or merely staging public relations spectacles.
From Tokenism to Transformation: What Youth Demand:
Youth do not simply wish to be included for optics; they demand structural changes:
1. Legally Binding Climate Commitments:
Voluntary pledges have failed. Youth demand enforceable agreements with clear penalties for non-compliance. Mechanisms like international climate courts or sanctions for major polluters are being suggested.
2. Youth Representation in Decision-Making:
Current global forums often include youth only in side events. Young leaders demand voting seats, advisory roles, and the power to shape agendas in COPs, G20 summits, and UN environmental forums.
3. Ecological Education Reform:
Climate literacy must be embedded in school curricula worldwide. This includes teaching the science of climate change, indigenous knowledge systems, and sustainable practices from an early age.
4. Green Jobs and Innovation Ecosystems:
Governments must invest in renewable energy, climate tech incubators, and reforestation programs where youth can participate meaningfully. A just transition also means upskilling youth for the green economy.
5. Finance and Climate Justice:
Youth demand climate finance not only for mitigation but for adaptation and reparations. Loss and damage funds must be mobilized urgently for frontline communities affected by rising seas and desertification.
These are not lofty ideals. They are actionable policies that, if adopted, can close the trust deficit between institutions and youth.
Success Stories: Glimmers of Hope:
Amidst the failures, there are bright spots fueled by youth-led action:
Urgenda Case in the Netherlands:
This landmark legal case, initiated with the support of youth and civil society, compelled the Dutch government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from 1990 levels. It became a blueprint for climate litigation.
Green Startups and Innovation:
In India, 23-year-old Vinisha Umashankar developed a solar-powered ironing cart to reduce charcoal use. In Kenya, young engineers are designing solar-powered borewells for rural areas. These examples show youth as solution creators.
Indigenous Youth Movements:
Amazonian youth are combining satellite data with indigenous knowledge to track deforestation and report illegal logging. Groups like Youth4Nature amplify these efforts on global platforms.
Youth Climate Councils: Countries like Wales and Canada have established youth climate councils that formally advise government bodies. These models can be scaled globally.
These success stories underscore that when youth are empowered, they do not merely resist; they rebuild.
An Indian Perspective: Youth Rising Amidst Contradictions
India, home to over 600 million people under the age of 25, holds one of the most dynamic youth populations in the world. As one of the fastest-growing economies and the third-largest carbon emitter, India’s environmental policies carry significant global weight. From this complex landscape emerges a distinct youth voice that grapples with both ecological urgency and developmental aspirations.
Indian youth are uniquely positioned at the intersection of climate vulnerability and innovation potential. The country faces intensified heatwaves, erratic monsoons, glacial retreat in the Himalayas, and rising sea levels in coastal areas—phenomena that directly impact rural livelihoods and urban sustainability. For the youth, especially in climate-vulnerable regions like Odisha, Assam, and the Sundarbans, climate change is not a future threat but a present reality.
Movements such as Youth for Climate India and Fridays for Future India have grown significantly since 2019. They mobilize thousands of students, artists, farmers, and indigenous youth to demand policy action on air pollution, forest conservation, and sustainable agriculture. Indian youth are also innovating through climate-tech startups, green energy solutions, and grassroots environmental education.
Despite these efforts, challenges persist. Environmental defenders often face political and legal backlash. The dilution of India’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in 2020 sparked widespread youth-led digital protests, showcasing the readiness of Indian youth to engage with complex policy issues. Furthermore, access to climate education remains unequal, especially in rural and marginalized communities.
Yet, hope persists. The rise of local youth climate councils in states like Kerala and Uttarakhand, along with increased collaboration between youth-led NGOs and government institutions, signals a new era of co-governance. If nurtured through inclusive policies and institutional support, India’s youth can become a global model for balancing climate resilience with equitable development.
Conclusion: Beyond Slogans, Toward Solidarity:
We are living in what scientists term the “decade of decisive action.” The road to 2030—marking both the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) deadline and the Paris Agreement’s mid-century targets—offers a final window of opportunity. For too long, global environmental governance has been marred by delay, dilution, and denial. But the youth are neither waiting for permission nor silenced by frustration.
Their perspective—at once passionate, pragmatic, and deeply ethical—forces us to confront the uncomfortable truths of our time. Whether we march toward sustainable futures or stumble into broken promises will depend on whether global governance evolves from exclusion to inclusion, from rhetoric to responsibility, from fragmentation to planetary solidarity.
Because in the words of youth climate activists around the globe:
“There is no Planet B, and no excuse left.”
By: Dr. Utso Bhattacharyya
Write and Win: Participate in Creative writing Contest & International Essay Contest and win fabulous prizes.
About the Author
