International Youth Day 2024: How are youth taking climate action?

On International Youth Day, we celebrate the voices and efforts of young people who are advocating for climate justice. Climate breakdown affects us all, but it disproportionately affects vulnerable, underrepresented groups, including youth and children. 

Around the world, C40 Youth Hub members are driving real change in their cities. Here’s where and how:

In Auckland… Convening for change

C40 Youth Hub members Dylan Chand, Faiesea Ah Chee, Katja Phutaraksa Neef, and their team organised the Climate Action Conference in Auckland earlier in May 2023 and again in July 2024. The conference – an inspiring testament to the power of youth-driven initiatives and the potential for positive change – brought together a diverse group of over 200 participants in May. 

With stimulating workshops, inspirational keynote speakers, and insightful panels, including C40 Youth Hub members, the conference focused on educating young people on the impactful initiatives they can create, nurturing leadership and project management skills, and providing mental health and resilience support to young activists.  

The conference also embraced Te Ao Māori and Pasifika knowledge, recognising the importance of indigenous perspectives in tackling climate breakdown. 

In Freetown… Prioritising climate education 

The Climate Change Education Project is the brainchild of two dynamic youth-led climate groups in Sierra Leone: Fridays for Future and Youth Initiative for Climate Action Sierra Leone (YICA-SL). Esther Yealie Kamara, C40 Youth Hub member and Executive Director of YICA-SL, is one of the founders behind this initiative, which was organised to help address the lack of climate education in Freetown and Sierra Leone. Thanks to the project, over 40 schools in Freetown now have access to climate education. Building on the success of this initiative, the organisers are now working with the City of Freetown to establish a Youth Climate Council to amplify youth voices in climate-related decision-making processes. 

Going beyond the push for climate education, the project founders aspire to integrate climate-focused curricula to schools and universities across the city, ensuring that the younger generation is well-informed and equipped to address environmental challenges. 

They will also be organising an annual Youth Climate Summit, which will bring together over 500 young people to exchange knowledge and insights from across Africa. Through these collective efforts, they aim to foster a community of informed and empowered youth leaders driving positive change in the realm of climate action.

In Nairobi… Electrifying the city’s streets

Maryam Wangeci, a member of the C40 Youth Hub, is leading the way on building a greener, more resilient Nairobi by spearheading the electrification of the city’s streets. 

In collaboration with other youth groups, Maryam and her team are working on a campaign to introduce the use of more electric “bodabodas” (aka motorcycles) in Nairobi. Through a partnership with KIRI Ev, a youth-led organisation that focuses on the transition from fossil fuel to electric-powered motorcycles, they have been providing eco-friendly rides to demonstrate to residents that green rides are both fast and affordable.

The Nairobi City County Government has been a great ally, recognising the path to resilience is paved by innovation. Maryam’s team will continue to engage with the city to explore avenues for infrastructure support and to help incentivise greater electric vehicle adoption.

C40 Youth Hub at the Africa Climate Summit

The Africa Climate Summit held in September 2023 in Nairobi provided a unique opportunity for young climate leaders from Africa to actively engage in shaping a sustainable future. African members of the C40 Youth Hub participated in the event and collaborated to co-create equitable solutions to end reliance on fossil fuels – a vital step towards achieving climate justice. 

C40 Youth Hub members from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali and South Africa attended the Summit in person, while members from Benin, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and non-African Youth Hub members from India, Mexico and the United Kingdom supported in the event’s preparation remotely. 

Leading up to the Summit, C40 Youth Hub members from Africa organised discussions and brainstorming sessions amongst each other to identify the key interventions and solutions they will present at the event. This culminated into the delivery of the African Youth Statement at the Summit’s Mayoral Roundtable which supported C40’s call for the creation of 50 million good, green jobs by 2030. 

What’s happening beyond C40 cities?

Youth organise Agenda for the Future event in Bahia Blanca

In September 2023, C40 Youth Hub Member, Geronimo Fullana, and his organisation, Agenda para el Futuro, held the Agenda for the Future event in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. Over 130 young people participated in the event which consisted of meetings on various local topics and talks with more than 16 experts and professional advisors to create a city agenda with goals, actions, and progress indicators. 

Titled #Agenda24, it will help accelerate climate crisis mitigation efforts by delivering on more than 11 goals with the participation of Bahia Blanca’s citizens. The event highlighted the importance of local cooperation and the adoption of joint measures to expedite climate mitigation efforts and guarantee that no one is left behind.

Bringing about behavioural change at the grassroots level in Telangana State, India

C40 Youth Hub Member, Sabbathi Navya, helped spur behavioural change among Self-Help Group (SHG) leaders at the grassroots level in Jagtial District, Telangana State, India, setting a powerful example of sustainable living and community empowerment. Navya collaborated closely with the Department of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and organised awareness sessions and capacity-building initiatives, covering a variety of topics, from zero waste lifestyles and the localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to inclusivity and skills development.

Over 200 awareness sessions were conducted. A direct result of Navya’s advocacy led to the introduction of utilising steel utensils instead of plastic utensils in the Jagital District Office. More importantly, the SHG members, along with DRDA staff, took an oath to eliminate plastic use and committed to leading other districts in adopting similar sustainable practices. Within just two months, 17 other districts followed suit.

Sharing achievements of Youth Climate Council Uganda

The Youth Climate Council (YCC) Uganda has significantly grown in impact and scale from its establishment in 2023; it boasts a strong network that has engaged over 900 youth in its activities. The YCC has also been engaging young people to shape climate policies in a fair and inclusive way through a robust consultation  process. 

In the past year, the YCC was engaged in a number of key activities. On 27 October 2023, it organised a policy training on carbon markets where 34 youth were trained on carbon mechanisms and UNFCCC processes. The YCC plans to work with youth-led organisations to hold dialogues and consultations at the regional and national levels to support youth activists and their organisations' participation in regional and international climate dialogues like COP.

Learn about C40's youth engagement work