Mapping the Global Youth Climate Movement

The report maps the global youth climate movement (YCM), finding a strong consensus that capitalism and colonialism are the root causes of the climate crisis, yet a significant lack of coherent theories of change to translate this analysis into systemic transformation. While many groups remain wedded to reformist tactics like school strikes, an emerging 'Radical Green' wing is developing strategic fluency. The movement faces critical gaps in funding, organisational structure, and vision-building, particularly in the post-pandemic landscape.

• A majority of the youth climate movement (YCM) agrees on a systemic analysis of the climate crisis, with 54% of surveyed groups identifying "a system that puts profit over people and planet" as the root cause. Among these, 89% specifically name capitalism and (neo-)colonialism as the drivers of ecological breakdown.
• Despite agreement on root causes, the YCM lacks a coherent, shared theory of change. Many groups exhibit strategic incoherence, such as identifying the system as the root cause but pursuing visions of new political leadership or missions of general environmental awareness.
• There is a significant 'vision breakdown' where groups fail to translate their systemic analysis into a vision for structural change. This is attributed to a lack of deep analysis regarding how capitalism operates and a 'strategic dogma' in some groups, such as those committed to the Fridays For Future (FFF) model of school strikes and demanding leaders 'listen to the science'.
• The report identifies a 'radical education effect,' particularly in regions like West Africa, where groups use environmental education not as an end in itself, but as a prerequisite to build the radical consciousness necessary for green economic transformation.
• An emerging 'Radical Green' wing of the YCM is demonstrating 'strategic fluency,' moving beyond aesthetics to develop concrete plans for ruptural change, including engaging fossil-dependent communities and forming coalitions with workers and unions.
• The YCM requires substantial support to increase its impact, most notably in funding. This includes operational support for basic maintenance, project-based funding for international coordination, and core funding for activist salaries to reduce reliance on volunteers.
• Beyond finance, the movement needs organisational development in three areas: establishing stable internal structures to prevent burnout, developing explicit movement strategies and policy research, and fostering higher levels of domestic and international networking.
• The internet stocktake identified 292 youth climate groups globally, noting that Africa appears to have the most vibrant movement in terms of the number of groups identified, survey completion rates, and responsiveness to interviews.

APA

Herfort, N., Johnson, J., Macintyre, C., & Born, S. (2023). Mapping the Global Youth Climate Movement. Green Economy Coalition. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/YCM-2023/Mapping-the-Global-YCM-March23-FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Herfort, Noah, Jack Johnson, Callum Macintyre, and Seb Born. Mapping the Global Youth Climate Movement. Green Economy Coalition, 2023. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/YCM-2023/Mapping-the-Global-YCM-March23-FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Herfort |first1=Noah |last2=Johnson |first2=Jack |last3=Macintyre |first3=Callum |last4=Born |first4=Seb |title=Mapping the Global Youth Climate Movement |publisher=Green Economy Coalition |date=February 2023 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/YCM-2023/Mapping-the-Global-YCM-March23-FINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{herfort2023mapping, author = {Herfort, Noah and Johnson, Jack and Macintyre, Callum and Born, Seb}, title = {{Mapping the Global Youth Climate Movement}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/YCM-2023/Mapping-the-Global-YCM-March23-FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }