Adapt for Our Future: Youth and Climate Change Adaptation

The paper argues that while youth are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, they possess significant potential to drive adaptation efforts if shifted from a narrative of passive victimhood to one of active empowerment. It identifies institutional barriers such as tokenism and lack of platforms, as well as capacity challenges including limited funding and gaps in technical knowledge. The authors advocate for institutionalizing meaningful youth engagement, integrating climate education into national curricula, and creating dedicated financial mechanisms for youth-led adaptation projects.

• Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to limited coping capacities and a lack of decision-making power, yet they can act as 'enablers' and agents of change in adaptation strategies.
• Intergenerational equity requires that climate policies give equal weight to the needs of current and future generations, as youth cannot currently influence the formulation of policies that will determine their future quality of life.
• Youth engagement within the UNFCCC is formally channeled through YOUNGO, which has engaged over 25,000 children and young people and operates through 22 working groups, including one dedicated to adaptation.
• Institutional barriers to youth adaptation action include a lack of formal platforms for engagement, the prevalence of 'tokenism' where youth are heard but not listened to, and excessive bureaucracy and high registration fees for youth NGOs.
• Capacity challenges for youth include a lack of technical knowledge on adaptation and funding, as well as a risk of losing indigenous ecological knowledge due to urbanization and globalization.
• Youth-led adaptation initiatives are occurring globally, such as the use of water hyacinth for crafts in Kenya, mangrove planting in the Philippines, and the development of early warning systems in South America that merge indigenous and modern knowledge.
• Meaningful youth engagement can be achieved through three forms: consultative (voices considered in high-level processes), youth-led (direct influence via student councils or movements), and collaborative (participation as voters or members of parliament).
• Large multilateral climate funds, such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Adaptation Fund (AF), are largely inaccessible to youth-led programs, necessitating the creation of special financing initiatives for young people.

APA

Amponsem, J., Doshi, D., Toledo, A. I. S., Schudel, L., & Kemeh, S. D. (2019). Adapt for Our Future: Youth and Climate Change Adaptation. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/Youth_in_Adaptation_Paper_-_Global_Commission_on_Adaptation_0.pdf

Chicago

Amponsem, Joshua, Deepal Doshi, Arturo Italo Salazar Toledo, Lorina Schudel, and Sandra Delali Kemeh. Adapt for Our Future: Youth and Climate Change Adaptation. World Resources Institute, 2019. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/Youth_in_Adaptation_Paper_-_Global_Commission_on_Adaptation_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Amponsem |first1=Joshua |last2=Doshi |first2=Deepal |last3=Toledo |first3=Arturo Italo Salazar |last4=Schudel |first4=Lorina |last5=Kemeh |first5=Sandra Delali |title=Adapt for Our Future: Youth and Climate Change Adaptation |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=August 2019 |url=https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/Youth_in_Adaptation_Paper_-_Global_Commission_on_Adaptation_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{amponsem2019adapt, author = {Amponsem, Joshua and Doshi, Deepal and Toledo, Arturo Italo Salazar and Schudel, Lorina and Kemeh, Sandra Delali}, title = {{Adapt for Our Future: Youth and Climate Change Adaptation}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2019}, month = aug, url = {https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/Youth_in_Adaptation_Paper_-_Global_Commission_on_Adaptation_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }