Global challenges, notably climate change, pose an urgent threat to young people’s future and hold significant implications for intergenerational justice. Data from the 2021 OECD Trust Survey reveals that younger people in almost all surveyed countries are more likely to want governments to prioritise action on climate change than older people. In Denmark, 68% of people aged 15-29 think climate has an impact on their lives, compared to 55% among the total population; in France, 79% of young people say they are interested in climate change. To promote youth participation in tackling global challenges, the Danish Government established the Youth Climate Council in March 2019 in response to advocacy efforts by Danish Youth Delegates and the Danish Youth Council. In 2023, France organised a Youth Forum in the context of citizen consultations on the energy mix (Forum des Jeunesses dans le cadre de la concertation citoyenne sur le mix énergétique) to involve young people in decision-making on the energy transition.
Promoting youth participation in tackling global challenges – Denmark and France
Abstract
The Youth Climate Council is an independent body of 14 members from all parts of Denmark, aged 18-29, with a two-year mandate to work on green policies. The Council includes for instance climate activists, students and technicians representing the Danish worker movement. The French Youth Forum brought together 200 young people, aged 18-35, selected by sortition to represent the diversity of young people in France. The Forum enabled young people to deliberate on energy production and energy consumption policies, with the support of experts, with a view to identify priorities and actions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and enable France to move away from dependence on fossil fuels. The implementation of the Forum was overseen by the National Commission for Public Debate, an independent administrative authority. In both France and Denmark, the outcomes are shared with relevant decision-makers to inform government policies and strategies. The Danish Council gathers inputs from young people in Denmark and provides policy recommendations to the Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities every six months, with a focus on overall emission reduction targets, the food industry and EU policy and strategy. The deliberations in the French Forum provided recommendations and guidelines to contribute to the elaboration of the Planning Law on Energy and Climate and to the review of the multiannual energy programming for 2023-24.
By acting as a bridge between young people and policy makers, these initiatives empower younger generations to have a voice in decision-making processes on issues that impact their lives in the present and future. They foster a sense of responsibility among young people, ensuring that their voices contribute to shaping climate and energy policies. In Denmark, the Youth Climate Council has issued recommendations on food policies, climate policies, taxation, the North Sea and green recovery. Recommendations of the Council have become an integral part of the policy making process within the ministry, allowing young individuals to have a direct influence on forthcoming climate policies. In addition, the Council contributes to fostering public support for an ambitious climate agenda through events, articles and media presence. In France, the Youth Forum generated targeted recommendations on energy consumption and energy production and identified key success factors and implementation challenges, informing government policies on the energy transition.
Further reading
Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities (2020), Climate 2020; European Investment Bank (2021), 79% of Danish people think that climate change and its consequences are the biggest challenge for humanity in the 21st century; Gouvernement (2023), Le forum des jeunesses; IPSOS (2021), 79% des jeunes se disent intéressés par la thématique du réchauffement climatique; Participation Citoyenne (2023), Notre avenir énergétique se décide maintenant: Concertation nationale sur le mix énergétique, Synthèse des travaux; UNDP (2023), Aiming Higher Elevating Meaningful Youth Engagement For Climate Action; UNECE (2020), Youth Climate Council (Denmark): SDG Acceleration Action; United Nations (n.d.), Youth Climate Council.
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