The People & Planet project asked over 3500 young people from 8 European countries* what are their views and concerns regarding climate change, sustainable practices and water scarcity.
The most noticeable message is that young people know that the climate threat is real and it already has an impact in their lives. This is one of many findings from the online survey results, which are now released in in the report European Youth and Climate Change: A Community Baseline.
The report analyses several areas of the relationship between young people and climate justice.
- The perception that young people have towards climate issues;
- Their individual actions to mitigate the effects of climate change;
- The knowledge that they have about the current political action and what they demand to promote a positive change – especially from local authorities, considering the important role they have in promoting this knowledge and positive action.
The project’s goal is to mobilize citizens, particularly young people, to fight climate change, and is focused on one of the most serious challenges humanity has to face nowadays and in the times to come: water scarcity.
The United Nations recognises the importance of youth in society and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world needs to leverage the full potential of all generations.
“It’s not enough to listen to young people — we need to integrate them into decision-making mechanisms at all levels.” – UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres
To achieve this, we must give voice to young people! That is why we chose the International Youth Day to release this report:
You can find full individual chapters for Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Spain here
We also made available summary factsheets in national languages for each of these countries, which you can find here:
The project People & Planet: a Common Destiny is an European project that wants to mobilize young people and glocal authorities to combat climate change. It is financed by the DEAR programme of the European Union and co-funded by Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P. The project brings together 17 partners from 8 EU Member States and Cape Verde, between 2020 and 2024. In Portugal, the project is implemented by a consortium composed of Loures City Council, Instituto Marquês de Valle Flôr (IMVF), Rede Intermunicipal de Cooperação para o Desenvolvimento (RICD) and FUEL.