NEWS

The authors of the "Charting a Youth Vision for a Sustainable Future” report were not yet born when delegates first met in Stockholm in 1972 for the "Only One Earth UN Conference on the Human Environment", where countries came together to jointly take responsibility for protecting and improving the environment while ensuring equity of human development.

Sadly, the better world envisioned 50 years ago has not yet come to pass. Drastic changes are needed now more than ever before. This report articulates a vision for a future that captures the aspiration, determination and solidarity of young people, to realize a healthy planet for all.

The authors have considered the latest science, identified policy gaps and studied systemic challenges to formulate a concrete vision for a healthy planet for all by 2030. The report offers policy suggestions for accelerating implementation and overcoming roadblocks in pursuit of this vision and integrates findings from a global online survey conducted by 1050 young people aged 18–30 from 89 countries.

Rather than economic growth, the authors find that community-focused living, education and health are appropriate metrics of the prosperity of a country. It should further be measured by its “natural capital” like the quality of its air, soil and water, biodiversity and integrity of ecosystems and land use, as countries with functional environmental ecosystems are more resilient to the impacts of climate change and can provide higher standards of living to their inhabitants.

The solutions and actions young people bring to the table can be shared and scaled up. We need action carried out now in this decade to set our course for the next 50 years.

To read the full report click HERE