Brookings: National climate strategies are forgetting about girls, children, and youth
Christina Kwauk, fellow for global economy and development at Brookings’ Center for Universal Education, and colleagues discuss their new report examining the inclusion of young people, principally girls, in country climate strategies. A summary states, “Our new report analyzed 160 [Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs — or, a country’s plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement)] and found that only three countries (Malawi, Venezuela, and Zambia) make explicit reference to girls, only one country (Zambia) mentions girls’ education, and no country formally recognizes the role that an investment in girls’ education could make in its climate strategy. … Our analysis also illuminated disquieting results when it comes to action for climate empowerment. … In other words, education has been largely positioned in a passive role where it will not empower children and youth as critical stakeholders in climate decisionmaking and climate action today or in the future” (12/10).