In the unfolding climate crisis, young people are not merely spectators, they are at the core of its consequences and the key to its solutions.

 Across the globe, the climate is changing at a pace that is outstripping policy, adaptation, and resilience systems. 

While the world debates temperature targets, deforestation limits, and carbon markets, it is the youth who are already bearing the brunt of the environmental crisis, often with little control over the policies shaping their future.

Youth and climate

The relationship between young people and climate change is one of deep interconnection. 

Youth, especially those in the Global South, are inheriting a planet degraded by decades of unsustainable practices.

In countries like Tanzania, where more than 35% of the population is between the ages of 15 and 35, this generation represents not only a demographic majority but also a climate generation one that is growing up alongside increasingly severe droughts, floods, food insecurity, and resource-based conflicts. 

Young people will bear the long-term consequences of climate change, despite having contributed the least. Photo l Zakia Mrisho

Climate change shapes their daily lives, their job opportunities, their health, and their hope. 

But despite living at the heart of the crisis, their place in climate decision-making remains marginal.

“In Tanzania, young people are on the frontlines of climate impacts, yet they are often sidelined in key decision-making spaces,” says Arif Noorally Fazel, a youth advocate. 

“While youth are participating, their engagement is rarely meaningful… True climate justice means placing their voices, ideas, and leadership at the heart of every solution.” Fazel added.

Disproportionate burdens

This absence of meaningful youth inclusion is not only unfair, it undermines the effectiveness of climate action. 

According to the UNFPA and recent demographic reports by Tanzania’s National Bureau of Statistics, the youth population is rapidly increasing, with young people forming the majority in many communities. 

These same communities are already facing the consequences of climate change like rising temperatures, floods and coastal erosion.

And yet, these young people contribute the least to the problem.

 Globally, those aged under 30 have had little influence over the industrial, economic, and political decisions that created today’s environmental crisis.

“Young people will bear the long-term consequences of climate change, despite having contributed the least,” explains Signe Nejrup B. Bredgaard from Denmark.

 “Youth inclusion and leadership allow the most affected to have a voice in shaping solutions,” Bredgaard explained.

Action on the ground

The marginalisation of youth voices at policy tables reveals a disconnect between climate discourse and lived realities.

 In Tanzania, national climate policies such as the National Climate Change Response Strategy acknowledge youth as stakeholders, but rarely create tangible platforms for them to lead or co-create solutions.

 At international forums like COP meetings, youth participation is often symbolically invited to speak, but not to shape. This tokenism contrasts with the real power and innovation that youth already demonstrate on the ground.

From tree planting campaigns in Arusha to sustainable agriculture initiatives in Morogoro, Tanzanian youth are actively building resilience and leading change.

Their efforts are often underfunded, under-recognised, and under-leveraged by national systems. The mismatch between youth capability and institutional support is a critical gap in the climate justice landscape.

“Youth often challenge the status quo and bring innovative approaches that can help deconstruct the systems fueling climate injustice,” adds Bredgaard.

A working model for youth leadership

While many global institutions continue to overlook youth in climate spaces, ActionAid and  MSTCDC are leading by example. 

Their collaborative initiative, the Climate Justice Academy, is one of the most grounded efforts to prepare young people to engage with and shape climate justice discourse meaningfully.

The academy brought together youth from diverse countries and regions, creating a space not just for training but for deep conversations about justice, inequality, and power in the climate struggle.

Participants explored their roles in the global climate movement, examined the systemic roots of environmental harm, and shared community-based solutions grounded in lived experiences.

 Unlike many tokenistic youth programs, the Climate Justice Academy focused on capacity-building, critical thinking, and movement-building, helping participants recognise their power and responsibilities as agents of change.

This model deserves recognition and replication. By centring youth voices, providing them with tools, and fostering regional and global solidarity, ActionAid and MSTCDC have set a new standard for meaningful youth engagement.

 Sense of urgency

Across the African continent, youth are mobilising new climate narratives rooted in justice, equity, and collective responsibility.

 Yet, without the political will to integrate their ideas into formal governance, their impact remains localised.

“It’s important because the young people are inheriting the mess that older generations have created,” says Reem Khateeb from Palestine. “The energy of the youth is a vital force for action and change.”

Her words echo the growing sentiment of a generation demanding not just climate action, but climate accountability.

Toward a just and inclusive climate future

Building a just climate future means investing in youth not just as beneficiaries of solutions but as architects of change. 

Their energy, innovation, and direct experience with climate realities equip them with insights that are often missing in traditional policy-making spaces. 

Moreover, meaningful youth inclusion fosters solidarity across generations, a necessity in tackling a crisis that spans lifetimes.

The call is no longer just for climate adaptation or mitigation; it is for climate justice.

 And justice, by definition, demands the inclusion of those most affected. Youth is not a footnote in this conversation.

They are the main chapter. Their place is not at the periphery of discussions, it is at the centre of leadership, action, and transformations.