he 25th annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, colloquially known as COP25, kicked off this week in Madrid. The topic dominating early media coverage wasn’t whether a new agreement over carbon pricing was feasible, whether the conference’s last-minute move to Madrid jeopardized any discussions, or what the US’s impending exit from the Paris Climate Accords means for the agreement’s long-term viability. Instead, many news outlets wondered: would Greta Thunberg make it to the summit? (She did eventually reach Europe, after the conference’s unexpected move from Santiago to Madrid forced her to traverse the Atlantic via boat). For context, this is the first international environmental conference to take place after Greta Thunberg became a global icon; after Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced her Green New Deal resolution to rapidly decarbonize the American economy; and after millions of students worldwide skipped class as part of this year’s climate strike. Norway is even directly incorporating the perspectives of young people this year, bringing five student activists to Madrid to “engage in a dialogue with Nordic ministers and other decision makers.” And perhaps nothing exemplifies the newfound power of youth activists in shaping the global environmental agenda than the conference’s shifting location: the conference abruptly relocated to Spain in response to a student-led revolt against the Chilean government. The question then becomes: does this newly invigorated youth movement drive more attention to pressing issues and make necessary demands of policymakers? Or is it ultimately a distraction, framing media coverage around activist celebrities like Greta Thunberg rather than around more arcane (but more important) climate policy concerns? Can a youth uprising convince skeptics and actually inform high-level policy discussions? To view the full article visit Resources Magazine.
