How young people would like to shape the Arctic’s future and what is the policymakers’ answer

Abstract

Climate change impacts are of great concern to the younger generations around the world. Different global youth movements have highlighted the needs and desires of young people for an active role in decision-making for future climate resilience processes. Nonetheless, the engagement of youth in climate action plans is often marginal without any concrete support and resources. This is particularly visible in the Arctic, one of the main climate change hotspots, where young people have begun to have an increasingly influential role in political decisions. This paper aims to highlight the importance of youth participation in policy-making discussions and the different means by which policymakers can support and foment this, nowadays lacking, inclusion. The study focuses on the main formal documents written by the younger generation and their role in political decision-making.