Youth as Catalysts of Climate Action: Advancing Environmental Sustainability and the SDGs Beyond 2030, Hassan Alzain, Kibiriti Majuto

Hassan Alzainand Kibiriti Majuto
Yale School of the Environment
Yale University
New Haven, United States of America
USA

Purpose: This paper analyzes how youth-driven initiatives are reshaping global climate governance and sustainable development beyond the 2030 SDG timeline. It examines the mechanisms, barriers, and institutional conditions affecting youth influence in climate decision-making.
Design/methodology/approach: Using a conceptual and comparative case study framework, the paper systematically reviews youth-led climate initiatives (2011–2025) from the Global South and North. It assesses mobilization, agenda setting, co-production of policy, climate finance, and litigation as key pathways, supported by empirical cases from Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Findings: Youth activism has shifted from symbolic protest to substantive participation in governance. However, tokenism, institutional exclusion, and resource inequality persist. The study identifies three key barriers—institutional, political, and socioeconomic—and presents scalable solutions like co-governance mandates and equitable finance models.
Originality/value: The paper reframes youth as strategic co-architects of sustainability rather than peripheral actors, integrating ethical, political, and practical dimensions of intergenerational equity.
Practical implications: Embedding youth participation in law, simplifying access to finance, and aligning education with green-economy pathways are essential to institutionalising intergenerational collaboration and accelerating equitable climate action beyond 2030.
Keywords: Youth Empowerment, Climate Governance, Intergenerational Equity, Climate Justice, Sustainable Development Goals, Renewable Energy Transition, Global South, Adaptation, Mitigation, Environmental Policy.