Youth activism and the call for generational responsibility in climate politics

Abstract

Young climate activists have been instrumental in stirring the climate debate, employing a range of actions and discursive approaches to urge swift action from governments and society. A large body of literature on youth studies, sociology, education, communication, and environmental sciences shows how these activists have actively worked to surpass entrenched discursive and imaginative constraints within the climate debate by demanding their voices to be heard, and by offering a new vigour to the concept of climate crisis. By challenging established norms and systems, youth activism has, to a certain extent, inspired alternative visions for the future where their voices could be recognized and included. This chapter provides an overview of literature examining how youth-led climate action may have expanded the boundaries of discourse within climate politics. Our analysis underscores one of the most relevant contributions of youth activism: the moral imperative of generational responsibility, which has catalysed the politicization of the present moment. Continuously excluded from political processes, youth demand broader societal participation to formulate solutions and alternatives, indirectly proposing ways to reconfiguring climate politics as more democratic and pluralistic.