Climate Change, An Unwelcome Legacy

The Need to Support Children's Rights to Participate in Global Conversations

Abstract

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) articulates children’s rights to be heard and to participate in decisions that affect them. In spite of widespread ratification of the CRC, and the recognition of youth as a major stakeholder group with the right to participate in conversations related to climate change, children have not been adequately included in climate change decision-making at a global level, and attempts to facilitate their participation have rarely been more than tokenistic. This paper looks at this issue and pleads for better inclusion of children in conversations and decision-making on climate change.