G20 youth show their support for bold climate action: UN poll
Follow UsStory highlights
The ads ranged from apps that would attract a younger audience to crossword puzzles that might attract older participants as well
As per a new poll released by the United Nations, the youth of the world’s richest and most powerful nations paused their mobile gaming devices to show their support for bold climate action in their countries as they urged for the deployment of electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies.
G20 Peoples’ Climate Vote surveyed more than 689,000 people from October 2020 to June 2021 across all the G20 member nations. Nearly 302,000 individuals, aged 14-17 made their opinions heard.
Cassie Flynn, the lead author and strategic advisor to the UN Development Program (UNDP) told The Hill that she had been thinking about how to approach such a diverse sample population in a low-pressure environment. Therefore, her team created ads in 19 languages that appeared across popular gaming platforms.
The ads ranged from apps that would attract a younger audience to crossword puzzles that might attract older participants as well.
In the results, the widest generational gap was discovered in Australia and the US. This is where people in the "under-18” category ranked 10 percentage points higher than adult respondents regarding general recognition of the climate emergency.
The gap was at its greatest when it came to support for electric vehicles and renewable energy.
A total of 13 percentage points in the US were for electric vehicles, and 10 percentage points for renewable energy.
As per the authors, the members of G20 generated about 75 per cent of global emissions and they account for more than 80 per cent of the global GDP, as well as 60 per cent of the world’s population
The authors say that this is the first time that the voices of young people are being heard in a few countries. Also, many of these individuals will be of voting age in just a few years.
The researchers argued that the survey could provide significant value in forecasting where public opinion is headed on climate policy. Also, it will indicate where stronger public education efforts are needed.