Youth
velopment Report 2007/2008, which argues forcefully that although the size of the challenge posed
hange may be daunting, the world’s poor and future generations cannot afford to be pessimistic. “C
nge”, the report notes, “is the defining human development issue of our generation. It notes that “ho
deals with climate change today will have a direct bearing on the human development prospects o
ction of humanity.” “Our generation”, the report notes, “may not live to see the consequences; but ou
d grand children will have no alternative but to live with them”. Although a strong case has been m
g environmental and ecological
considerations at the heart o
nt as a way to protect the
younger generations, mu
ion has been given
to how young peop
es can influence
the achievement
tlines in the
Kyoto protocol.
the Human
Developmen
007/2008
addresses t
roeconomic
consideratio
ring human
developmen
ext of climate
change with
n actions that
should be taken
nts and the interna-
tional community. A v
sing link in the Human
Development Report is how
eneration -those the report views as
being most vulnerable to the cons
inaction today - - can, and should be engaged in addressing climate change. ns, much less attention
n to how young people themselves cans, much less attention has been given to how young people th
onsiderable attention has been given in recent years to the challenge of climate change and its pote
YOUTH &
USD 65 ISBN 978-92-1-130303-2
n development. While much of the discussion has focused on the ecological impact of increasing gre
es on the earth’s atmosphere, there is also growing attention to the human development impact an United Nations Publication Printed in the United States of America
ensions of this trend. The human development dimension of climatechange is the subject of the Hu 10-62128—December 2010—1,000
ment Report 2007/2008, which argues forcefully that although the size of the challenge posed by clim