#MoveTheDate - Reflections on Youth Leadership on Earth Overshoot Day 2020

Today (22 August 2020) is Earth Overshoot day: the day when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. To bring attention to the role of youth leadership in tackling this challenge, our board member, Catriona Patterson, represented 2050 Climate Group in a series of international webinars hosted by the Global Footprint Network, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the University of Glasgow. Here she shares her answers to some of the key questions posed by panel members and participants:

We need challenging, innovative and collaborative leadership in order to achieve true one planet prosperity: prosperity which has social and ecological justice at its core. This requires co-operation across politics, business, academia and civil society, and young leaders must be at the forefront of our action for a sustainable future. 

Earth Overshoot Day forces us to recognise the uncomfortable simplicity of our challenge: our demands on our planet outpace what it can provide. But our demands are not the same as our needs, and it is possible for us to change. The Global Footprint Network highlights the ways through which we can #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day - ultimately towards us becoming truly sustainable. 

From COVID-19 to COP26

Of course, 2020 is a strange year. The impact of COVID-19-induced worldwide lockdowns has led to decreases in wood harvest and CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion, and Earth Overshoot Day this year is actually three weeks later than it was in 2019. Yet these changes have come at cost to human life and wellbeing, and are likely to be temporary. Our challenge now is to learn from the massive systemic shifts this crisis has prompted, and take the opportunity to change for good. 

With the upcoming United Nation COP26 in Glasgow, this year’s Earth Overshoot Day is focusing on Scotland. As a nation with a strong history of innovation and demonstrating leadership on climate change (particularly, being the first country in the world to declare a climate emergency in 2019), now is the time to show what we can do together at a national and global level.

Representing youth leadership in climate action

At 2050 Climate Group, we’re committed to empowering young leaders to be at the forefront of how we take climate action towards a just and sustainable society. I was pleased and privileged to join the webinar with some of the leading thinkers on climate action, in a discussion attended by over 800 people, and chaired by Steph McGovern, journalist, broadcaster & presenter. Each of the speakers shared their experiences and plans for the future of their sector or industry:

  • Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change & Land Reform, 

  • Mathis Wackernagel, Founder & President, Global Footprint Network, 

  • Terry A’Hearn, Chief Executive, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, 

  • Sandrine Dixson-Decleve, Co-President, Club of Rome; 

  • John Elkington, Founder & Chief Pollinator of Volans and the Triple-Bottom-Line,

  • Dagmar Droogsma, Director of Industry, Scotch Whisky Association

  • Prof. Jaime Toney, Director Centre of Sustainable Solutions, University of Glasgow, 

I answered these key questions on where young people fit in:

What’s the role of young leaders in professions and industry and how can they maximise their influence to drive change?

Although young people might not have decades of experience, we do have the biggest personal motivation to take action, and that is hugely important when seeking to create positive change. It is no longer a given that the older you are, the better the decisions you make, and we must recognise the role of young people as decision makers in their own right. 

Everyone under the age of 35 today will be in the workforce by the year 2050, so instead of talking about the ‘world I want to create for my grandchildren’, I’m focused on the world I’m creating for myself and my generation. This is particularly true at this point in history: when COVID-19 has massively impacted the futures, prospects and opportunities of young people.

At 2050 Climate Group we’re already seeing youth climate leadership in action through our work with young people in Scotland and Malawi. As a youth-led, volunteer-led charity, we work to empower those aged 18-35 to lead climate action across the public, private and third sector. As of this year, we have over 500 Young Leaders across all industries in society, including health, finance, education, manufacturing, service, retail, agriculture and transport. Our young leaders are already prepared to drive change, with the necessary climate change knowledge and leadership skills to influence their communities and workplaces. We are already leading social movements, starting our own organisations, inventing, communicating and leading international climate action. 

Crucially though, it’s not something we can or should do alone -  young leaders still need support, empowerment and collaboration from current leaders and decisions makers in order to equitably contribute to action.  

We’ve seen how impactful our young leaders have been in driving conversations. What more can business do to engage young people?

When young people’s work on climate change is cited as ‘impactful’ we’re often referencing their passion, their ambition and their action. I think that in order to engage young people, and to benefit from that engagement, businesses need to recognise that leadership can happen at all levels of an organisation, and of society. 

There’s three main things I would suggest to any business wishing to meaningfully engage with young people:

  • Empower that passion

    • Listen to youth views - don’t just pay lip service

    • Provide a platform for young people to speak as equals in your board meetings, events, panels (just like SEPA, the Global Footprint Network and the University of Glasgow did, by inviting me to be part of their panel!)

    • Work alongside young people to support and sustain their efforts, particularly those that might face other barriers to participation.

  • Equip that ambition 

    • Invest in youth-driven solutions and businesses

    • Train others up on the skills and knowledge needed for a better future

  • Enable that action

Passion, ambition and action are crucial elements for businesses who want to be part of a positive and sustainable future, but they are also a requirement for those who want a prosperous and socially just present. Personally, I think any savvy, future-focused business would be thrilled to have an engaged young person as a key part of their team.

Watch the #MoveTheDate webinar (below) and join the movement at https://www.overshootday.org/ :

EmpowerGuest UserPartnerships, Board, COP, recovery