Youth key to tackling climate change 
The world is slowly waking up to the urgent need to tackle climate change after years of procrastination over the issue.
Young leaders from around the globe who have picked up the gauntlet of raising awareness about the problem, now bear the responsibility of dealing with the challenge.
In a bid to meet UN sustainable development goals, many governments have invested in youth to help confront the environmental phenomenon, and according to UN figures, resources would appear to be boundless with the world currently home to 1.8 billion people aged between 10 and 24 years old.
Young people are now the entrepreneurs and innovators of many solutions to the crisis.
In 2021, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched a number of key projects to deal with climate change and promote sustainability, namely the Middle East, and the Saudi green initiatives, and the Youth Green Summit.
In 2021, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched a number of key projects to deal with climate change and promote sustainability, namely the Middle East, and the Saudi green initiatives, and the Youth Green Summit.
Abdulwahab Alomari
The schemes, welcomed internationally, were not only designed to grow the national economy but also achieve major objectives including the planting of 50 billion trees throughout the Middle East (10 billion in Saudi Arabia), reclaiming 2 billion hectares of degraded land through afforestation to contribute to a 2.5 percent reduction in global carbon emissions, and cutting carbon emissions from oil and gas production to help toward meeting a regional reduction target of more than 60 percent.
Nations around the world need to invest in climate change to tackle the crises and in the process generate new technologies to strengthen the green economy through sustainable development, and renewable and clean energy.
The Future Investment Initiative’s slogan, “Impact on Humanity,” aims to empower Saudi youth by raising awareness levels and involvement in climate-related initiatives, such as the Vision 2030 reform plan and its goals of creating a vibrant society, thriving economy, and ambitious nation.
A number of youth programs are already starting to bear fruit and, according to the General Authority for Statistics, with young people making up 70 percent of the Kingdom’s population the outlook is bright for turning the country into an international innovation hub.
The world now has an opportunity to unite and confront climate change, a crisis considered the biggest challenge faced by humanity in the 21st century.
• Abdulwahab Alomari is interested in youth empowerment and development programs and has worked as a public relations officer on projects for government and private organizations, most notably the G20 summit.
