Who Pays for the Climate Crisis?
Understanding Climate Finance, debt, and reparations through Climate Justice lens
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Who pays for the Climate Crisis?
The event will dive into the topic of climate finance and debt from the perspective of relations between Global North and Global South. The participants will not only understand the structure of international climate finance and adaptation financing, but also learn how to look at it through a climate justice lens.
Another objective is to challenge the fairness of international climate financing structures and the growing demand for climate reparations from the Global North to the Global South. We will also provide a short debrief on COP30.
Speakers
Dr. Ruth Carlitz
Ruth is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on the politics of public goods provision in low-income countries, from the perspectives of both governments and citizens. In addition to her academic research, Ruth has worked on studies commissioned by UN Women, Ladysmith, USAID, Twaweza, the International Budget Partnership, the World Bank, and other practice-oriented organisations. Ruth holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Duke University.
Elsa Kivinen
Elsa has been an active member of the local Finnish chapter of the Debt for Climate organisation since its inception in 2022. Her tasks have ranged from outreach communication and event organising to foster knowledge exchange about the topics of debt and colonialism for various interested groups. As the movement aims to bring a decolonial perspective to the questions of development, a strong portion of the outreach efforts is directed to countries that are directly impacted by colonially enforced debt crises or their consequences. I have been maintaining notable partnership efforts with the civil society in the DRC and Kenya.
Missed the webinar? Catch the recording now!
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Who Pays for the Climate Crisis?
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Insights, Activism, and Justice Frameworks in Focus
This event will provide both theoretical and practical insights into the connection between climate change and armed conflict.
In the first part, it will explore different frameworks, as well as case studies. The second part will be more practical, as our guest speaker will share his own experiences as a climate justice activist.
Additionally, there will be an overview of climate justice movements and their analysis of fossil fuels’ relation to instability, armed conflicts and the unequal burdens of climate disasters. In addition to a detailed analysis and critical examination of climate justice entities’ discourses around climate & conflict.
Following these parts, we will have time for a Q&A session and an interactive discussion in the breakout rooms.
Speakers
Hassan Ali
Hassan Ali is a climate activist and independent climate security analyst. His work explores the links between climate change, armed conflict, and global power dynamics, with a focus on how media, activists and policy narratives shape public understanding of the climate-conflict nexus,, especially in conflict-affected and vulnerable regions. He also examines how historical and political factors influence climate policies and international responses.
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Rethinking Justice in an Age of Crisis
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Gain insight on your legal status as an environmental defender under the rule of law, explore available human-rights-based protection tools, and exchange good practices, challenges, and needs related to your activism.
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This study session is organised in cooperation with the Council of Europe.
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Contact the project lead Anna at anna@yeenet.eu
Results
What is this study session about
In Europe, young environmental defenders face significant threats and repression, despite strong democratic institutions. These include legal, political, physical, and social challenges that have intensified with the rise of environmental protests. Key forms of repression involve strategic lawsuits, criminalisation of protests, police violence, and targeted harassment, undermining democratic freedoms and the fight against climate change.
Young people’s participation in environmental matters often extends beyond traditional avenues, with their activism efforts serving as a vital tool for engaging in the democratic process within the Council of Europe.
Objectives of the Study Session
- To connect young environmental defenders across Europe and facilitate their interaction with institutions and policy-makers.
- To equip young environmental defenders with knowledge of European human rights-based protection tools to help them address the threats they face.
- To understand the importance of a strong rule of law for the protection of environmental defenders.
- To empower youth to engage as environmental defenders through informed, democratic participation and awareness of their civic role.
Selection Criteria for Participants
Essential criteria:
- Be between 18–30 years old.
- Be based in one of the Council of Europe member states.
- Be actively involved in grassroots environmental or climate justice activism.
- Demonstrate an interest in the rights of environmental defenders, democracy, and protest movements.
- Be comfortable in communicating in English.
- Be available for the whole duration of the Study Session, including travel days.
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience facing or supporting others facing repression, including legal, political, or social threats, due to climate/environmental activism.
- Involvement in intersectional activism, linking climate justice with labour, gender, racial, or other rights.
- Affiliation with an environmental youth NGO or informal group working at the local, national, or international level.
- Show a commitment to disseminate resources and outcomes of the Study Session within their organisations and networks.
We accept applications from all candidates who fulfill the profile for the activity, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief or sexual orientation.
Selection Process and Preparation
All interested candidates are required to fill out the Application Form by 29 June 2025. Please note that applications submitted via other channels will not be considered.
Pre-selected candidates will be invited to join a short online meeting where they will be provided with more information about the programme of the Study Session and get to know the preparatory team.
The YEE team will host a 1-hour online preparatory meeting that will be held two weeks before the Study Session to prepare and provide support to selected participants.
Administrative and logistical details
Participants’ costs for their travels to and from Strasbourg, local transportation, visa, and meals will be fully covered. Accommodation will be provided at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg (EYCS).
This activity requires the payment of a 50,00 EUR enrolment fee. Should you find yourself unable to afford this fee, please send an email explaining your situation to the Course Director at the following email: anna@yeenet.eu
YEE will consider enrolment fee waiver requests from applicants who meet all the following criteria:
- – Do not have sufficient financial resources to cover the cost of participation;
- – Are currently unemployed and/or enrolled as a student;
- – Come from a marginalised or underrepresented community;
- – Are not affiliated with a larger organisation or institution and work on a voluntary or pro bono basis.
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Study session on Uniting for a Safer Europe: Empowering Environmental Defenders and Climate Activists
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from 3rd to 6th July 2025 in Prague, Czechia
Practical information
This event is funded by the European Union.
Have questions?
Get in touch at yee@yeenet.eu
Youth and Environment Europe would like to announce that the Annual Meeting and the General Assembly of YEE will take place from 4th to 6th July 2025 in Prague, Czechia (with travel on 3rd and 6th July in the afternoon).
Hereby, we would like to ask each YEE member organisation to appoint a delegate to represent and vote on behalf of your organisation during the Annual Meeting.
Food, accommodation, and visa expenses for the duration of the annual meeting will be covered in full. Travel expenses will be reimbursed according to the travel limits for respective countries shared with members’ focal points.
Travel expenses and accommodation for an extra delegate are not covered.
How can you join?
- As a Member Organisation delegate (contact your local organisation)
- Guests and YEE team
News
YEE’s Annual Meeting 2025
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Gain the skills, knowledge, and tools to advocate for environmental justice, engage in policy-making, and create impactful digital storytelling campaigns
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Co-organised with
Funded by
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Have questions?
Contact the project lead Ena at ena@yeenet.eu
What is this training course about
Youth and Environment Europe (YEE), in collaboration with Yeghvard Youth Ecological NGO and Utrecht University, invites young climate activists and youth workers to join a fully funded Training Course in Armenia and be part of a broader program on the Right to a Healthy Environment! This transformative program will equip you with the skills, knowledge, and tools to advocate for environmental justice, engage in policy-making, and create impactful digital storytelling campaigns.
Join us if you want to
- Become an advocate for climate justice – Deepen your knowledge of the triple planetary crisis (climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution) and the Right to a Healthy Environment (RtHE).
- Gain hands-on experience in strategic advocacy, storytelling, campaigning – learn how to effectively communicate your message through digital campaigns and video storytelling.
- Turn your ideas into action by developing a local advocacy campaign with mentorship and support.
- Present your work at the final Symposium in the Netherlands – Showcase your campaign, share your experiences, and contribute to the movement for the Right to a Healthy Environment.
What to Expect?
7 days of learning, sharing and creating inspired by:
🎓 Interactive workshops on climate advocacy, environmental law, and digital campaigns.
🎤 Storytelling & media training to amplify your message and create impactful digital campaigns.
🎬 Hands-on video production to bring your environmental campaigns to life.
🗣️ Simulations & role-plays on negotiating with policymakers and advocating for change.
🌱 Field visit to learn from real-world environmental campaigns.
🌍 Cross-cultural collaboration with youth from across Europe.
📢 Mentoring and support in creating digital local campaigns and sharing insights at the final Symposium in the Netherlands.
Who should apply?
We are looking for motivated and committed participants who:
- – Are 18-30 years old and residing in Armenia, Albania, Republic of Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, France, Sweden or Serbia.
- – Are youth workers from our Member Organisations (MOs), rural youth climate activists or university students specialising in environmental law.
- – Have a strong interest in the triple planetary crisis, advocacy, and storytelling.
- – Are committed to actively participating all stages of the program: the training, the implementation of a local advocacy project in their community and motivated to join the Symposium in the Netherlands in November, 2025.
- – Have good English skills (as it is the working language of the program).
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Training course on the Right to a Healthy Environment
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Join an online conversation with Panu Pihkala and Juni Sinkkonen.
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Funded by
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Let’s talk mental health – from one climate activist to another!
For this webinar led by our project’s eco-emotions expert Juni Sinkkonen, we have invited Pimpichcha Sullivan-Tailyour from Force of Nature and Natalie Heller from Climate Mental Health Network to have an open conversation about what concerns climate activists today, and how they’re coping with emotion (over)load.
We will discuss:
- Personal journeys into climate activism;
- Activism burnout and everything that comes with it;
- How to take sustainable climate action.
Speakers
Juni Sinkkonen
The webinar is led by Juni Sinkkonen. Juni is a certified psychologist and eco-emotion expert, who has done research on you ng climate activists and their identities. She will start her PhD in autumn 2024 examining the interrelation between the field of psychology and the societal sustainability transformation.
Natalie Heller
Natalie Heller sits on the Gen-Z board of the Climate Mental Health Network and studies Public Health and Environmental Studies at George Washington University. As an advisor, she works on ways to include youth in the climate mental health movement and how older generations can support it.
Pimpichcha Sullivan-Tailyour
Pimpichcha Sullivan-Tailyour is a youth climate activist and environmental science student at Kings College London. Her activism has mainly consisted of deepening youth’s connection with climate activism, whether it is through education, listening circles or bridging intergenerational conversations. She explores how systems change the vision for the future.
Missed the webinar? Catch the recording now!
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Diving deeper into eco-emotions: Youth & Activism
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Join an online conversation with Panu Pihkala and Juni Sinkkonen.
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Funded by
Related project
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Why are we doing this
How are the triple planetary crisis and our mental health connected? Why is eco-emotion research on the rise? Where does our environmental anxiety come from?
To answer these questions, we have invited the author of Climate Emotions Wheel, and a leading expert on interdisciplinary eco-anxiety research Panu Pihkala and a psychologist Juni Sinkkonen.
Speakers
Juni Sinkkonen
Juni Sinkkonen is a certified psychologist and eco-emotion expert, who has done research on you ng climate activists and their identities. She will start her PhD in autumn 2024 examining the interrelation between the field of psychology and the societal sustainability transformation.
Panu Pihkala
Dr Pihkala (b. 1979, he/his) from the University of Helsinki has been awarded several prizes in Finland for his books about eco-emotions. He also hosts the podcast Climate Change and Happiness together with Dr. Thomas Doherty and serves as an advisor for many projects about eco-anxiety.
Missed the webinar? Catch the recording now!
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Understanding Eco-emotions
https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/eco-emotions-webinar-1.png 540 540 YEE https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/logo-yee-728x1030.png YEE2024-08-22 17:59:322025-07-23 15:31:56Understanding Eco-emotionsWe want Clean Air Now!
YEE organises a fully-funded 3-days programme about clean air and a race in Berlin.
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Funded by
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Why are we doing this
The European legislative framework on air quality is being updated. This is the perfect occasion to get involved in a matter of public health that concerns us all!
Our main goal is to show decision-makers that young people are mobilised and care about air quality issues. With our actions, we aim to urge member states to take responsibility for the transposition of the recently adopted Ambient air Quality directives and follow WHO recommendations.
Learn more about air quality legislation and the consequences of air pollution.
What do we have planned?
The Seminar: We want Clean Air Now! (5th – 6th of September)
Before action comes reflection. That is why we want to start by taking the time to talk about air quality.
Over the course of this 2 days seminar, we will:
- delve into the key elements of air pollution, how it is measured and which consequences it has (from a medical, environmental and economic standpoint).
- investigate the main causes of air pollution and work together to discuss concrete action points through interactive sessions.
- be joined throughout this seminar by experts from different fields helping us to refine our thought process to ensure we come up with actionable solutions and a clear advocacy strategy.
Travel, accommodation, and public transport expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with our travel policy.
The Race: Run for Clean Air (7th September at app. 10 AM)
”Run for clean air” is a relay race designed to draw public attention towards the ongoing process of reforming the Ambient Air Quality legislative package.
With this run, we want to bring to light the issue of air pollution to the German population because Germany has been particularly reluctant to include ambitious air quality targets in the European law to safeguard the auto industry.
The race will consist of a 1km path, run by several teams representing different cities with various degrees of air pollution.
This race follows a similar style as previous event – “It’s not the finish line” – that we organised in Strasbourg on the day of the vote in the plenary session of the European Parliament of the last draft of the reform.
While the race is open to seminar participants, we warmly welcome external participants to join as well.
All participants are required to:
- Live in Europe*
- Be younger than 35 at the time of the event
- *Priority will be given to participants from Germany, France and Belgium
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We want Clean Air Now!
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from 12th to 14th July 2024 in Prague, Czechia
Practical information
This event it funded by the European Union.
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Youth and Environment Europe would like to announce that the Annual Meeting and the General Assembly of YEE will take place on from 12th to 14th July 2024 in Prague, Czechia.
We are happy to say that it will take place in person with an option to join in remotely. Hereby, we would like to ask each YEE member organisation to appoint a delegate to represent and vote on behalf of your organisation during the General Assembly (GA).
Food, accommodation, and visa expenses or the duration of the annual meeting will be covered in full. Travel expenses will be reimbursed according to the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2024.
How can you join?
- As a Member organisations delegate (contact your local organisation).
- Guests and YEE team (contact the YEE team).
Open calls
Become a board member
Responsibilities
- Making all the executive decisions between the Annual Meetings
- Supervising the implementation of the Work Plan
- Fulfilling their specific position's responsibilities
Become an internal auditor
Responsibilities
- Assessing the quality of YEE project implementation
- Evaluating the work of the Board and Secretariat
- Providing feedback and suggestions for improvement to the network
Have questions? Get in touch!
YEE’s Annual Meeting 2024
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Challenges and Opportunities After the European Elections
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Partners
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Join us for “The Future of the European Green Deal: Challenges and Opportunities After the European Elections” – a hybrid panel discussion hosted by The Earth Society, YEE (Youth and Environment Europe), and VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). The panel will be followed by a networking drink!
Why are we doing this
The European elections are around the corner and the landscape for climate action is expected to shift. What does this mean for the future of the European Green Deal?
Whether you are a policymaker, researcher, student, or simply passionate about climate action, this event is for you!
This is your chance to hear from leading experts and engage in a critical discussion about:
- The impact of the recent elections on the Green Deal's trajectory.
- Key challenges and opportunities facing the green transition.
- Strategies for ensuring a sustainable and equitable future for Europe.
Meet the speakers
Flora Dicke
Researcher at Ecologic Institute
Flora Dicke works as a Researcher at Ecologic Institute in Berlin. Her main areas of research are German and EU climate mitigation and adaption policy, as well as topics connected to political economy and socio-economics. Her current activities center around the EU-funded Horizon 2020 project “Transformative Policies for a Climate-Neutral European Union (4I-TRACTION)”, where she works on policy instruments with transformative potential and supports the synthesis of project results and their dissemination. Additionally, she is involved in the socio-economic assessment of adaptation measures and assesses international taxation options for the benefit of climate finance.
Sebastian Oberthür
Professor and Co-director
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Oberthür is the Co-Director of the Research Centre for Environment, Economy and Energy, and Professor for Environment and Sustainable Development at the Brussels School of Governance (BSoG). He is also Professor of Environmental Policy and Law at the Centre for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law at the University of Eastern Finland. He has extensive expertise on European and international environmental governance, policy and law, including climate governance, with an emphasis on institutional issues and perspectives.
Stephanny Ulivieri
Project Lead at YEE
Andrea Casamenti
Just Transition Policy Coordinator at Solidar Foundation
Andrea Casamenti is the Policy Coordinator for Just Transition at SOLIDAR, a network of over 50 civil society organisations across Europe representing millions of people committed to social justice and solidarity. Andrea leads SOLIDAR’s policy and advocacy work on a socially just transition to sustainable development in Europe, including the management of the European Alliance for a Just Transition, a coalition bringing together more than 40 European stakeholders with a common vision for a just transition in Europe.
Arvea Marieni
Partner and board member at Brainscapita
Arvea is a partner and board member of the management consulting firm Brainscapital, a shareholder of the French engineering firm BEAM CUBE, where she co-leads the Ecological Transition Solutions Division, and a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN. As a strategic advisor, climate policy expert and innovation manager, she specialises in EU-China environmental cooperation and serves as an expert for the European Commission, including Horizon evaluations, and as a consultant to the UNFCCC. In 2024, she was invited to join the Steering Committee of the Master in Agricultural and Food Economics at the Università CaSolica del Sacro Cuore, Cremona Campus.
Have questions? Get in touch!
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The Future of the European Green Deal
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YEE aims to unite environmental youth non-profit organisations in Europe in order to enhance international cooperation, increase knowledge about the climate crisis, raise awareness of environmental problems and to strengthen participation of youth in environmental decision-making.
Financially supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Council of Europe.
