Climate Justice Needs An Intersectional Approach | Tookit
This toolkit invites you to embark on an inspiring journey where inclusivity and empowerment become the driving forces behind climate action.
Our Intersectionality Toolkit offers a comprehensive guide to understanding and integrating intersectionality into climate action. It provides a framework to navigate the interconnected web of social identities, power dynamics, and environmental impacts. Through a combination of research-based insights, practical tools, and case studies, this toolkit empowers users to approach climate activism, policy-making, and community engagement through an inclusive and justice-centered lens.
This toolkit covers a wide range of topics, including:
Climate Justice Needs An Intersectional Approach | Toolkit
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Learn more about the project
In the beginning, I was all alone
Vika Hovsepyan from Yeghvard, Armenia is passionate about creating positive change in her community. She began by initiating a recycling campaign at her school and now is involved in educational projects related to the environment. Her work is motivated by seeing the positive results and the support of others. Vika’s future goal is to collect and recycle clothes to help those in need.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Who’s Vika?
I am Vika Hovsepyan from Yeghvard, which is a small town near the capital of Yerevan in Armenia. I’m 19. Since high school, I’ve tried to be active in my community and create something positive for others who have fewer opportunities or need help. I have been doing different kinds of activities in my community for more than five years now.
What is your work and how did it all start?
Around me, there were some problems which were visible and I couldn’t sit and just see what was happening near me. Everything started when I decided to create a little campaign at school involving some others who were interested. The aim was to collect paper and plastic waste and transfer it to a recycling center every three months. The reimbursement from our recycled items would be invested in the school to be used to buy some new plants, as well as for the school garden and sorting bins for waste or whatever else was needed. This became a tradition in a very short time.
I just wanted to share my ideas with the students and teachers. I started to collect all the papers because the school was full of paper and there isn’t one day that paper isn’t used. I started to collect it and then I made a small pocket where I put them away, and the students saw my steps and they followed me. This is when the project became larger.
I started on a very large scale. Students and teachers became part of this project and they supported me and encouraged me. I got support and I became very motivated, even more motivated than at the beginning. I continued with new encouragement and new motivation.
I graduated two years ago but this tradition still goes on. After that I started to participate in environmental projects to deepen my knowledge about environmental topics and my behavior has changed a lot. New eco-friendly practices were formed in my everyday life. I started to use eco bags and water bottles and now I can’t imagine my life without these steps.
What projects do you work on at the moment?
I’m part of the educational projects at Yeghvard NGO, where I’m a member and a volunteer. They organize educational projects for youth about the environment. I organise seminars and trainings for youth with fewer opportunities. There are also times when I am the participant and I strive to deepen my knowledge to be able to share it with others.
What does your work mean to you?
My work is very important for me because I started the project at school and I like seeing the good results and the happy faces of people and their reactions and support. That gives me a lot of motivation to continue what I’m doing. My vision is for people to become more careful and more caring because nature is in danger.
What’s next for you?
I want to continue my work by collecting clothes. Every year I collect clothes from people and just give them to those who have fewer opportunities and need them. In a few months, I will start and collect clothes that I will recycle. I want to open a second-hand store or engage people who have fewer opportunities than I had.
If you could send a message to other young people, what would it be?
“Whatever you do, do it for a positive result and do it with all your heart.”
This is the key to success.
It is very easy if you are motivated and want to bring change. There are only a few things you need to do. Have an aim, motivation for any situation and a strong will. This is the key because if you are not motivated if you don’t want to see a good result, if you don’t want to see happy faces, support, and change around you, nothing will change. You are the change. You will become the change and people will follow you.
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Introducing Vika | Showcasing the Unheard
https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Vika.png 675 675 YEE https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/logo-yee-728x1030.png YEE2023-09-02 16:26:092023-10-02 16:31:21Introducing Vika | Showcasing the UnheardLiaison Officers | Volunteering
Please apply via the form before September 6th 23h59 CEST.
What is expected of a Liaison Officer?
The Liaison Officer is a volunteer position of one year term (October 2023 – October 2024). All liaison volunteers will report to and be supported by the YEE Advocacy staff (Volunteers Coordinator, Advocacy Coordinator and Project Leads) and the External Relations Officer. While committed to specific and diverse tasks, the volunteer liaison officers will effectively make a team – the Advocacy Working Group – intended to support each other and work with the staff.
The average time commitment is between 7-10 hours a week, including meetings every two weeks with the External Relations Officer, Volunteers Coordinator, Advocacy Coordinator and Project Leads.
Some of the work tasks expected involve strengthening communication and advocacy with some of our partner organisations as well as creating projects and campaigns of their own.
Who are we looking for?
The Liaison Officer should:
- be between 18 and 30 years old;
- be available around 7-10 hours per week;
- have a strong interest in advocacy and in promoting sustainable policy and green goals;
- be passionate in helping strengthen the voice of youth in European decision making.
- have strong written and verbal communication skills and a good level of English (the working language of YEE is English so you should be able to clearly express yourself both orally and in writing);
- have basic computer skills (Microsoft Office, Google Drive,..);
- have a good team spirit and be able to be part of a brand-new team;
- be organised and meet deadlines;
- be committed to the aims of the project and YEE values
- be willing to gain leadership and communications skills
What are the benefits of being a Liaison Officer?
What you can gain from this experience:
- Valuable on-hand insights of working for the largest European network of youth-led environmental NGOs;
- In depth knowledge of the organisation and institutions relevant to your liaison position;
- Access to a network of motivated young green activists and professionals;
- Transferable skills such as time management, organisational skills, strong communication skills and more;
- Boost your CV!
- have basic computer skills (Microsoft Office, Google Drive,..);
- have a good team spirit and be able to be part of a brand-new team;
- be organised and meet deadlines;
- be committed to the aims of the project and YEE values
- be willing to gain leadership and communications skills
Open Positions for the period: October 2023-October 2024
Liaison Officer on Environmental Law
The aim of the Environmental Law Liaison Officer is to help YEE’s work on environmental law and litigation topics and the work on the Aarhus Convention. This person would work closely with the Volunteers Coordinator, the Project Lead and the Project Assistant on environmental law on the Legal Seeds 3 project; and with other Liaison Officers when legal topics are involved, such as with the Oceans and Biodiversity portfolios. The Env. Law Liaison Officer will also work with others on targeted campaigns (e.g. #restorenature) and advocacy initiatives at international and EU level.
A lot of the work would be linked to making environmental law accessible for young people through writing; familiarising with the Aarhus Convention processes and strengthening YEE position there; helping creating partnerships with youth and non youth organisations active in environmental law matters and learning the basics of fundraising. Finally, the volunteer will explore opportunities to promote knowledge and join or launch advocacy campaigns related to the achievement of more stringent legal targets and actions envisaged by the EU Green Deal.
The main topics covered by the environmental law portfolio include the EU Green Deal and its implementation (National Energy & Climate Plans and the FF55); climate litigation; the Aarhus Convention; the Nature Restoration Law and the Right to a Healthy Environment. However, your ideas and interests are of course welcome!
The main tasks will include:
- Help our members to engage with our work on environmental law, through liaising and working on our relationship with Member Organisations and partner organisations;
- Help work with the Project Lead and Project Assistant on Environmental Law on content creation, such as articles and webinars;
- Support YEE work on the Aarhus Convention processes;
- Contribute to the general YEE advocacy strategy, such as through participating on behalf of YEE to legal campaigns and external events
Liaison Officer on Ocean Conservation
In the context of the Ocean Conservation portfolio, the Liaison Officer will engage with and consolidate relationships with ocean-related international advocacy campaigns, such as within the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC). They will be able to engage in the dissemination of knowledge to a wide audience, while also getting involved in international collaboration and promotion of youth participation in the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Instrument adopted under the UNCLOS framework. They can, in this context and in the context of other potential issues and international processes, seek active collaboration with existing partners like GYBN and NYBN Oceans group. Exploring involvement in other ocean- and water-related processes and issues is of course a possibility and is open to the Liaison Officer’s expertise, interest, and capacity.
The Liaison Officer will regularly communicate with other portfolios, and especially the Biodiversity, Environmental Governance, and Climate Crisis portfolios, fostering collaborative campaigns and initiatives where thematic priorities intersect. Examples of this are the BBNJ Treaty process, as well as the international negotiations towards the adoption of a legally-binding Plastics Treaty under the auspices of UNEP, addressing the Ocean-Climate nexus under the UNFCCC COP process.
At the EU level, the Liaison Officer will represent YEE as supporting organisation to Surfrider Foundation Europe’s Blue-Up 2024 campaign for EU Parliamentary elections. The volunteer will explore opportunities to promote knowledge and join or launch advocacy campaigns related to the achievement of ocean-related targets and actions envisaged by the EU Green Deal – ranging from the Common Fisheries Policy to the EU Biodiversity Strategy. The LO will also support the implementation of the EU4Ocean Coalition for Ocean Literacy project.
The main tasks will include:
- Contribute to the YEE advocacy strategy, by participating in campaigns, liaising with partners, and representing YEE in external events;
- Create ocean-related content and blog articles to be published by YEE;
- Represent the YEE network in the Youth4Ocean Forum and EU4Ocean Platform, especially by taking active part in the youth-led initiatives carried out by the Youth4Ocean Forum community;
- The LO will also contribute to the implementation of the EU4Ocean Coalition for Ocean Literacy project in accordance with the Oceans Project Lead, supporting the planning of key events and tasks, helping in mapping and liaising with relevant youth networks, initiatives, and youth-led projects in Europe.
Liaison Officer on Sustainable Energy
The Liaison Officer on Sustainable Energy will help to create a stronger basis of Energy knowledge with YEE and to implement and carry out relevant advocacy initiatives and relations on the topic. They will work closely with the Volunteers Coordinator, the Project Lead and the Project Assistant on energy. A great part of the mandate will be to provide support and insights to the Ampower project, the project at YEE dedicated to energy and support the team’s effort to create a knowledge bank on energy transition and the energy crisis.
The Sustainable Energy Liaison Officer would also liaise with other youth and non-youth organisations working on energy-related topics, such as the European Youth Energy Network, the EEB, GCE and CAN-Europe and provide assistance with the teams involvement with UN working groups. The Energy Liaison Officer will also have the possibility to explore opportunities to promote knowledge and join or launch advocacy campaigns related to the increase of sustainable energy targets in the EU. Personal ideas and insights on how to develop the portfolio are more than welcome!
The main tasks will include:
- Draft articles on several key points necessary to understand the complexity of energy transition and the ins and outs of the energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine.
- Create a weekly news update on energy matters (Showcasing new interesting projects, new technologies relevant to the energy transition, updates on new national, European and International legislations, and other relevant news).
- Help our members to engage with our work on energy, through liaising and working on our relationship with Member Organisations and partner organisations;
- Contribute to the general YEE advocacy strategy, such as through participating on behalf of YEE to energy-related campaigns and external events.
Liaison Officer on Green Finance
We are excited to say that we also opened a position for a Liaison Officer on Green Finance!
The role of the Liaison Officer
The Green Finance Liaison will act as a key contact point between YEE and external stakeholders in regards to all matters pertaining to Green Finance. Additionally, during the first phase of the project the volunteer should search for existing projects or work on green finance carried out by other youth organisations with the purpose of increasing capacity on the project and building a coalition of youth organisations active on the topic.
The liaison officer’s main activity will be to provide desktop research to identify important financial actors involved in green finance, in order to monitor financial flows in relation to climate action and energy transitions, with a particular focus on tracking investment banks and their involvement in sustainable initiatives. In cooperation with the communications team, the Liaison Officer will provide regular updates which will be published on social media and on a dedicated page of YEE’s website.
In parallel, the Liaison Officer should keep track of the main policy discussions in the green finance sector and help YEE identify key stakeholders responsible for national, European and International level policy-making to identify where YEE can advocate for further youth involvement.
Finally, throughout the project, and based on the knowledge gathered, the Liaison Officer will create some educational content destined to be shared with YEE’s network as training material.
The main tasks will include
- In cooperation with the communications team, build a webpage on YEE’s website dedicated to green finance content;
- Identify meetings, networks and coalitions that currently allow for youth participation;
- List key stakeholders in international organisations, NGOs and actors of the private sector that are involved in key green investment processes for coalition building; and help YEE advocate for greater youth inclusion in the sector.
- Engage in desktop research on financial flows in regard to the climate and energy transition.
- Help in content creation for our social media, such as drafting short posts throughout the project destined to educate our young audience on green finance;
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us:
We are looking for Liaison Officers | Volunteering
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Written by
Heather Needham
Sophia Ullrich
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The Vjosa River
In the Pindus mountains of Greece, close to the village of Vovousa, you can find the source of the last wild river of Europe – the Aoös/Vjosa river. Flowing northwest in natural meanders, it is joined by the river Voidomatis and eventually enters Albania, where it is again joined by the river Sarantaporos. Continuing its way northwest, passing the cities Përmet, Këlcyre and Tepelenë the river is joined by its Albanian tributaries Drin and Shushicë and finally flows into the Adriatic Sea close to the well-known city Vlorë.
As a result of major undisturbed natural processes, a unique landscape and ecosystem developed over thousands of years along the course of the river, based on different flow velocities and river depths ranging from unvegetated gravel bars to floodplain forests. Local people have found a way to live in harmony with this precious ecosystem, making use of and depending on its natural resources without posing a threat to its further existence. This also allows the continued existence of a vast variety of plant as well as animal species, native to the unique and rare habitats of the river. Flagship species that have been picked up by international media representing the unique flora and fauna are the Egyptian vulture, European eel and the Dalmatian pelican, just to name a few.
Europe’s First Wild River National Park
On march 15, 2023, the precious landscape around the last free-flowing wild river of Europe was announced as the Vjosa Wild River National Park. The protection status corresponds to IUCN’s Protected Area Management Category II, the main objective being the protection of its natural biodiversity and the underlying ecological structures and undisturbed natural processes. The protection and therefore continued existence of the ecosystem also aim at the promotion of education and recreational activities.
The process and fight for the protection of the Vjosa to be declared a protected area or National park started in the year 2014 when the german magazine “Der Spiegel” published an article on the situation of rivers in the Balkan region and their threatened status due to several planned hydropower plants. After the first biodiversity assessment was carried out, underlining the unique nature of the river ecosystem, the matter attracted the attention of the European Parliament which demanded the halt for all construction plans and the control of Albania’s hydropower development. Several international protests followed, a lawsuit was filed in December 2016 to stop the development of a new hydropower project which was decided in favour of the Albanian NGO EcoAlbania. In spite of this development, the Albanian government decided to move ahead with the construction of yet another dam, triggering further protests. In 2018, data gathered by international scientists was published in the form of a study. The campaign picked up speed with yet another study by the Austrian University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, concluding the Vjosa river to be unsuitable for energy production due to its high sediment transport. The international attention was followed by a petition, signed by 776 scientists from 46 countries in the beginning of 2020. Within the same year, the plans for the Kalicaç Dam were brought to a halt by the Albanian Environmental Ministry.
The first official proposal for the creation of a Vjosa National Park was put forward in early 2021 by 20 Albanian Environmental organisations, which was then backed up by a study conducted by the IUCN. In parallel to support by the community of scientists, public attention was further achieved by the release of an explanatory video by Patagonia as well as a significant action on World Water Day 2021 in several European cities.Throughout the year 2021, further gathering of scientific data on the Vjosa tributaries, publicity-boosting actions and the launch of a global petition were the last steps of the campaign, before it was declared a Nature Park in January 2022. However, with the status of a Nature Park not guaranteeing effective protection of the Vjosa and its tributaries and sufficient eco-touristic opportunities for the local people, the Vjosa river was finally declared a Wild River National Park ten months later, in March 2023.
A biodiversity hotspot
The rare and unique geological features of the river give rise to an equally unique diversity in plant and animal species, many of which are globally threatened and some of which are protected. As part of the mediterranean basin, the balkan peninsula is one of the 25 most important world hotspot areas of biodiversity.
In a baseline survey Scientists from all over Europe clearly presented the impact the construction of hydropower plants would have on rare habitats and therefore species, threatening the continued existence of such a unique ecosystem. The absence of fish barriers in the Vjosa, until today, allows for the existence of numerous endangered and endemic fish species that are heavily dependent on the free-flowing nature of rivers, such as the migratory European eel, which is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red list. Based on the variety of different habitats, a number of 18 species were found in the baseline survey, once again underlining the importance of river-connectivity and varying speed of water flow.
Within the group of Macroinvertebrates, which includes different organism groups like molluscs, worms, crustaceans, and insects, a number of 227 aquatic invertebrate taxa were found along the course of the Vjosa, some of which are still to be included in scientific research. While some of the species used to be present throughout Europe, other species like the stonefly Isoperla vjosae have, to date, been found exclusively in the Vjosa.
However, the Vjosa valley is crucial not only for the survival of aquatic species but also provides habitat for birds, of which 257 species have been recorded in the basin, many of which are listed on the Red List of Albanian Flora and Fauna and in the Appendix of the Bern Convention, and some in the Annex of the Convention on Migratory Species. Species like the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) serve as flagship species, once again demonstrating the sensitive and vulnerable nature of this natural ecosystem which, until today, provides habitat for species that would otherwise be on the brink of extinction.
The value of Vjosa as a reference site
Finding a floodplain today that remains untouched by significant human influence has become increasingly challenging. Floodplains are important ecologically, covering 7% of the European continent and accounting for up to 30% of terrestrial Natura 2000 site area in Europe. Alarming studies reveal that 70-80% of floodplain have suffered environmental degradation due to human activities.
Amid this concerning trend, the Vjosa River stands out as a remarkable exception. Baseline surveys have identified the Vjosa River as a reference site due to its exceptional ‘near natural status’, boasting high biodiversity and hosting endangered fauna and flora. Moreover the habitats found along the river possess an international value, making it a unique and valuable ecological system.
What sets the Vjosa River apart is its minimal human influence, a rarity in today’s world. The majority of its tributaries flow freely into the river, with only two of them subject to damming. This makes the Vjosa an invaluable case study for understanding and researching the ecological and morphological conditions of a floodplain. A critical aspect of utilising reference sites like the Vjosa is their utility in assessing human impacts on floodplains such as hydropower projects which pose a significant threat to river ecosystems and biodiversity. Therefore, the Vjosa serves as blueprint for understanding what a functioning river should look like and highlights the need to preserve and protect this ecosystem for future generations.
How you can get involved in protecting rivers:
- Education: Learn more about important rivers in Europe, the challenges facing European rivers, and the impacts a national designation of a national park would have on biodiversity, society and the economy.
- Volunteer: There are many opportunities to join charities and youth groups to clean litter from rivers, and to participate in hands-on work restoring rivers.
- Participate in citizen science: Support scientists to collect data about rivers such as water quality and biodiversity monitoring. Data is important to understand more about rivers and to support petitions.
- Join environmental organisations:Join as a member or volunteer with an environmental NGO working to restore rivers in Europe such as WWF, European Rivers Network or local river protection groups.
- Advocate for policy change: Write letters, emails or petitions to government officials to advocate for stronger environmental regulations and policies that protect rivers.
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Exploring the biological and ecological importance of Europe’s First Wild River National Park | Article
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Learn more about the project
I want to see my community from another perspective
Iusip, a 23-year-old from Georgia, is currently studying Management Engineering in Poland. He has been involved in the NGO field for three years, establishing his own NGO at the age of 19. Through his organisation, he provided opportunities and assistance to numerous individuals and facilitated participation in projects in Europe.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Who’s Iusip?
I’m 23 years old and from Georgia, but now I’m studying in Poland in the faculty of Management Engineering for my bachelor’s. Until now, I have been involved in the NGO field, and when I was 19 and was studying in Georgia, I established my own NGO with my friends. I have been writing projects, and managing teams for three years, and I got a lot of experience.
How did you first get involved with NGOs?
The first organisation was the “Youth Association DRONI”, which had a lot of local projects and in Europe. I have participated in some of the projects in Turkey and in Georgia. I explored a lot of opportunities for youth, and I saw that as a member of an ethnic minority in my country, my ethnicity is Azerbaijani. Most people don’t know about these opportunities. So we made a Facebook group, volunteer-based, and we were sharing all these opportunities for three years. There were a lot of people that have participated in these projects and used these opportunities.
After that, we established our own organisation where we had our own projects. We even got country labels for projects, and we helped people to go and participate in several projects in Europe.
Where did the idea of creating your own organisation come from?
After becoming a volunteer at one of the biggest organisations here in Georgia, I saw that there are a lot of things that youth can do. You can go to another country, explore the country, meet a lot of new people, and gain a lot of skills at the same time. I said to myself: I have to share this with others as well, they must know and develop themselves. So we started with the Facebook group, and we started sharing these opportunities on a daily basis, they were writing and asking us questions, and we were trying to help them with all the matters.
Then we said okay, let’s make an organisation as well, so we can have our own projects and we can be a sender and host organisation at the same time. And in 2020, we registered and started writing projects, finding donors, and partners for us, and we had a lot of projects during these two years and met a lot of people during this period. Our main target group was youth in Georgia, and especially ethnic minorities, and our aim was to develop and motivate them.
Can you share a bit about one of your projects?
There were several projects, with partners or just by ourselves, but one of the main ones that I remember was ‘ethnohunt’. It was a treasure hunt game for two days, and there were people of different ethnicities. We had training about discrimination and tolerance, and we had a workshop to paint the t-shirts, so you had to paint it according to these topics, like tolerance, and in the next stage, you go outside of the room and play ethnohunt.
Do you think it is harder for minority groups to get recognition and have a space among other activist groups?
Sometimes I feel really lucky because if you are a member of an ethnic minority here, at least you have an advantage in languages. You are in Georgia, so you already know Georgian, you know Azerbaijani, you have Turkish, you study English you already know four languages. Even when I’m going to the projects, there are people from Azerbaijan, Georgia, English English-speaking countries, and I’m able to speak with all of them, even in their own language. There are a lot of opportunities for us as we are people with multiple languages.
But not all people are so lucky, because as you may know, people mostly live in the villages and they don’t have that much opportunity to learn English or learn Georgian. Moreover, the educational conditions are not that good in the regions.
What’s next for you, and what is your ultimate goal?
“My main aim was to see the community from another perspective, to change them, to try to affect them positively.”
There might be a lot of negative things in the community if you start discussing it from the educational, social, or even political side, and I was trying to find people with whom I can discuss science or technology. I believe that with all the things I was trying to do in the NGO sector, people were getting more and more developed in different fields. They may be lawyers or IT guys, but at least they must start doing this and look to the global side and try to gain more and more experience to become something different. And to do that, you need to cross your borders, the borders you have inside, and your complexes. I was trying to work against it, against complexes and stereotypes.
“Even just one project can change a person.”
I had experiences like this here as well. Because they have many competencies, speaking in their own language, speaking in another language, speaking in front of an audience, communicating, and many more skills. And even in 10 days, they were coming back, and they were totally changed. It affects their lives, and their career as well, and from that one individual, you can reach the community level, but step by step, one by one.
What’s your advice for people who want to start getting involved?
My advice would be not to be afraid because I mainly saw situations where they are afraid. Of being alone, afraid of being lost in another city or country, you can find a number of reasons. They just need to step forward. Otherwise, they will not be able to experience it.
I always was the person that would step forward first. My motivation for this was curiosity, I was curious about everything. I was going everywhere trying to explore something new, and they must be curious as well, and they must not be afraid of anything. When you are going somewhere, you have never been, or when you are talking to people you don’t know, you are exploring something new, you are adding some color to your picture. It makes your life and yourself more developed and better. That’s basically what I can advise, according to, of course, my experiences. I’m still 23 years old, and I still have a lot of years to give advice.
What do you want for the future?
Probably at this moment, I would like to have peace. There are a lot of kinds, like not having a war, if you are mentally stable, you don’t have conflicts around you… It can have different levels. I just want to have peace around me, and I would like to see the eyes of people with peace. Here mainly, I see people with tired and not motivated eyes, and I would like to see their eyes with more peace.
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Introducing Iusip | Showcasing the Unheard
https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Iusip.png 675 675 YEE https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/logo-yee-728x1030.png YEE2023-08-01 14:56:002023-10-02 15:28:06Introducing Iusip | Showcasing the Unheard
Recently we celebrated the positive vote for the Nature Restoration Law by the European Parliament, which is sending a strong message: restoring nature is an obligation. The European Union has put itself on the path to being a champion and pioneer of nature restoration globally, living up to promises made to citizens and at the global negotiation table.
We thank all the MEPs that listened to our perspective, welcomed our recommendations and voted also for the next generations. We want to particularly show our appreciation towards the work and the words of Rapporteur César Luena, who publicly recognized the efforts made by youth in the advocacy for this law.
However, we cannot ignore that almost half of our political representatives refused to restore nature, cold-shouldered the youth and refused to guarantee us a liveable environment. The law is still far from what science tells us it is urgent to do.
We acknowledge with heavy hearts the adoption of amendments that substantially watered down the law. The amendments, especially those that delay targets and the initiation of actions, significantly shift the responsibility and efforts on us in the future. This is not fair from an intergenerational justice perspective, which the EU has agreed to respect as a guiding principle at COP15. In particular, refusal to accept the principle of non-deterioration means that we will continue to witness the degradation of our habitats, and so will our children and grandchildren.
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“While the unity and the strong, loud voices of young people ahead of the plenary vote on the Nature Restoration Law once again demonstrated the will and drive for positive change, the very close vote showed that this is not the case for a lot of MEPs deciding on policies that will determine the state of the ecosystems we depend on. This law is not only about Nature Restoration. It is about fighting for the continued existence of a liveable planet, which the law that was adopted on the 12th of July, does not do. This is why our work is not done and we will continue to fight for a law that is just - not only for us, but for the planet and generations to come.“
“Heeding the calls of scientists, young people and environmental activists, a narrow majority of MEPs voted in favour of the Nature Restoration Law during the Plenary of the European Parliament, an outcome that was not guaranteed but one that we celebrate as young Europeans. However, the vote’s close margin of victory underscores the significant opposition still facing the Law. It has been compromised in the voting process and the resulting legal amendments the Parliament agreed upon severely weaken the effectiveness of the NRL in combating biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. We need a more ambitious Law to ensure a future where both people and planet can thrive! Our work is not done and we demand that the Commission, Council and Parliament pass a Law that is as strong as possible and does not put the burden of mitigating environmental damages and economic short-sightedness on future generations.“
“The positive vote in the Parliament is a bittersweet success. It is great to see many MEPs that listened to science and young people and to see the EU sending out this message, but the journey is still long. However, laws or not, restoration activities and initiatives have been growing exponentially in the past years. And this will never stop: the restoration and rewilding movement is a snowball in a free fall down a slope, getting bigger and bigger. While politicians discuss in rooms, tons of people, of young people, are out there restoring and rewilding. This is the future. The law is not as ambitious as we wanted it? Then we will be ambitious, and we can be it now.”
“The vote in favour of nature was a crucial and most needed signal to the world.However, the narrow result, the disinformation campaign including blunt claims against all scientific evidence is very worrying for us. Let us hope, that during the Trialogue process some more common sense prevail and get something more ambitious than just restoring Nature 2000 areas. We all, and youth in particular, depend on a healthy environment - and we need to take the necessary steps to ensure them rather yesterday than tomorrow.”
“The NRL is the most crucial legislation for european biodiversity of my lifetime. For environmentalists in every part of society to finally have political will on the environments side should be a celebration. But seeing the Law being so close to get rejected and at the moment being so watered down from it's once clear agenda of saving our nature, is a new way politicians have made me disappointed. However, youth will continue our efforts to restore Europe's biodiversity, and we hope one day the elected few will follow the actual will of the people and join us truly in stopping the biodiversity crisis.”
“The Parliament's vote can be seen as a positive development, acknowledging the efforts made to secure a more promising future for all. The approval of the Nature Restoration Law reflects a significant stance by EU institutions in support of nature, despite the fact that recent negotiations have led to a dilution of its original objectives. Regrettably, at the national level, we, as GYBN Italy, hold the view that the situation is even more unfavorable, and Italian youth have experienced deep disappointment. Italy should ideally take a leading role in the preservation and restoration of biodiversity. However, to our dismay, nearly all Italian MEPs voted against this vital legislation. This decision by the current political power has effectively disregarded the expectations of young people on almost every level. As a result, bitterness lingers among the younger generations, as they feel unrepresented, signifying that our endeavors to conserve and restore nature will not come to an end with this setback.”
"Even though negotiations for the Nature Restoration Law will see another day, the picture this whole process has painted is bleak, not only for Europe's nature and biodiversity, but for trust into political officials and democratic processes. Are we supposed to celebrate this small majority within Parliament that barely aknowledged science and the nature crisis?"
Read the youth position on EU Nature Restoration Regulation.
The coalition of youth organizations whose representatives released the statements above that elaborated the youth position represents more than 20 million young Europeans.
Learn more about the #restorenature campaign
The recent positive vote for the Nature Restoration Law by the European Parliament sends a strong message on the obligation to restore
The coalition of youth organisations released their statements about the necessity and urgency to adopt the Nature Restoration Law within the European
Join us and over 200 NGOs and ask your decision-makers to adopt a solid and urgent implementation of the law that can
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One step closer to Nature Restoration – but not yet there | #RestoreNature
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Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of YEE.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of YEE.
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Rimaz is a 19-year-old university student from Syria, currently living in Istanbul, Turkey. Rimaz is passionate about environmental issues, particularly the impact of acid rain. She has created a project to educate students on this issue, which involves treating plants with acid rain, sun, and normal rain to demonstrate the effects on plant life. Rimaz believes in the importance of young people being actively engaged in shaping a sustainable future and is motivated by her small efforts contributing to a better future.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Who’s Rimaz?
My name is Rimaz and I am from Syria, but I’m living in Turkey, Istanbul. I’m 19 years old. I’m a university student. I’m studying biomedical engineering and I’m also working as a teacher in a school for children of foreign people. I teach the Turkish language.
What are the projects you are involved in?
I’m working as a volunteer in Medicorya which is a group for young people who are studying biomedical engineering with the aim of introducing our department to other countries. I’m working there as an academic coordinator, making analyses about the university programs and researching which companies might the students need. We collect this information and present it in high schools with the aim of improving our education system.
I am also in the Yeni Dünya which is a member organisation of Youth and Environment Europe and I’m working there with international students. You can find more than 100 students from different countries. We are trying to organize ourselves into groups depending on our hobbies and our interests and I am a representative for the Syrian students.
We introduce our countries to people from other countries by holding presentations and sharing our historical heritage and geography. I’m from Syria and we have a war in Syria so I often talk about the Syrian children and try to organise people to get help for these children.
What does your engagement mean to you?
Being part of these organisations, I do not feel like I am alone on this journey. I’m establishing communication with these young people because they have fresh perspectives and innovative ideas and when we get together I feel inspired. They also provide a platform for my voice to be heard.
Why should young people be active in their lives?
Young people have a significant role in shaping a sustainable future for the next generations. Being actively engaged enables you to learn and to organise yourself with other people. If there is something that you care about that is in danger, you can have the support of the group and address it together. Even if they are small efforts, they will have a big positive impact with the potential to create big change.
What are your future plans?
In one of my projects I focus on acid rain, and how it arises due to human activity, because of industry and transport. It can affect our historical places and that means it will affect our economy and our tourist places because it destroys the stone.
I did this project and I showed the other students how we can harm our environment in this way. I will try to find some organizations, and projects that also focus on this issue. And I would like to work with like-minded people to have a common goal on this topic.
How did you start working on this project?
We had a lesson about pH and our teacher told us about acid rain and how we can know if it’s normal rain or rain with a lower pH. I started to research the environmental impacts of acid rain and its harmful causes. Then I created a project with our teacher about this and now each year they repeat it to the other students and they show it to them in other schools and cities.
What does this project look like?
You take four plants and then you treat one of them with acid rain, the second one with sun, and the third one with normal rain. In this way, you can show the students how acid rain affects the plant. This shows everyone the importance of protecting the environment.
Why should people care about the environment according to you?
People should care about it because we have a responsibility to leave a clean and sustainable environment behind us. They can think about their close ones, their sister, their children and their future. With each day it is a bigger challenge to face the impacts of environmental destruction. That is why we should get together to find a solution and be honest about environmental issues. If you are interested in this topic, I advise you to join some organizations to get engaged.
What drives you forward?
My motivation is, I believe, my small efforts that contribute to a better future and knowing this is enough for me to continue my work in this way. With whatever you start, the beginning might feel a bit difficult, but then it gets easier because you will grow and meet new people and gain knowledge about the topics that interest you. It will get easier when you see the results, you will be happy and will get stronger and more motivated to continue.
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Kacper Lubiewski is a 19-year-old Israeli-Polish climate activist living in Berlin. He started his activism in 2019, joining the climate movement in the same year. He is also a member of a housing activist group. For him, activism means working towards change and making a difference. He encourages those interested in activism to research their chosen cause, find a community, and take care of themselves to avoid burnout.
Introducing Alex | Showcasing the Unheard
Alex is a 22-year-old Cypriot-Greek activist who became passionate about environmental protection after witnessing forest fires near his home and the subsequent destruction of the ecosystems. Alex is currently involved in an initiative fighting the Energy Charter Treaty, which allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments that shut down their operations.
Introducing Rimaz | Showcasing the Unheard
https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/rimaz.png 1080 1080 YEE https://yeenet.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/logo-yee-728x1030.png YEE2023-07-05 15:45:222023-10-05 15:48:13Introducing Rimaz | Showcasing the Unheard
What is climate litigation and why is it becoming more and more prevalent in youth climate activism? What do we mean with “climate activism through the rule of law”? What are the challenges faced by youth groups who decided to take States to court for climate inaction?
These and many more questions will be addressed during our workshop, which will provide the basics of climate litigation and an interactive conversation with a representative of the youth behind the Aurora climate lawsuit and of the Sweden’s Environmental Association of Law (SEAL)!
Agenda of the event:
- Introduction to Climate Litigation: What is it? How does it work?
- The Aurora Climate Case: A conversation with Ida Edling, the legal and scientific coordinator of Aurora
- Presentation of Sweden’s Environmental Association of Law
- Q&A
Have questions? Get in touch!
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When youth sue the state | Workshop
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The large-scale deployment of solar and wind capacities, along with electric batteries, is particularly demanding in critical raw materials, most of which are currently imported.
Could this trend amount to a new form of colonialism?
Green Colonialism
The large-scale deployment of solar and wind capacities, along with electric batteries, is particularly demanding in critical raw materials, most of which are currently imported. Could this trend amount to a new form of colonialism?
In the third webinar of the AmPower series we explore the notion of “Green Colonialism”! What is that all about?
With each new legislative package adopted in the framework of the European Green Deal, the target of renewable energy deployment has increased. The current pledge is at 42,5% of the European overall Energy mix by 2030. But the large-scale deployment of solar and wind capacities, along with electric batteries, is particularly demanding in critical raw materials, most of which are currently imported from 3rd countries.
Could this trend amount to a new form of colonialism? Is the European Commission tackling this issue head-on with its proposal for a raw critical material act?
Speakers
Stephanie Richani is the advocacy lead at Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice is a people of colour-led initiative working to advance rights and justice for all people in Europe. We work in solidarity with a coalition of racial and social justice leaders and organisations to influence European Union law and policy.
Emily Iona Stewart has a background in European labour law. Emily first began working on environment and climate issues a decade ago as the chief policy advisor to the Vice Chair of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee.
She has specialised in European climate and sustainability policy, playing a decisive role in forming the EU’s Sustainability strategy, which eventually led to the European Green Deal. Working across political lines, Emily has also authored legislation on supply chains, biofuels, and land rights.
Emily is the Climate Advocacy Specialist for the Open Society Foundations Just Transition pillar. In this role, she helps form OSF strategy on European climate policy, as well as maintaining and influencing networks within the European policy landscape.
Have questions? Get in touch!
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Green Colonialism | Webinar
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Why is it so difficult to reach an international treaty on plastic pollution?
Written by
Mathilde Angeledei
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A new phase of the international treaty to end plastic pollution negotiations took place in Paris, at UNESCO headquarters, from May 29 to June 2, 2023.
Plastic has become one of the most significant sources of water and soil pollution.
According to the latest OECD figures, 460 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced every year. This figure has doubled since 2000 and is set to triple by 2060.
Although several countries have taken measures to deal with plastic waste, such as the European Union with its Directive on single-use plastic in 2019, or Rwanda in 2008, which was the first country in the world to ban plastic bags, 75% of the plastic waste found in the oceans comes from poor waste management. Indeed, most countries do not have the infrastructure to manage their own plastic waste.
Others, like Japan, export over 90% of their plastic waste to developing countries that have no means of recycling it. Plastic waste is at best burnt, at worst abandoned in the wild, creating huge open-air dumps. China produces 32% of the world’s plastic, a leap of 82% in ten years. What’s more, 10% of the world’s plastic is emitted by soda giants Coca and Pepsi.
Finally, the treaty is also part of the drive to move away from fossil fuels, as plastic is a direct derivative of petroleum.
Why is it so difficult to reach an international treaty on plastic pollution?
The Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a landmark resolution in Nairobi, Kenya, in March 2022 with a view to negotiating a legally binding global treaty to combat plastic pollution by the end of 2024. It will be based on a comprehensive approach covering the entire life cycle of plastics. To achieve this, five working sessions are planned, the first of which was held in Uruguay in November 2022. This first session laid the groundwork for future discussions by identifying the expectations and ambitions of the main delegations, with France hosting the second negotiating session.
An urgent treaty, yet negotiated at a snail’s pace
The second negotiation session got off to a rocky start, with more than two days lost on protocol issues. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia, Brazil, China, and India clashed with the presidency over whether or not to resort to voting in the event of a lack of unanimity in the future consideration of a draft treaty. The resolution of the controversy was postponed.
Finally, after a week, the Committee decided that “The International Negotiating Committee [INC] requests its Chairman to prepare, with the assistance of the Secretariat, a draft first version of the legally binding international treaty“. The text will be examined in November at the third meeting of this committee in Nairobi, then in April 2024 in Canada, and in November 2024 in South Korea, with the aim of a definitive treaty by the end of 2024.
Non-governmental observers
The treaty process includes the possibility for non-governmental observers to attend almost all the negotiations. However, at the Paris session, due to the size of the room, only one person per NGO could be present. Despite a statement signed by many associations, the length of the negotiations did not allow many NGOs to make any comments. It is therefore very important to follow the treaty news on the United Nations Environment Programme page, and the CIEL page which is in charge of coordinating the youth NGO accredited to the treaty.
An urgent treaty, yet negotiated at a snail’s pace – that’s how we might sum up this second phase of negotiations. We can only hope that future negotiations in Nairobi will be more prolific. In particular, the 175 countries will have to agree on the definition of plastic waste and the potential creation of a fund to help developing countries manage this waste.
And finally, there remains the thorny question of plastic waste already in the environment: who will be responsible for paying for its management?
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INC-2: a session for nothing?
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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.
We are supported by
Supported by the Council of Europe through the European Youth Foundation.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
