The youth climate movement, which widely defines itself as people under 35, celebrated the 2022 passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest climate law in U.S. history. Among other things, it created a conservation-focused job corps for young people. This landmark legislation is a testament to the influence the youth movement holds in shaping national climate policies and securing funding that is crucial for the future sustainability of both the environment and its advocates.
Activists in groups like the Sunrise Movement, Zero Hour, and Fridays for Future are calling for immediate action from the Biden administration before its exit next month. They demand to protect land as national monuments, deny permits for liquid natural gas projects, allocate funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, and decisively shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline. Such demands illustrate the urgency with which this movement seeks to address pressing climate issues.
What always makes this movement so difficult to maintain is that they don't remain children, said Viktoria Spaiser, an associate professor in sustainability research at the University of Leeds who has studied the youth climate movement. They become adults and necessarily move on in different activities, leading to the continual evolution of their engagement with climate advocacy. This fluidity poses challenges for the movement's continuity as its core demographic ages.
#youth-climate-movement #climate-activism #biden-administration #inflation-reduction-act #sustainability
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