Youth representatives who took part in the project focus group make the following suggestions to national policymakers in the Nordic countries to ensure that the green transition is just:

Youth representatives stress that first and foremost, greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced. Achieving the green transition is, in itself, a just pursuit, since impacts of climate change fall disproportionately on poorer world regions, vulnerable groups and future generations. The green transition should be justly executed, but the aims of making it fair and balanced cannot be an excuse to slow down the process. Redistributing the financial resources from climate taxes is one of several approaches that could be taken to mitigate the impact of policies on the most vulnerable regions, sectors, and groups. 

It is important that sustainable choices become more affordable and convenient so that more people can take part in the green transition and switch to more sustainable consumption patterns. This may include improving access to public transport, providing subsidies for and/or removing taxation on vegetables and legumes, financially supporting organic farmers, installing more recycling stations in walking distance from people’s homes, and making it cheaper to repair and upcycle existing products.

Youth representatives argue that sustainability education and environmental awareness training is crucial for children and young people and should form a central part of school curricula. It can empower young generations to learn about the benefits of environmentally friendly choices and to adopt sustainable consumption patterns from an early age. It can also support young people in taking an active role in the green transition and qualify for a career in the green economy. 

Since the current generation of children and youth will have to live with the consequences of global warming for the rest of their lives, youth representatives stress that they should have a central role in developing and adopting climate policies and initiatives. The right to be heard in matters that concern them, including environmental and climate issues, is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. All Nordic countries have signed the convention and therefore have a duty to consult and involve children and young people during green transition policymaking, in line with their age and maturity (United Nations, 2023). Participation processes should respect the diversity of children and young people by accounting for different age groups, genders, abilities, areas of residence and socio-economic backgrounds. Including young people in climate-related decision-making processes should, however, not depend on their free labour. Young people should be valued and compensated for their efforts, particularly if their engagement is time-consuming.

Youth representatives stress that policymakers should more systematically conduct impact assessments of green transition policies to analyse how planned policies would affect youth but also future generations (European Commission et al., 2024). Options include to conduct a Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) and a Child Rights Impact Evaluation (CRIE) (Daly and Lundy, 2022). Children’s right to be heard is central to these assessments.

Not all countries, regions, and groups will be able to contribute to the green transition to the same extent. For example, people in Iceland are more dependent on air travel and people living in rural areas depend on their cars to move around. It is important to recognise that the green transition may look different due to the diversity of regions, population groups, and existing conditions. This means that local, place-based policies will play a major role in the transition, and national policies need to remain flexible and allow for customised applications to achieve the common transition goals.

Views from a youth representative