Climate change ranks among the most important dynamics shaping livelihoods of young people now and in the future. This is especially the case in low income countries with rapid population growth, and hence high concentrations of young people.
Investments targeting rural youth need to address climate for two simple reasons: the success and sustainability of efforts to create jobs for young people will depend on the future climate (as well as myriad other uncertainties in the economic and policy environments); and today’s youth will bear the costs of failure throughout their lifetimes.
Climate change is a youth issue because most countries in which the youth population accounts for a sizeable share of the total population also depend heavily on agriculture – a sector that is highly exposed to climate change.
The climate shocks underlying drought, flood, heat stress, fires, sea level rise, storm damage, pests and other impacts are expected to become more frequent and intense unless adaptation and mitigation are incorporated meaningfully and quickly into development policies and investments. Click here to continue reading>>
This is an excerpt from the blog originally published on IFAD Blogs. Aslihan Arslan is Senior Economist at IFAD. Karen Brooks is Adjunct Professor in the Global Human Development Program at Georgetown University and a former Director of PIM (2012-2018). The blog cites work on climate and jobs for rural young people supported by PIM.
If you are interested in this topic, check our webinar earlier this year on Climate resilience and job prospects for young people in agriculture with Karen Brooks and Keith Wiebe (IFPRI).
Photo: ©IFAD/Susan Beccio
