Photo caption: Children in a Punjab village, India (Source: CSE Photo Archives)
Children from all over the world breathe a sigh of relief as for the first time ever, top leaders at the United Nations have declared that all children have the right to inherit a cleaner and greener Earth and have mandated all member nations to make climate change issues their top priority.
But what do the new rules state? The new guidance, formally known as General Comment No. 26, was adopted on August 28, 2023. It instructs governments that people today cannot exploit mother Earth’s limited resources at the cost of children’s future.
Ann Skelton, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, said that this is a positive step towards creating a sustainable environment for the future generation. Every child has the basic right to clean drinking water and a green Earth.
Children from 121 countries had come together to report the sad state of environmental degradation where they live and voiced their concerns in front of global leaders. They demanded their right to breathe clean air and drink clean water.
They made a lot of effort to be heard by the adults. Their cause was taken into consideration and a 20-page document was prepared to battle climate change for the children’s future.
Two children, who were consulted for the document said, “The governments of each country should cooperate to reduce climate change. They need to acknowledge us and say, ‘we hear you; here is what we are going to do about this problem’”.
The new guidelines have instructed member states to take all necessary precautions to preserve environment and minimize harm caused by businesses. A very important part of the document states that governments must decrease the use of fossil fuels, oil and natural gas. If we switch to other green energy source, we can make headwinds in climate preservation!
For developing countries, who may not have the resources to make these amends right away, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has recommended to offer grants to reduce the impact of climate change. If nations work together, we can solve many climate change issues.
The UN said that children from developing countries have equal rights to a cleaner Earth. Additionally, the new UN guidelines also said that if we don’t act fast, children will be exposed to a warmer climate due to greenhouse gas emission.
However, nations will now take active steps to prevent environmental degradation and the future looks optimistic!
We can all make efforts, small or big, for a greener future. So how would YOU help the environment?
Senior Sub-Editor, Publications, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi