The Green Rising
Mobilising Millions of Young People to Protect their Communities from the Climate Crisis
Heatwaves, deepening droughts, rising floods, and a planet in peril—a generation of young people are inheriting a world that is already in a climate crisis. More than one in three youth surveyed in a recent study by UNICEF USA experience extremely high levels of anxiety about climate change.
Yet, despite their anxiety, young people are responding to the climate crisis with optimism and action. Across the globe, a powerful climate movement of young people is emerging, rising to the challenge and taking grassroots actions to safeguard their own futures and the well-being of their communities.
For millions of young people, climate change is already a matter of life and death. They're saying, "We need to do something now!"
That's why a coalition led by UNICEF and Generation Unlimited alongside a truly global consortium of public, private, and youth partners have teamed up to launch the Green Rising at COP28.
The Green Rising will support youth climate action globally, ensuring that the most vulnerable youth receive the education, skills, opportunities and the power to contribute to a just green transition. Our goal is to help 10 million young people be the climate advocates their communities need by 2025. That means helping them to take concrete green actions to protect their communities and mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change.
The Three Pillars of Action
Our Three Pillars of Action will support the youth climate movement and help create more opportunities for meaningful climate action.
What Climate Action Looks Like
Burundi
Building clean energy stoves & conserving forests
Kenya
Green Skills for young women to build agribusiness and promote circular local economies.
Kazakhstan
Teaching schoolchildren about conscious consumption
India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Armenia
Students lead climate action projects as a result of climate action being integrated into curriculum and teacher education.
Ecuador & Paraguay
Climate academy upskills young people to engage in climate policy dialogue and implement environmental projects.
Mongolia
Measuring air quality and alerting the community
Lebanon
Setting up systems to turn biowaste into fuel
South Africa
Providing an early warning system for water quality
Publications and Resources
