Green Rising

Mobilising Millions of Young People to Protect their Communities from the Climate Crisis

Generation Unlimited
Young people engaged in climate action
GenU

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 teamed up in 2023 to launch the Green Rising at COP28 with a goal to help 10 million young people be the climate advocates their communities need by 2025.

Young people’s eagerness to work with us on climate issues have surpassed all expectations. In less than one year, over 11 million young people have stepped up to take green actions, blowing past our three-year target of 10 million! We have now doubled our ambition, now aiming to mobilise 20 million young people by end 2026 through volunteerism, advocacy, and green skills, jobs and entrepreneurship.

Green Rising is supported by our Lead Government Partners Canada and the State of Qatar. The lead private sector partner of Green Rising is Capgemini. Other partners include Accenture, IKEA Foundation, SAP, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Unilever, Goodwall, and the World Organization of the Scouts Movement.

Generation Unlimited

Green Rising is supporting 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. That means helping them to take concrete green actions to protect their communities and mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change. 

What Climate Action Looks Like

Volunteers in India have removed over 15,000 kgs of waste from the Ganga river through weekly clean-up drives and reported more than 25 million pro-planet actions on the #MeriLiFE app for environmental conservation.

India
Removing over 15,000 kgs of waste from the Ganga river with more than 25 million pro-planet actions on the #MeriLiFE app for environmental conservation.

GreenRising image of young people in Brazil holding saplings

Brazil
Mobilising to close open-air dumps in the Semiarid region and influencing public policy to demand stricter waste management practices.

On International Youth Day, Kabiru Umar leads the youth of Sule Tankarkar in planting and nurturing saplings. His leadership and dedication encourage others to take action against desertification

Nigeria
Young people, school children and volunteers planting 6,900 plants across 55 primary health centers and 94 school premiese to mark the Green Rising launch in Nigeria.

The Recycling Champions (ReCha) project is recruiting unemployed youth to operate micro waste management buy-back centers while providing them with start-up and business training and support.

South Africa
The Recycling Champions (ReCha) project is recruiting unemployed youth to operate micro waste management buy-back centers while providing them with start-up and business training.

Co-founder of Erudites Movement shown in his workshop. Erudites Movement is made up of a team of young entrepreneurs from Uganda who are harvesting invasive water hyacinth from Lake Victoria and converting it into renewable cooking energy, organic fertilizers, and animal feeds

Uganda
Harvesting invasive water hyacinth from Lake Victoria and converting it into renewable cooking energy, organic fertilizers, and animal feeds.

 

A group of young people in Mongolia engaged in measuring air quality, collaborating to assess environmental conditions and advocate for improved air quality

Mongolia
Monitoring air pollution and advocating for improved air quality.

A dedicated youth mentor engages with children, sharing knowledge and fostering a love for nature in a hands-on learning environment.

Jordan
Engaging over 35,000 local youth in more than 200,000 hours of environmental services, planting over 7,000 trees and collecting over 10,000 kg of recyclable materials.

A young girl from Kazakhstan stands thoughtfully in front of colorful recycling bins, ready to make a positive impact

Kazakhstan
Educating over 30,000 children on eco-friendly practices to reduce plastic use and campaigning to ban single-use plastics in schools.

UNICEF
Young activist Tahsin mobilises for climate action in Bangladesh
UNICEF
Addressing Generation Unlimited's Global Leadership Council, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and climate activist Vanessa Nakate called on public and private sector leaders to do more and provide youth with the resources and skills they urgently need.