President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has underlined the important role of the youth in accelerating the green transition, which aims to turn communities into patches of green edible landscapes.
The President, during the International Youth Day this month, said the young population, who serve as “both the trailblazer of the modern world and hope of the future,” has a crucial role in attaining a more sustainable economy.
The chief executive was on track when he said the youth’s role in undertaking ecological initiatives must be “aggressively” pushed to ensure the full realization of everyone’s desire to have a “healthier home we all deserve.”
“May our love for the youth and Mother Earth be the guidepost as we commit to our collective desire to embark on a green transition,” he said.
“Together, let us embrace this social contract and move towards a future that efficiently, inclusively, and sustainably works for all.”
The President admits drawing inspiration from “the encouraging visions of young Filipinos who exude eagerness to evoke transformational movements that positively impact the current and coming generations.”
This year’s annual observance of International Youth Day carries the theme “Green Skills for Youth: Towards Sustainable World.”
This means the shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world is critical not only for responding to the global climate crisis but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Experts say a successful transition towards a greener world will depend on the development of green skills in the population: knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society.
These include technical knowledge and skills that enable the effective use of green technologies and processes in occupational settings, as well as transversal skills that draw on a range of knowledge, values and attitudes to facilitate environmentally sustainable decisions in work and in life.
Due to their interdisciplinary nature, the essence of green skills is sometimes expressed, partly if not wholly, through other associated terms like “skills for the future” and “skills for green jobs.”
While green skills are relevant for people of all ages, they have heightened importance for younger people, who can contribute to the green transition for a longer period.
Four key climate change indicators – greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rise, ocean heat and ocean acidification – set new records in 2021.
This is yet another bold sign human activities are causing planetary-scale changes on land, in the ocean, and in the atmosphere, with dramatic and long-lasting ramifications.
Earlier on. the United Nations said the youth’s “green skills” are essential to a successful transition to the green economy.
The UN defines “green skills” as “knowledge, abilities, values, and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society.”
According to data released by the International Labor Organization, a green transition could yield 8.4 million jobs for young people by 2040.