Raising the megaphones high: will children’s voice for the climate reach the critical threshold for political action?

Resumo

The emergence of local and transnational social movements in the past four-five years shows that children and young people across the world are increasingly expressing their appeal to be heard, to exercise their broadly conceived citizenship rights, and to act on the new obligations and responsibilities linked to climate change to protect, respect and fulfil the rights of fellow citizens within the national State as well as those of distant others and non-human living beings. While the initial enthusiasm of policy-makers to involve children (people under 18 years) in global climate change governance has gradually faded away, the grassroots activism and social movements of the youth emerged parallel to the upsurge of climate change litigation worldwide where children and young adults are increasingly involved as legal actors. This article presents a socio- -legal approach to environmental citizenship practices, such as public participation of children (people under the age of 18 years) in climate change matters but it also provides a critical approach to how environmental citizenship is perceived by decision-makers and young people themselves. The article concludes that although children find ways to use their agency, they do not necessarily view themselves as full citizens vis-à-vis adults: without the adequate and sufficient power and means to achieve their goals all alone, their efforts demand legal, political and social support.