essay on future generations

What do we owe future generations? And what can we do to make their world a better place?

Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Australian Catholic University

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Michael Noetel receives funding from the Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, the Centre for Effective Altruism, and Sport Australia. He is a Director of Effective Altruism Australia.

Australian Catholic University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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Your great grandchildren are powerless in today’s society. As Oxford philosopher William MacAskill says:

They cannot vote or lobby or run for public office, so politicians have scant incentive to think about them. They can’t bargain or trade with us, so they have little representation in the market, And they can’t make their views heard directly: they can’t tweet, or write articles in newspapers, or march in the streets. They are utterly disenfranchised.

But the things we do now influence them: for better or worse. We make laws that govern them, build infrastructure for them and take out loans for them to pay back. So what happens when we consider future generations while we make decisions today?

Review: What We Owe the Future – William MacAskill (OneWorld)

This is the key question in What We Owe the Future . It argues for what MacAskill calls longtermism: “the idea that positively influencing the longterm future is a key moral priority of our time.” He describes it as an extension of civil rights and women’s suffrage; as humanity marches on, we strive to consider a wider circle of people when making decisions about how to structure our societies.

MacAskill makes a compelling case that we should consider how to ensure a good future not only for our children’s children, but also the children of their children. In short, MacAskill argues that “future people count, there could be a lot of them, and we can make their lives go better.”

Read more: Friday essay: 'I feel my heart breaking today' – a climate scientist's path through grief towards hope

Future people count

It’s hard to feel for future people. We are bad enough at feeling for our future selves. As The Simpsons puts it: “That’s a problem for future Homer. Man, I don’t envy that guy.”

We all know we should protect our health for our own future. In a similar vein, MacAskill argues that we all “know” future people count.

Concern for future generations is common sense across diverse intellectual traditions […] When we dispose of radioactive waste, we don’t say, “Who cares if this poisons people centuries from now?” Similarly, few of us who care about climate change or pollution do so solely for the sake of people alive today. We build museums and parks and bridges that we hope will last for generations; we invest in schools and longterm scientific projects; we preserve paintings, traditions, languages; we protect beautiful places.

There could be a lot of future people

Future people count, and MacAskill counts those people. The sheer number of future people might make their wellbeing a key moral priority. According to MacAskill and others, humanity’s future could be vast : much, much more than the 8 billion alive today.

While it’s hard to feel the gravitas, our actions may affect a dizzying number of people. Even if we last just 1 million years, as long as the average mammal – and even if the global population fell to 1 billion people – then there would be 9.1 trillion people in the future.

We might struggle to care, because these numbers can be hard to feel . Our emotions don’t track well against large numbers. If I said a nuclear war would kill 500 million people, you might see that as a “huge problem”. If I instead said that the number is actually closer to 5 billion , it still feels like a “huge problem”. It does not emotionally feel 10 times worse. If we risk the trillions of people who could live in the future, that could be 1,000 times worse – but it doesn’t feel 1,000 times worse.

MacAskill does not argue we should give those people 1,000 times more concern than people alive today. Likewise, MacAskill does not say we should morally weight a person living a million years from now exactly the same as someone alive 10 or 100 years from now. Those distinctions won’t change what we can feasibly achieve now, given how hard change can be.

Instead, he shows if we care about future people at all, even those 100 years hence, we should simply be doing more . Fortunately, there are concrete things humanity can do.

Read more: Labor's climate change bill is set to become law – but 3 important measures are missing

We can make the lives of future people better

Another reason we struggle to be motivated by big problems is that they feel insurmountable. This is a particular concern with future generations. Does anything I do make a difference, or is it a drop in the bucket? How do we know what to do when the long-run effects are so uncertain ?

Even present-day problems can feel hard to tackle. At least for those problems we can get fast, reliable feedback on progress. Even with that advantage, we struggle. For the second year in a row, we did not make progress toward our sustainable development goals, like reducing war, poverty, and increasing growth. Globally, 4.3% of children still die before the age of five. COVID-19 has killed about 23 million people . Can we – and should we – justify focusing on future generations when we face these problems now?

MacAskill argues we can. Because the number of people is so large, he also argues we should. He identifies some areas where we could do things that protect the future while also helping people who are alive now. Many solutions are win-win.

For example, the current pandemic has shown that unforeseen events can have a devastating effect. Yet, despite the recent pandemic, many governments have done little to set up more robust systems that could prevent the next pandemic. MacAskill outlines ways in which those future pandemics could be worse.

Most worrying are the threats from engineered pathogens, which

[…] could be much more destructive than natural pathogens because they can be modified to have dangerous new properties. Could someone design a pathogen with maximum destructive power—something with the lethality of Ebola and the contagiousness of measles?

He gives examples, like militaries and terrorist groups, that have tried to engineer pathogens in the past.

The risk of an engineered pandemic wiping us all out in the next 100 years is between 0.1% and 3%, according to estimates laid out in the book.

That might sound low, but MacAskill argues we would not step on a plane if you were told “it ‘only’ had a one-in-a-thousand chance of crashing and killing everyone on board”. These threaten not only future generations, but people reading this – and everyone they know.

MacAskill outlines ways in which we might be able to prevent engineered pandemics, like researching better personal protective equipment, cheaper and faster diagnostics, better infrastructure, or better governance of synthetic biology. Doing so would help save the lives of people alive today, reduce the risk of technological stagnation and protect humanity’s future.

The same win-wins might apply to decarbonisation , safe development of artificial intelligence , reducing risks from nuclear war , and other threats to humanity.

Read more: Even a 'limited' nuclear war would starve millions of people, new study reveals

Things you can do to protect future generations

Some “longtermist” issues, like climate change, are already firmly in the public consciousness. As a result, some may find MacAskill’s book “common sense”. Others may find the speculation about the far future pretty wild (like all possible views of the longterm future).

MacAskill strikes an accessible balance between anchoring the arguments to concrete examples, while making modest extrapolations into the future. He helps us see how “common sense” principles can lead to novel or neglected conclusions.

For example, if there is any moral weight on future people, then many common societal goals (like faster economic growth) are vastly less important than reducing risks of extinction (like nuclear non-proliferation). It makes humanity look like an “imprudent teenager”, with many years ahead, but more power than wisdom:

Even if you think [the risk of extinction] is only a one-in-a-thousand, the risk to humanity this century is still ten times higher than the risk of your dying this year in a car crash. If humanity is like a teenager, then she is one who speeds around blind corners, drunk, without wearing a seat belt.

Our biases toward present, local problems are strong, so connecting emotionally with the ideas can be hard. But MacAskill makes a compelling case for longtermism through clear stories and good metaphors. He answers many questions I had about safeguarding the future. Will the future be good or bad? Would it really matter if humanity ended? And, importantly, is there anything I can actually do?

The short answer is yes, there is. Things you might already do help, like minimising your carbon footprint – but MacAskill argues “other things you can do are radically more impactful”. For example, reducing your meat consumption would address climate change, but donating money to the world’s most effective climate charities might be far more effective.

Beyond donations, three other personal decisions seem particularly high impact to me: political activism, spreading good ideas, and having children […] But by far the most important decision you will make, in terms of your lifetime impact, is your choice of career.

MacAskill points to a range of resources – many of which he founded – that guide people in these areas. For those who might have flexibility in their career, MacAskill founded 80,000 Hours , which helps people find impactful, satisfying careers. For those trying to donate more impactfully, he founded Giving What We Can. And, for spreading good ideas, he started a social movement called Effective Altruism .

Longtermism is one of those good ideas. It helps us better place our present in humanity’s bigger story. It’s humbling and inspiring to see the role we can play in protecting the future. We can enjoy life now and safeguard the future for our great grandchildren. MasAskill clearly shows that we owe it to them.

• Climate change
• Generations
• Future generations
• Effective altruism
• Longtermism

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A Better Future for the Next Generations, Essay Example

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The modern stage of humancivilization’s development has created a new dilemma for humanity– how to get as much energy resources as possible and to survivein order to use them in the future. In this context, at the modern stage of development humanity had substituteda healthy and harmonious life in the balanced ecosystem with an artificial existence in the system where human activity and growth cost environmental distortion and eventual extinction of living environment as we know it today. In this context, humanity has two options. The first one is to follow its current path and end up as the last species on the planet. On the other hand, humanity might still stop for a moment from its rush of global development and economic sustainability and explore what the implications of China’s fast economic growth and American desire to become entirely oil-independent are. In the framework of the second option, an individual should start his overview from thelocal perspective. An individual can understand the whole scope trough gradual exploration of the human influence on the environment in his community or geographical region. From all mentioned above, it becomes clear why the topic of the present paper is exploration of oil impact on the environment and population of Southern California. The aim of this paper is to explore how oil influences on the local ecosystem.

Historical perspective and continental extraction

Particular feature of Southern California is that oil is an inalienable part of its geological and industrial history. From geological perspective, oil was always present in various parts of the local eco-system. Before the beginning of industrial extraction of oil, continental oil spill were taking place, resulting mainly in fires and relatively small contamination of the surrounding environment with chemicals and products of combustion (Mancini 5). Influence of such spills on people was minimal; Native Americans used oil after-products for tarring canoes or maintaining fire (Merchant 65). On the other hand, with development of the industrial oil extraction, starting in the end of 19 th and taking place through the whole 20 th century, the landscape of Southern California began to change. Where once deserts and steeps were, networks of oil wells were appearing. The new industry contributed to economic development of the region. More sources of energy boosted American economy, new working places were created and economic growth achieved, which was particularly crucial during the Great Depression. Local people were becoming wealthier and more self-sufficient. In certain way what is known as “Californian lifestyle” and Hollywood looks were conditioned by successful development of the oil industry (Lee & Normak 39). Subsequently, from the socio-historical perspective, oil extraction can be seen as beneficiary for the development of the local wealth and economic strength.

While social aspects of oil industry development were relatively successful, environmental implications were slightly different. Any extraction of natural resources has its unturning impact on the ecosystem. The first implication is destruction of the natural structure of the local soils and their fertility characteristics (Merchant 69). While most of the oil businessmen would say that moving soil a bit would not harm its structure or chemical consistency, ecologists would argue that, by extracting oil, layers of soils shift and mix, creating entirely new soil matrix, not to speak of the fact that surrounding soil was contaminated by by-products of oil extraction and presence of the transport in the area (Committee On Oil 32).  The reason why the structure of soil is essential for the Californian environment is that stability of layers contributes to the preservation of the underground waters closer to the ground; thus, the surrounding eco-system is more likely to withstand high temperatures and severe draughts (Merchant 72). On the other hand, when natural matrix of soil is disrupted, underground waters are going deeper to the ground, decreasing the level of moisture in the local soils. Thus, plants and animals are more likely not to withstand severe draughts (Lee & Normak 65).

The deepening of the underground waters is extremely important under the conditions of Southern Californian dry climate, which under the influence of global climate change is becoming hotter. The decrease of moisture in the soil is also one of the factors contributing to the increase of annul fires in the region (Lee & Normak 50). In this context, contamination of Californian soils with oil products of both artificially (because of industrial activity) and naturally origin contributes to high level of inflammability in the region (Committee On Oil 81). Those issues become even more complicated in the framework of potable water scarcity and further spreading of draughts and deserts in the region. Although a direct connection between century-old, oil industry and spreading of deserts in the region was not completely justified; soil erosion is one of its reasons, and oil extractions contributes to it (Lee & Normak 55). From all mentioned above, it can be concluded that in a long-termed perspective, oil extraction had contributed to the development of Californian wealth and increase in annual number of fires and decrease of underground water resources. We will be able to see final implications of these aspects on human activity already in the next decades.

Off-shore oil drilling

While continental oil extraction implications are rather long-termed, oil extraction from the seabed has entirely different characteristics. The implications of this activity and catastrophes connected to them are immediate and felt by every member of the local ecosystem. After the Mexican Gulf’s Oil Spill, the off-shore oil drilling is associated with massive ecological distortion and hazards. In case of Southern California, those implications are not abstract or new. The example of distorting impact of oil spill is Santa Barbara’s blow-out of 1969, when around 100,000 barrels of crude oil entered to the Channel and spread in the surrounding water areas and beaches of Santa Barbara County (Merchant 174). This oil-spill showed the most vivid example of how oil may influence Sothern Californian environment. First of all, the impact of oil release into water was distortion of the marine life. The immediate effects of oil on living organisms depend on physical characteristics of oil or its chemical components.  In the first case, oil spill results in physical contamination and smotheringthat leads to death of marine creatures (Lee & Normak 72). Due to this effects around 3,686 birds, uncountable number of sea lions, elephant seals and dolphins died (Spoolman  & Miller 231). The actual number of marine life damages is unknown since no sufficient account was conducted at that time.

The second impact of the oil is due to its chemicals, which usually have a long-termed effect. They usually have a sub-lethal implication, meaning they diminish living organisms’ abilities for reproduction, growth, feeding, or any other life supporting activity which is affected by high oil or its chemicals concentration in the water or seashore area (Spoolman & Miller 251). In case of sedentary animals in the near seashore waters, such as clams, oysters and mussels, they are the first to accumulate large amount oil chemicals. This is conditioned by the fact that in order to feed they need to filter large amounts of sea water (Committee On Oil 115). This implication might cause physical dysfunctions in the living organisms and influence humans. People might be contaminated with sea food containing high level of oil chemicals (Committee On Oil 118). In along-termed perspective, oil spills change the structure of marine ecosystem, resulting in spreading of one species and extinction of others. Scientists still do not know what might be long-termed results of massive misbalance in marine life or which new species might develop as a result of destruction of others. At the moment, it is that concentration of oil-consuming bacteria in the local seawaters is very high. It is high because of natural high number of underwater oil seeps in the local waters, but implications of their significant increase due to the oil spills are still unknown to the science (Spoolman & Miller 132).

The impact of oil spill on people

The impact of oil spill on the local population had three dimensions: economic, healthcare and moral. From the economic perspective, oil spill and subsequent water population influences fishery industry and seashore tourist, recreation resorts (Merchant, 76). During Santa-Barbara oil spill, local fisheries suffered from damages of their boats and fishing gears. Many local businesses were closed because of market loss due to public fear of contaminated fish consumption (Lee & Normak 112). Subsequent negative economic influence was felt in all ocean-connected industries. The prices for sea-shore real estate were low for the next five years, distorting the local market of real estate. Overall, economic retributions paid by company estimated $35 million (Merchant 165).

Healthcare implications of  the oil spill are not entirely understood mainly because at that time no specific research was conducted. What is known is that contaminated fish still managed to enter the local food market mainly in the poor districts of the regional cities. The main implications of oil chemicals poisoning include deterioration of chronic diseases, cancer, respiratory and digestive dysfunctions (Lee & Normak 125). Particular feature of the oil spill is that the most harmful elements are immediately disposed to the air, so their impact is more ruinous for the respiratory system. In this context, of specific concern are people who work on the cleaning sights, especially if their work exceeds the time of 4-5 hours (Spoolman & Miller 207). Even during the last oil spill in Gulf of Mexico, exact implications of the contamination on workers of the cleaning sights remain unknown. What is definite, their health condition will not improve, just as condition of the marine animals affected my oil chemicals.

From the moral perspective, oil spills contribute to public reactions and active involvement in environmentalist campaigns. The result of Santa Barbara’s oil spill was adoption of new environmental legislature and development of new programs of oil spill treatment and prevention (Spoolman & Miller 21). In this context, more safety measures were developed, at least it seemed to be before the Mexican Gulf catastrophe. Though government and industries might be more unwilling to change something in oil extraction and development of American oil independence, ordinary people become more environmentally conscious, especially in Southern California, where results of oil extraction had been seen in their most diverse implications on the ecosystem and life of the local people.

Some thoughts instead of conclusions

Overall, the impact of oil on Sothern California is immense in environmental damages conditioned by a long history of oil industry activity in the region. On the other hand, natural oil spills and high activity of underwater seeps were present in the region for centuries, human activity had only increased it and used for its own benefits. It is an arguable issuewhether Southern California would benefit more from the use of an alternative source of energy instead of continuous exploitation of the natural resources of such high cost as destruction of all living in the surrounding environment. For instance, would it be more justified to use nuclear energy instead of oil resources, how safe that option might be? Most likely it would have even worse effects on the living world than oil extraction. So what choice do we have? In fact, we have a huge variety of choices how to live our lives in harmony with nature. The main element of this is ability to give up some aspects of our comfortable lifestyle for the benefits of the next generations.  Our grand-children would be also able to drink fresh water and swim with dolphins or enjoy fresh ocean breeze, without fear that their children shall not see those miracles of the world.

Works Cited

Committee On Oil In The Sea. Oil In The Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects . Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 2003. Print.

Lee, J.H. & Normak, W.R. (Eds.). Earth science in the urban ocean: the Southern California continental borderland. Boulder, CO: The Geological Society of America. 2009. Print.

Mancini, E.R. Fate and Effects of Crude Oil in a Sothern California Stream Drainage. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.

Merchant, C. (Ed.). Green versus gold: sources in California’s environmental history. Washington, DC: Island Press. 1998. Print.

Spoolman, S. & Miller, G. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions. New York, NY: Cencage Learning. 2011. Print.

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On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know About Gen Z So Far

Our approach to generational analysis has evolved to incorporate new considerations. Learn more about  how we currently report on generations , and read  tips for consuming generations research .

One-in-ten eligible voters in the 2020 electorate will be part of a new generation of Americans – Generation Z. Born after 1996 , most members of this generation are not yet old enough to vote, but as the oldest among them turn 23 this year, roughly 24 million will have the opportunity to cast a ballot in November. And their political clout will continue to grow steadily in the coming years, as more and more of them reach voting age.

Unlike the Millennials – who came of age during the Great Recession – this new generation was in line to inherit a strong economy with record-low unemployment . That has all changed now, as COVID-19 has reshaped the country’s social, political and economic landscape. Instead of looking ahead to a world of opportunities, Gen Z now peers into an uncertain future.

There are already signs that the oldest Gen Zers have been particularly hard hit in the early weeks and months of the coronavirus crisis. In a March 2020 Pew Research Center survey , half of the oldest Gen Zers (ages 18 to 23) reported that they or someone in their household had lost a job or taken a cut in pay because of the outbreak. This was significantly higher than the shares of Millennials (40%), Gen Xers (36%) and Baby Boomers (25%) who said the same. In addition, an analysis of jobs data showed that young workers were particularly vulnerable to job loss before the coronavirus outbreak, as they were overrepresented in high-risk service sector industries.

Aside from the unique set of circumstances in which Gen Z is approaching adulthood, what do we know about this new generation? We know it’s different from previous generations in some important ways, but similar in many ways to the Millennial generation that came before it. Members of Gen Z are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation, and they are on track to be the most well-educated generation yet. They are also digital natives who have little or no memory of the world as it existed before smartphones.

Still, when it comes to their views on key social and policy issues, they look very much like Millennials . Pew Research Center surveys conducted in the fall of 2018 (more than a year before the coronavirus outbreak) among Americans ages 13 and older found that, similar to Millennials, Gen Zers are progressive and pro-government, most see the country’s growing racial and ethnic diversity as a good thing, and they’re less likely than older generations to see the United States as superior to other nations. 1

A look at how Gen Z voters view the Trump presidency provides further insight into their political beliefs. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in January of this year found that about a quarter of registered voters ages 18 to 23 (22%) approved of how Donald Trump is handling his job as president, while about three-quarters disapproved (77%). Millennial voters were only slightly more likely to approve of Trump (32%) while 42% of Gen X voters, 48% of Baby Boomers and 57% of those in the Silent Generation approved of the job he’s doing as president.

Gen Z is more racially and ethnically diverse than previous generations

Generation Z represents the leading edge of the country’s changing racial and ethnic makeup. A bare majority (52%) are non-Hispanic white – significantly smaller than the share of Millennials who were non-Hispanic white in 2002 (61%). One-in-four Gen Zers are Hispanic, 14% are black, 6% are Asian and 5% are some other race or two or more races.

Gen Zers are slightly less likely than Millennials to be immigrants: 6% were born outside of the U.S., compared with 7% of Millennials at the same age. But they are more likely to be the children of immigrants: 22% of Gen Zers have at least one immigrant parent (compared with 14% of Millennials). Even as immigration flows into the U.S. have diminished in recent years , new immigrants will join the ranks of Gen Z in the years to come. As a result, this generation is projected to become majority nonwhite by 2026, according to Census Bureau projections .

In some regions of the U.S., Gen Z has already crossed this threshold. In the West, only 40% of Gen Zers are non-Hispanic white. Just as many are Hispanic, while 4% are black, 10% are Asian and 6% are some other race. In the South, 46% of Gen Zers are non-Hispanic white. Minority representation is lowest in the Midwest, where more than two-thirds of Gen Zers (68%) are non-Hispanic white.

Gen Z on track to be the best-educated generation yet

A look at older members of Generation Z suggests they are on a somewhat different educational trajectory than the generations that came before them. They are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to be enrolled in college. Among 18- to 21-year-olds no longer in high school in 2018, 57% were enrolled in a two-year or four-year college. This compares with 52% among Millennials in 2003 and 43% among members of Gen X in 1987.

These changing educational patterns are tied to changes in immigration especially among Hispanics. Gen Z Hispanics are less likely than Millennial Hispanics to be immigrants, and previous research has shown that second-generation Hispanic youth are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to attend college than foreign-born Hispanic youth.

Gen Zers are also more likely to have a college-educated parent than are previous generations of young people. In 2019, 44% of Gen Zers ages 7 to 17 were living with a parent who had a bachelor’s degree or more education, compared with 33% of Millennials when they were the same age. Both of these trends reflect the overall trend toward more Americans pursuing higher education .

Perhaps because they are more likely to be engaged in educational endeavors , Gen Zers are less likely to be working than previous generations when they were teens and young adults. Only 18% of Gen Z teens (ages 15 to 17) were employed in 2018, compared with 27% of Millennial teens in 2002 and 41% of Gen Xers in 1986. And among young adults ages 18 to 22, while 62% of Gen Zers were employed in 2018, higher shares of Millennials (71%) and Gen Xers (79%) were working when they were a comparable age.

Gen Zers and Millennials have similar viewpoints on many major issues of the day

The views of Gen Z mirror those of Millennials in many ways. Still, survey data collected in 2018 (well before the coronavirus outbreak) shows that there are places where this younger generation stands out as having a somewhat different outlook.

For example, members of Gen Z are more likely than older generations to look to government to solve problems, rather than businesses and individuals. Fully seven-in-ten Gen Zers say the government should do more to solve problems, while 29% say government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals. A somewhat smaller share of Millennials (64%) say government should do more to solve problems, and this view is even less prevalent among older generations (53% of Gen Xers, 49% of Boomers and 39% of Silents).

For the most part, however, Gen Zers and Millennials share similar views on issues facing the country. These younger generations are more likely than their older counterparts to say the earth is getting warmer due to human activity: 54% of Gen Z and 56% of Millennials say this, compared with smaller shares of Gen Xers, Boomers and Silents (48%, 45% and 38%, respectively).

When it comes to race relations, Gen Zers and Millennials are about equally likely to say that blacks are treated less fairly than whites in this country. Roughly two-thirds of Gen Zers and Millennials say this, compared with about half of Gen Xers and Boomers and smaller shares among the Silent Generation.

Younger generations also share a different view of the U.S. relative to other countries in the world. Gen Zers (14%) and Millennials (13%) are less likely than Gen Xers (20%), Boomers (30%) or Silents (45%) to say the U.S. is better than  all  other countries. Still, pluralities of every generation except the Silent Generation say the U.S. is one of the best countries in the world along with some others.

Within the GOP, Gen Zers have sharp differences with their elders

Among Republicans and those who lean to the Republican Party, there are striking differences between Generation Z and older generations on social and political issues. In their views on race, Gen Z Republicans are more likely than older generations of Republicans to say blacks are treated less fairly than whites in the U.S. today. Fully 43% of Republican Gen Zers say this, compared with 30% of Millennial Republicans and roughly two-in-ten Gen X, Boomer and Silent Generation Republicans. Views are much more consistent across generations among Democrats and Democratic leaners.

Similarly, the youngest Republicans stand out in their views on the role of government and the causes of climate change. Gen Z Republicans are much more likely than older generations of Republicans to desire an increased government role in solving problems. About half (52%) of Republican Gen Zers say government should do more, compared with 38% of Millennials, 29% of Gen Xers and even smaller shares among older generations. And the youngest Republicans are less likely than their older counterparts to attribute the earth’s warming temperatures to natural patterns, as opposed to human activity (18% of Gen Z Republicans say this, compared with three-in-ten or more among older generations of Republicans).

Overall, members of Gen Z look similar to Millennials in their political preferences, particularly when it comes to the upcoming 2020 election. Among registered voters, a January Pew Research Center survey found that 61% of Gen Z voters (ages 18 to 23) said they were definitely or probably going to vote for the Democratic candidate for president in the 2020 election, while about a quarter (22%) said they were planning to vote for Trump. Millennial voters, similarly, were much more likely to say they plan to support a Democrat in November than Trump (58% vs. 25%). Larger shares of Gen X voters (37%), Boomers (44%) and Silents (53%) said they plan to support President Trump.

Younger generations see family, societal change as a good thing

Across a number of measures, Gen Zers and Millennials stand out from older generations in their views of family and societal change. Roughly half of Gen Zers (48%) and Millennials (47%) say gay and lesbian couples being allowed to marry is a good thing for our society. By comparison, only one-third of Gen Xers and about one-quarter of Boomers (27%) say this is a good thing. Pluralities of Boomers and Gen Xers say it doesn’t make a difference. Members of the Silent Generation are the most likely to view this as a bad thing for society.

There is a similar pattern in views of people of different races marrying each other, with larger shares of Millennials and Gen Zers saying this is a good thing for our society, compared with older generations. Very few across generations say this is a bad thing for society.

Gen Zers and Millennials are less likely than older generations to say that single women raising children on their own is a bad thing for society. Still, relatively few in both generations say this is a good thing for society, while about half say it doesn’t make much difference (roughly similar to the shares among older generations).

When it comes to their own home life, the experiences of Gen Z reflect, in part, broad trends that have reshaped the American family in recent decades. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data, about three-in-ten (29%) live in a household with an unmarried parent while 66% live with two married parents. A roughly comparable share of Millennials (69%) lived with two married parents at a similar age, but the shares among Gen Xers and Boomers were significantly larger (72% and 86%). Of those Gen Zers who are living with two married parents, in most cases both of those parents are in the labor force (64%). This compares with a slightly higher share of Millennials who were living with two parents at a comparable age (66% had two parents in the labor force) and a slightly lower share of Gen Xers (61%).

Generations differ in their familiarity and comfort with using gender-neutral pronouns

Ideas about gender identity are rapidly changing in the U.S., and Gen Z is at the front end of those changes. Gen Zers are much more likely than those in older generations to say they personally know someone who prefers to go by gender-neutral pronouns, with 35% saying so, compared with 25% of Millennials, 16% of Gen Xers, 12% of Boomers and just 7% of Silents. This generational pattern is evident among both Democrats and Republicans.

There are also stark generational differences in views of how gender options are presented on official documents. Gen Z is by far the most likely to say that when a form or online profile asks about a person’s gender it should include options other than “man” and “woman.” About six-in-ten Gen Zers (59%) say forms or online profiles should include additional gender options, compared with half of Millennials, about four-in-ten Gen Xers and Boomers (40% and 37%, respectively) and roughly a third of those in the Silent Generation (32%).

These views vary widely along partisan lines, and there are generational differences within each party coalition. But those differences are sharpest among Republicans: About four-in-ten Republican Gen Zers (41%) think forms should include additional gender options, compared with 27% of Republican Millennials, 17% of Gen Xers and Boomers and 16% of Silents. Among Democrats, half or more in all generations say this.

Gen Zers are similar to Millennials in their comfort with using gender-neutral pronouns. Both groups express somewhat higher levels of comfort than other generations, though generational differences on this question are fairly modest. Majorities of Gen Zers and Millennials say they would feel “very” or “somewhat” comfortable using a gender-neutral pronoun to refer to someone if asked to do so. By comparison, Gen Xers and Boomers are about evenly divided: About as many say they would feel at least somewhat comfortable (49% and 50%, respectively) as say they would be uncomfortable.

Members of Gen Z are also similar to Millennials in their views on society’s acceptance of those who do not identify as a man or a woman. Roughly half of Gen Zers (50%) and Millennials (47%) think that society is not accepting enough of these individuals. Smaller shares of Gen Xers (39%), Boomers (36%) and those in the Silent Generation (32%) say the same.

Here again there are large partisan gaps, and Gen Z Republicans stand apart from other generations of Republicans in their views. About three-in-ten Republican Gen Zers (28%) say that society is not accepting enough of people who don’t identify as a man or woman, compared with two-in-ten Millennials, 15% of Gen Xers, 13% of Boomers and 11% of Silents. Democrats’ views are nearly uniform across generations in saying that society is not accepting enough of people who don’t identify as a man or a woman.

Teens and Technology

Looking at the relationship American teens have with technology provides a window into the experiences of a significant segment of Generation Z. According to a  2018 Pew Research Center  survey, 95% of 13- to 17-year-olds have access to a smartphone, and a similar share (97%) use at least one of seven major online platforms.

YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are among teens’ favorite online destinations. Some 85% say they use YouTube, 72% use Instagram and 69% use Snapchat. Facebook is less popular with teens – 51% say they use this social media site. Some 45% of teens say they are online “almost constantly,” and an additional 44% say they’re online several times a day.

Some researchers  have suggested that the growing amount of time teens are spending on their mobile devices, and specifically on social media, is contributing to the growth in anxiety and depression among this group. Teens have mixed views on whether social media has had a positive or negative effect on their generation. About three-in-ten (31%) say the effect on people their own age has been mostly positive, 24% say it’s been mostly negative, and 45% say it’s been neither positive nor negative.

Many teens who say social media has had a positive effect say a major reason they feel this way is because it helps them stay connected with friends and family (40% of teens who say social media has a mostly positive effect say this). For those who see the effect of social media as negative, the most common reason cited is that it leads to bullying and rumor spreading (27% of teens who say social media has a mostly negative effect say this).

• These findings are based on a survey of 920 U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 conducted online Sept. 17-Nov. 25, 2018, combined with a nationally representative survey of 10,682 adults ages 18 and older conducted online Sept. 24-Oct. 7, 2018, using Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel. Findings based on Generation Z combine data from the teens survey with data from the 18- to 21-year-old respondents in the adult survey. ↩

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Essay on Save Environment for Future Generations

Students are often asked to write an essay on Save Environment for Future Generations in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Save Environment for Future Generations

Introduction.

The environment is our life giver. It provides air, water, and food, essential for our survival. However, it’s under threat due to human activities.

Why Save Environment?

Saving the environment is crucial for the survival of future generations. If we don’t act now, they might not have a healthy planet to live on.

We can save the environment by reducing waste, recycling, using renewable energy, and planting trees. Each small action counts towards a larger goal.

Let’s pledge to save our environment for future generations. It’s not just our responsibility, but also our necessity.

250 Words Essay on Save Environment for Future Generations

The imperative of environmental conservation.

Environmental conservation is a pressing issue that demands immediate attention. The escalating environmental degradation is not only a threat to biodiversity but also to the very existence of future generations. It is vital to understand that the environment’s health directly correlates with our own well-being.

Human Activities and Environmental Degradation

Human activities have significantly contributed to environmental degradation. Industrialization, deforestation, and excessive use of natural resources have led to climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution. These activities, if continued unchecked, could lead to irreparable damage, making the planet uninhabitable for future generations.

The Role of Sustainability

Sustainability is the key to preserving the environment for future generations. It entails the responsible use of resources, ensuring their availability for future generations. By adopting sustainable practices, we can mitigate the negative impacts of human activities on the environment.

Individual Responsibility and Collective Action

While systemic changes are crucial, individual responsibility also plays a significant role. Simple actions like reducing waste, recycling, and using renewable energy can make a difference. However, to bring about substantial change, collective action is necessary. Governments, corporations, and communities must work together to implement policies and practices that protect the environment.

In conclusion, saving the environment for future generations is not just a moral obligation but a necessity for our survival. By adopting sustainable practices and taking collective action, we can ensure that future generations inherit a healthy and thriving planet. It is high time we realise that our actions today will determine the future of our planet.

500 Words Essay on Save Environment for Future Generations

The environment is an integral part of our lives, providing the necessary resources for human survival, such as air, water, food, and shelter. However, human activities have led to environmental degradation, threatening the survival of future generations. It is, therefore, paramount to save the environment for future generations.

The Current State of the Environment

The environment is currently in a precarious state due to various human activities. Industrialization, deforestation, pollution, and climate change are some of the major challenges. Industries emit harmful gases into the atmosphere, leading to air pollution and global warming. Deforestation, on the other hand, destroys habitats, disrupts ecosystems, and contributes to climate change.

Implications for Future Generations

If the current rate of environmental degradation continues, future generations will inherit a planet that is vastly different from the one we know today. They will face severe water and food shortages due to reduced agricultural output caused by climate change. They will also have to deal with the health effects of air and water pollution, including respiratory diseases and waterborne illnesses. Furthermore, they will lose the opportunity to enjoy the planet’s natural beauty and biodiversity due to habitat destruction.

Strategies for Environmental Conservation

To save the environment for future generations, it is essential to adopt sustainable practices. This includes reducing, reusing, and recycling resources to minimize waste. It also involves shifting from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Moreover, we need to protect our forests and wildlife to preserve biodiversity. This can be achieved through legal measures, such as implementing stricter laws against deforestation and poaching, and through educational measures, such as teaching people about the importance of biodiversity.

The Role of Technology

Technology can also play a crucial role in environmental conservation. For instance, advancements in clean energy technologies can help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Similarly, technology can help improve waste management, with innovations such as waste-to-energy conversion and biodegradable materials.

In conclusion, saving the environment for future generations is not just a moral obligation, but a survival necessity. It requires collective action from all sectors of society, from individuals to governments. By adopting sustainable practices, leveraging technology, and protecting our natural resources, we can ensure that future generations inherit a healthy and vibrant planet. It is a challenging task, but with concerted efforts, it is a goal within our reach.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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• Essay on Role of Students in Protecting Environment
• Essay on Public Awareness About Environment
• Essay on My Environment My Responsibility

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Why the Rights of Future Generations Should Be Everyone’s Top Priority

By Inés Yábar and Prachi Shevgaonkar on June 25, 2024

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum is held annually at UN headquarters in New York. The Forum invites young people to contribute their ideas, insights, innovative solutions, and unique perspectives to policy discussions at the UN. Photo: Joel Sheakoski/UN Photo

Inés Yábar and Prachi Shevgaonkar are leading the UN Foundation’s Next Generation Fellows program, bringing young leaders together across India and the globe to help ensure the voices of young people are heard — and respected. In this conversation, they cover everything from what inspires their advocacy to how other young people can get involved.

More than half of all people alive today are younger than 30. Before this century ends, roughly 10 billion more people are expected to be born.

The numbers are clear: The future belongs to young people and future generations.

And yet, too often, those who will have to live with the consequences of the decisions made today are excluded from the halls of power. It doesn’t have to be this way. Imagine: What would the world look like if young people were at the forefront of shaping the future?

Acting on this sentiment at the highest level, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called upon young people to shape Our Common Agenda , his vision for the future of global cooperation. In doing so, he made clear that “young people must also be at the table — as designers of their own future.”

This vision propelled the UN Foundation to launch the Next Generation Fellows program in 2021. Already, the program is having a tangible impact: one of the recommendations the first cohort outlined in the Our Future Agenda report — establishing a “contract for the Future setting out obligations to future generations” — has been translated in a Pact for the Future, which will launch at the Summit of the Future in September.

Building on the success of the original global cohort, the UN Foundation started the first-ever Next Generation Fellows program in India in collaboration with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). With 1.4 billion of the estimated 10 billion people yet to be born in this century set to call India home, their voices are essential to shaping an equitable and sustainable future for all.

Inés Yábar and Prachi Shevgaonkar — leads of the Global Next Generation Fellows and Next Generation India Fellows, respectively — engaged in a candid conversation about their hopes, ambitions, and goals as they lead their cohorts toward the future.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length by Megan Rabbitt.

Young climate advocates meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the Climate Ambition Summit during the 78th UN General Assembly in September 2023. UN Photo/ Mark Garten

The Past Shapes the Present, but it Doesn’t Define the Future

Tell us a bit about your journey so far and what motivates you.

Inés : Growing up in Peru, I could see how different circumstances determined different futures. For those growing up in shanty towns, the future looked less bright. I also grew up near the ocean, and for me, like many who live in coastal areas around the world, the future might mean the disappearance of a beloved home. We are already seeing this in countries like Tuvalu, where the average rate of sea level rise is expected to more than double by 2100. Our stake in the future is not hypothetical. This future is now, and, if we don’t act, many of those born to future generations will have no place to live while others suffer increasing climate change impacts.

Prachi : Similarly, I had an opportunity to see different sides of my country as a young student. When I was 18, I set out to find a way to make a difference in my community. I spent the next year traveling across India, working with youth, farmers, waste pickers and social impact organizations. In every community I visited, I saw the effects of climate change. I met farmers who lost their produce to erratic rainfall. I met climate refugees picking scrap to make ends meet. I met bright young students who had to drop out of school due to extreme weather events. It made me wonder: What can an ordinary girl like me do about a big problem like climate change?

From the dorm room of my college, I built Cool The Globe , an app to unite citizens to fight climate change from their own homes. Over the past five years of mobilizing citizens for climate action, I have been able to meet thousands of young people determined to make a difference and bring about change.

Lead Next Generation India Fellow Prachi Shevgaonkar’s Cool the Globe app was featured in the last episode of Shark Tank India 3. The app helps users track and minimize greenhouse gas emissions in their daily activities. Photo courtesy of: Shark Tank India Sony LIV Team

The First Step to Realizing a Better Future Is Visualizing It

When you think about a better future, what do you see?

Inés : When I think about the future, I see faces of young people I know today. I imagine their dreams coming true, their advocacy turning into real change and leading to celebrations in their countries and communities. I also try to imagine future generations: our children, grandchildren, and even beyond. And I see hope, because despite the brokenness of this world, I also see love and a generation of doers who are doing their best to eradicate poverty, fight climate change and build partnerships for a better future.

Although my generation is increasingly skeptical about the UN, I’ve seen the impact this institution has and I truly believe we have a role in reimagining how the UN can better deliver for people and planet, starting with the youngest members of society. All 193 Member States of the UN agreed to the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals]. The UN managed to get countries to agree that poverty needs to be tackled, climate change should be addressed, and we should partner together for common goals. I believe the UN can deliver and as young people we should be ready to make our mark on the world and support that delivery both locally and globally.

Prachi : When I think of the future of India, I see millions of dreams. As a young country, we are a nation of hope and possibility, where big dreams can be both dreamt and realized. With more than half of our population under the age of 30, Indian youth are in a unique and powerful position to influence the future on a global level. We just need to be made aware of our power.

By the time of this year’s election, 23% more 18- and 19-year-olds had registered to vote than in 2019. This is promising, but an estimated 31.8 million young voters still didn’t cast their vote this year. That is more than the entire population of Australia! So, we still have a long way to go.

Our role as the youth of India is to be ambitious, for ourselves and for our nation. The Next Generation India Fellows have been assembled to take the lead in realizing this powerful vision of youth-led nation building. We are building a road map for youth across the country to tap into the changemaker within each of them.

Held during the ECOSOC Youth Forum in April 2023, the intergenerational session on Youth Insights and Recommendations in the Lead Up to the SDG Summit 2023, was chaired by the President of ECOSOC and co-facilitated by UN Foundation’s Next Generation Fellow Inés Yábar and Asma Rouabhia. Photo: Joel Sheakoski/UN Photo

Finding Inspiration in Collaboration

Where do you find inspiration?

Prachi : Very few people in the world are lucky enough to work on things that move them, and even fewer get to do it with the support of a robust ecosystem, let alone in collaboration with people who inspire them and at a young age. As the Next Generation Fellows, we are among the tiny fraction of the population who has access to all of this, under one platform. That is what inspires me — every single Next Generation Fellow inspires me.

It is said that you become a combination of the people you spend a lot of time with. At the end of this fellowship, if I become a combination of the 21 remarkable individuals that make up our two cohorts, I will feel superhuman! That, to me, is what successful collaboration looks like: feeling stronger together, feeling unstoppable together.

When one of us acts, it inspires 10 others around us, and it creates a ripple effect of change. As the respective leads of our cohorts, I believe our most important role is to help our Fellows inspire others. Together, we are bringing the vision of the fellowship to young leaders across India and the world.

Inés : Beyond the individuals who inspire us, I’m motivated by knowing that we are actually making waves. Last year the Youth Office was institutionalized at the UN, and this year we have a Summit of the Future that represents an opportunity to advocate not just for our own future but for that of future generations.

Huge demographic shifts are already beginning. The global population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2100, and over 80% of those people will live in Asia or Africa. It’s our job then, as humanity, to think and act for those future generations, too. This is what the Sustainable Development Goals are about, common goals that better the world today while building sustainably for future generations. Unfortunately, only 15% of the Goals’ 169 targets are on track, so we really need to pick up the pace, and we can’t do that without collaboration.

As Fellows, we also have a road map we can follow, which is The Road to 2100 , our springboard to tackle current and future challenges through global cooperation. Half of the global population of 8 billion is young people under 30, so we cannot better the world with just 21 of us — we need everyone. I’m particularly looking forward to continuing the momentum we built in last year’s Engine Room and continuing to build partnerships. So far, I’ve seen young leaders like Nohora deliver training on climate change in Indigenous communities. And other young leaders like Felipe who built an NGO on foresight from scratch, or Mark who used research combined with storytelling to build a lab. I am sure there are many more like them out there, and that is really inspiring. It’s been great to connect with changemakers and champions this year as we develop our 2100 road map. They inspire me, my generation inspires me.

The inaugural cohort of the Next Generation India Fellowship was jointly launched by the UN Foundation and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water in January 2024. The two-year Fellowship is a platform for young Indian thinkers to develop solutions for public health, climate, gender equality, and more. Photo: Kartikeya Jain/CEEW

Being Seen, Heard, and Making a Difference

What should young people know about the Next Generation Fellowship program?

Prachi : The best way to describe the Next Generation India Fellows is that we are a cohort as diverse as the country we represent. Our 11 dynamic fellows hail from different parts of India and represent 11 key thematic areas that will influence the future of our country: climate, gender equality, innovation, new technologies, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities, art and culture, oceans, future of the workforce, future of food, and public health.

As each fellow takes ownership of their thematic area, we also collaborate with each other and the global fellows through five action groups: people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnerships. In partnership with young people across the world, the two cohorts of Next Generation Fellows are building the ‘Engine Room of the Future’ — a digital, intergenerational platform to reimagine how the United Nations thinks, plans, and acts for the future.

As a key outcome of the Next Generation India Fellowship, we are excited to collaborate with young changemakers and leaders across the country to develop the ‘Future of India Report’. I view this report as the flame to ignite a broader movement for the leadership of countries with young populations.

As fellows, we also participate in key global moments where we can engage with stakeholders and add our voices to dialogues that shape the world. As part of this effort, I joined my fellow Next Generation India Fellows Nandini Harihar and Anoushka Sinha at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum in New York recently, where we got an opportunity to engage with Member States, brainstorm solutions for youth well-being, and plan for the 2024 Summit of the Future.

Inés : That is amazing, Prachi! As young people we hold a great stake in today’s world, but especially in the future, so we need more of us in multilateral spaces. It may seem daunting because some people have been in the decision-making space for so long, but we need youth engagement more than ever, not just as speakers or silent observers but as key stakeholders in the processes. The future isn’t owned by any one generation, but children, young people, and our descendants will live with the consequences of today. It’s especially critical as we engage in the Summit of the Future that we make sure the declaration on future generations has an intergenerational perspective so we can work together to shape a truly intergenerational future.

I have so much hope that with a group like ours the future looks bright. I’ve seen it through Next Generation Fellows like Saru making civil society go viral in Nairobi, Jac bringing together 120 future thinkers in Wales, Anita engaging with her region, Africa, at the SDG regional conference — the list could go on. As fellows, we get the chance to engage and influence multilateral spaces and we get to see how young people around the world are taking action in their homes and communities. There is a lot of hope in that because we know this generation of doers is here to turn things around in the second half of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Next Generation Global Fellows, including Lead Fellow Inés Yábar, are photographed with UN officials at the 2023 ECOSOC Youth Forum. Photo: UN Photo/ Mark Garten

A Message for Young People: Believe, Act, and Get Involved

What would you say to a young person interested in joining a Next Generation Fellowship?

Prachi : The Next Generation program is more than a fellowship — it is an idea, a vision, and a movement.

As a lead Fellow, I have one thing to share with young people around the world, and one thing to ask of them.

I want to share a vision for the future. A future where young people are not just spectators but play an active role in shaping the world around them, where each one of us is a changemaker.

And my ask is that young people believe: believe in the power of their words, believe in the power of their actions, believe that in the face of global problems, they can make a difference.

That is the ethos of the Next Generation Fellowship, and when you start believing in this vision, you become a part of the next generation movement.

Inés : That’s a great bottom line, Prachi. We will be taking action, so it’s time to get to it! From the fellowship to the Engine Room, to partnerships with the UN and beyond, I hope to see so many more of us involved in this journey to 2100.

GET INVOLVED

Here are simple ways to work with us:

• Youth survey : Share your thoughts on concrete solutions to real problems, such as taxing luxury items as is done in France.
• Town halls : Connecting inter-generationally on national priorities for the future.
• Engine Room : Work with us researching, campaigning, and building a road map for 2100 under the 5Ps: people, planet, prosperity, peace, partnerships.
• Unlock the Future : Check out this coalition of the world’s largest youth- and child-focused organizations.
• Follow : Stay up to date on opportunities and to see how our journey evolves.

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Young people hold the key to creating a better future

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• Young people are the most affected by the crises facing our world.
• They are also the ones with the most innovative ideas and energy to build a better society for tomorrow.
• Read the report "Davos Labs: Youth Recovery Plan" here .

Young people today are coming to age in a world beset by crises. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated lives and livelihoods around the world, the socio-economic systems of the past had put the liveability of the planet at risk and eroded the pathway to healthy, happy, fulfilled lives for too many.

The same prosperity that enabled global progress and democracy after the Second World War is now creating the inequality, social discord and climate change we see today — along with a widening generational wealth gap and youth debt burden, too. For Millennials, the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession resulted in significant unemployment, huge student debt and a lack of meaningful jobs. Now, for Generation Z, COVID-19 has caused school shutdowns, worsening unemployment, and mass protests.

Young people are right to be deeply concerned and angry, seeing these challenges as a betrayal of their future.

But we can’t let these converging crises stifle us. We must remain optimistic – and we must act.

The next generation are the most important and most affected stakeholders when talking about our global future – and we owe them more than this. The year 2021 is the time to start thinking and acting long-term to make intergenerational parity the norm and to design a society, economy and international community that cares for all people.

Young people are also the best placed to lead this transformation. In the past 10 years of working with the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, a network of people between the ages of 20 and 30 working to address problems in more than 450 cities around the world, I’ve seen first-hand that they are the ones with the most innovative ideas and energy to build a better society for tomorrow.

Over the past year, Global Shapers organized dialogues on the most pressing issues facing society, government and business in 146 cities, reaching an audience of more than 2 million. The result of this global, multistakeholder effort, “ Davos Labs: Youth Recovery Plan ,” presents both a stark reminder of our urgent need to act and compelling insights for creating a more resilient, sustainable, inclusive world.

One of the unifying themes of the discussions was the lack of trust young people have for existing political, economic and social systems. They are fed up with ongoing concerns of corruption and stale political leadership, as well as the constant threat to physical safety caused by surveillance and militarized policing against activists and people of colour. In fact, more young people hold faith in governance by system of artificial intelligence than by a fellow human being.

Facing a fragile labour market and almost bankrupt social security system, almost half of those surveyed said they felt they had inadequate skills for the current and future workforce, and almost a quarter said they would risk falling into debt if faced with an unexpected medical expense. The fact that half of the global population remains without internet access presents additional hurdles. Waves of lockdowns and the stresses of finding work or returning to workplaces have exacerbated the existential and often silent mental health crisis.

So, what would Millennials and Generation Z do differently?

Most immediately, they are calling for the international community to safeguard vaccine equity to respond to COVID-19 and prevent future health crises.

Young people are rallying behind a global wealth tax to help finance more resilient safety nets and to manage the alarming surge in wealth inequality. They are calling to direct greater investments to programmes that help young progressive voices join government and become policymakers.

I am inspired by the countless examples of young people pursuing collective action by bringing together diverse voices to care for their communities.

To limit global warming, young people are demanding a halt to coal, oil and gas exploration, development, and financing, as well as asking firms to replace any corporate board directors who are unwilling to transition to cleaner energy sources.

They are championing an open internet and a $2 trillion digital access plan to bring the world online and prevent internet shutdowns, and they are presenting new ways to minimize the spread of misinformation and combat dangerous extremist views. At the same time, they’re speaking up about mental health and calling for investment to prevent and tackle the stigma associated with it.

The Global Shapers Community is a network of young people under the age of 30 who are working together to drive dialogue, action and change to address local, regional and global challenges.

The community spans more than 8,000 young people in 165 countries and territories.

Teams of Shapers form hubs in cities where they self-organize to create projects that address the needs of their community. The focus of the projects are wide-ranging, from responding to disasters and combating poverty, to fighting climate change and building inclusive communities.

Examples of projects include Water for Life, a effort by the Cartagena Hub that provides families with water filters that remove biological toxins from the water supply and combat preventable diseases in the region, and Creativity Lab from the Yerevan Hub, which features activities for children ages 7 to 9 to boost creative thinking.

Each Shaper also commits personally and professionally to take action to preserve our planet.

Join or support a hub near you .

Transparency, accountability, trust and a focus on stakeholder capitalism will be key to meeting this generation’s ambitions and expectations. We must also entrust in them the power to take the lead to create meaningful change.

I am inspired by the countless examples of young people pursuing collective action by bringing together diverse voices to care for their communities. From providing humanitarian assistance to refugees to helping those most affected by the pandemic to driving local climate action, their examples provide the blueprints we need to build the more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable society and economy we need in the post-COVID-19 world.

We are living together in a global village, and it’s only by interactive dialogue, understanding each another and having respect for one another that we can create the necessary climate for a peaceful and sustainable world.

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By Özge Aydoğan, Eleonora Bonaccorsi, and Trine Schmidt 

In an effort to deliver the 2030 Agenda through a reformed multilateral system , the UN Secretary-General will publish eleven policy briefs between March and July 2023. The policy briefs are intended to propose concrete actions under Our Common Agenda and to inform the discussions of Members States in advance of the 2023 SDG Summit and the Summit of the Future in 2024. The first brief, published on 9 March under the title, ‘ To Think and Act for Future Generations ,’ provides a number of suggestions and practical steps in ensuring that intergenerational solidarity becomes the guiding star of sustainable development and renewal of the multilateral system.

Based on the Secretary-General’s paper, this Policy Brief aims to shed light on why it is important to adopt a future generations approach in policy design as a way to achieve long-term sustainability and to examine how the UN intends to embrace this approach in practice. 

Future generations are at the heart of sustainable development. The definition of sustainable development , as frequently quoted from the 1987 Brundtland report, is centered on the notion of future generations. It defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (emphasis added). Taking this definition into account, one might question why we are stuck in a short-term mindset when it comes to achieving the SDGs and a sustainable future.

The current dominant political, social, and economic systems favor short-term gains and quick fixes at the expense of longer-term planetary and human wellbeing and prosperity. A paradigm shift is required in how we measure and value what matters to peoples and the planet. To uphold the initial promises of sustainable development, it is crucial to awaken to the fact that future ways of living, interacting, and doing business are non-linear and will look very different from now on. Thus, it is of utmost importance to re-think systems based on intergenerational solidarity.

Responding to questions raised by Member States on balancing responsibility between generations, those living today and those not yet born, the policy brief highlights that the needs of present and future generations are not at odds, arguing that efforts to consider the future will leave all generations better off. It poses the need to think and act with future generations in mind as an imperative to fight inequality as “[p]rivilege and poverty both transmit powerfully across generations.” The brief also cites the elements paper for the declaration for future generations to remind us that the “intergenerational transmission of inequality, including gender inequality, is well documented.”

This is an important recognition of the structural nature of inequality, one which cannot be overcome by individuals, communities, or even countries alone. To fight inequality, we need to apply a long-term perspective, one which uses hindsight to adequately account for the injustices of the past – and foresight to understand how to transform our societies so that they become just and inclusive, now and in the future.

What’s next: Making commitments to future generations actionable

The UN Secretary-General’s policy brief recognizes that we do not lack commitments to take future generations into account, listing the many references to future generations and pointing out that nearly 400 UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions explicitly cite future generations. Some of the most notable commitments are found in the adoption of UN Charter itself, the definition of sustainable development as outlined above, and the 1997 UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Declaration on the Responsibilities of the Present Generations Towards Future Generations .

What we lack is practical mechanisms and concrete steps. The Secretary-General’s policy brief proposes four steps to be taken at the global level. The first step is the appointment of a special Envoy for Future Generations. The envoy would have an advisory capacity focused on: intergenerational and future impacts of policies and programmes; facilitating collaboration and best practices on the topic of future generations; and better use of foresight methods. The brief recognizes that there are many examples of this approach from Member States. One notable example is the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales .

Related to the mandate of the special envoy, and linked to the notion of long-term sustainability, the brief argues that it is necessary to enhance the capacity of the UN system in applying strategic foresight methods. Strategic foresight can help us assess, understand, and adapt policies and practices that will affect generations yet to be born. This will require a significant shift in mindsets towards the long term and moving away from our current short-termism. A combination of forecasting models and foresight practices within institutions and society will help expand our collective thinking and policymaking towards systems that are centered around human values and aligned with the planetary boundaries we live in, ultimately securing the needs of present and future generations.

Third, the brief encourages Member States to adopt a political declaration on the “duties to the future.” This declaration should serve to put existing commitments made to future generations into action by making these concrete, including clearly defining what is meant by future generations.

Finally, and related to the political declaration, the Secretary-General’s policy brief suggests establishing an intergovernmental forum on future generations. This forum would play a key role in making sure commitments in the political declaration do not just add to the extensive list of previous commitments made to future generations but are put into practice. Again, in this regard the brief acknowledges the inspiration from Member States that have been working to implement a future generations perspective into policy. Examples include the Committee for the Future , a standing committee in the Finnish Parliament since 1993.

It is noteworthy that in the Welsh and Finnish examples mentioned above, working for future generations is associated with bringing in a diversity of voices, including civil society, to understand and jointly assess the impact of current activities on future generations. Thus, in addition to supporting long-term thinking, this model can also serve to encourage multi-stakeholder collaboration, with the recognition that we need diverse expertise and diverse representation to adequately consider the effects of our actions on the future. Furthermore, Wales’s Well-being of Future Generations Act aims to improve the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being. This is distinct from the 2030 Agenda, as it specifically includes culture as an additional dimension of sustainability.

The 2024 Summit of the Future and the preparatory processes ahead of it represent a unique opportunity to ensure that we uphold the core principle of sustainable development by ensuring that the decisions we take today are future-proofed and aligned with a long-term sustainability vision. It will be important that global civil society have an equal voice in the process and at the Summit, in particular to (re)introduce alternative ways of thinking about time, the future, and generations, including by drawing on Indigenous knowledge and considering the cultural sustainability of our policies and actions.

In preparation for the 2023 SDG Summit and the Summit of the Future in 2024, the UN Secretary-General is launching eleven policy briefs between March and July 2023, offering “concrete ideas” on how to advance Our Common Agenda. Timed accordingly, the SDG Knowledge Hub is publishing a series of policy briefs of its own, offering insights on the issue areas covered in these publications.

Özge Aydoğan is Director of the SDG Lab at UN Geneva .

Eleonora Bonaccorsi is Program Officer at IISD and part of the SDG Lab.

Trine Schmidt is Policy Advisor at IISD and part the SDG Lab.