Intergenerational Commitment in the Climate Emergency: Deepening Child and Youth Agency

This chapter explores the climate emergency as a deeply systemic and intergenerational challenge that goes beyond biophysical dimensions to permeate social, political and economic life. The authors advocate a critical, complexity-driven approach, calling for transformative environmental education that empowers real action beyond mere knowledge. By foregrounding the concept of co-agency, the chapter argues that tackling the climate crisis requires genuine collaboration between children, young people and adults, and not only recognises the agency of younger generations, but also incorporates intergenerational partnerships into decision-making and collective action. Drawing on ecofeminist perspectives, the analysis critiques anthropocentric and adult-centric systems, emphasising how both children and Nature are marginalised under current capitalist and patriarchal norms. The chapter also reviews the legal framework provided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, emphasising the importance of participatory pedagogical approaches that encourage shared responsibility. Ultimately, the authors contend that new, hopeful forms of climate action must be grounded in mutual recognition and co-agency, where children and adults collaborate to imagine and build a more just and sustainable future together.