UNICEF published a series of guides to help young people who wish to partake in global, regional and national climate movements. The toolkit was written by Sara Cognuck González, a young climate activist from Costa Rica in cooperation with Emilia Numer, a UNICEF consultant. Their goal was to provide clear, concise and easily understandable information regarding various topics, including:
- Tools for climate action
- What is climate governance
- Climate glossary
- The Paris Agreement
- The Escazú Agreement
Tools for climate action
The document introduces the reader to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. It also gives details about the actions and plans of countries and how they attempt to meet the targets of the global climate agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Finally, it shares information on the Escazú Agreement, a pioneering treaty designed to guarantee full and efficient implementation of access rights and the protection of the environment and human rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.
What is climate governance?
A guide outlining climate governance and decision-making at the national and international levels, including the UN Framework on Climate Change, its operation, and involvement procedures. It begins by explaining the establishment of climate governance on both national and international levels, while also looking into detail on which processes may have opportunities to participate in. The guide also provides examples of how young climate activists are sparking positive change in national and international climate governance.
Climate glossary
A glossary intended to inform readers about basic concepts related to the climate change issue, continuing with topics related to climate action, including resources activists can use in their actions. Lastly, it describes aspects related to human rights and the ways and levels at which the effects of climate change can impact people, limiting economic and social progress.
The Paris Agreement
The document shares basic information about the Paris Agreement phrased in an easily comprehensible language.
About the Paris Agreement:
- The Paris Agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016, thirty days after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention accounting in total for at least an estimated 55 % of the total global greenhouse gas emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Depositary.
Main focuses of the Paris Agreement:
- to set ambitious targets for climate action in countries
- to promote commitments to limit this century's average global temperature increase to no more than 2°C, and pursues additional efforts to limit the increase to only 1.5°C
- to seek to increase countries' capacity for adaptation to climate change
- to lay the foundation for a shift to low-emission, climate-resilient development models
- to aim to achieve a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and removals
The Escazú Agreement
The document shares basic information about the Escazú Agreement phrased in an easily comprehensible language.
About the Escazú Agreement:
- The Escazú Agreement entered into force on 22 April 2021 and it was created by Latin American and Caribbean countries for environmental protection and human rights
- also called the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean
- As of November 2020, the following countries had ratified the Agreement: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Uruguay.
- The Agreement has been signed by: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Uruguay.
The Escazú Agreement aims to guarantee:
- access to information on the state of the environment, plans that may affect it, and the decisions and votes taken by decision makers
- for people to be able to voice their opinions and participate in environmental decision-making processes
- for people to go to the courts to seek redress if the environment is damaged or if people are excluded from environmental decision-making processes
- the right to a healthy environment and sustainable development, with an intergenerational approach
- to create and strengthen capacity-building and cooperation
The toolkit is available in English and Spanish.