Engage and empower youth to forge a green economy

Bart Édes
3 min readNov 28, 2023
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

During her morning address yesterday at the Dubai Future Forum, Dr. Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General, World Energy Council, cited the importance of teaching young people about renewable energy concepts to encourage them to think about working in the renewable energy field. I am very happy that she made this point.

The world is facing a climate crisis that threatens the well-being of current and future generations. To avoid the worst impacts of global warming, we need to rapidly shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass. Yet the transition away from fossil fuels is likely to take many years. We thus need to develop a pipeline of motivated energy innovators, advocates, and practitioners to move the world on to a sustainable path.

This transition requires not only technological innovation, but also social and economic transformation. In this process, young people have a vital role to play. . In the realm of renewable energy, where technological advancements play a pivotal role, the fresh perspectives and creative insights of the youth are invaluable.

The ability to think outside the conventional boundaries, unburdened by pre-existing norms, positions the youth as catalysts for breakthroughs in renewable energy technologies. Involving them actively…

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Bart Édes

Author of Learning from Tomorrow: Using Strategic Foresight to Prepare for the Next Big Disruption