Youth and children, as the next generations, have the right to a clean future-they do not wish to inherit a toxic, radioactive, dirty and carbon-driven world. We demand a clear definition of sustainable energy and time-bound targets for the implementation of a sustainable energy policy that will free us from respiratory ailments, air pollution, climate change and a radioactive legacy. We stand in solidarity with vulnerable communities, including low-income and marginalized groups, indigenous populations and those living in geographically vulnerable areas, who bear and suffer a disproportionate share of the impact of climate change.

Youth and children worldwide, having worked together at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and within their communities on the ground, believe that renewable energy is the key to a sustainable future. With the support of all stakeholders, a holistic strategy is needed to offer a sustainable solution to energy access, providing local context-sensitive measures that preserve the environment. Within that strategy, we must aim to phase out our reliance on nuclear energy and fossil fuels-energy sources that are simply not viable options for sustainable development. Following the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, adopted at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, Governments must consider the reliability, affordability, economic viability, social acceptability and environmental soundness of energy services and sources. However, nuclear energy and "clean" fossil fuels utterly fail this test.

Photo© Jane Goodall Institute

Global climate change is the most pressing issue of our generation. Given the changes already occurring and the projections for the coming decades, adaptation by way of environmental, social and economic adjustments is essential in order to alleviate the most direct effects of climate change. We fear for future generations and, although there is consensus on the impacts of climate change, efforts to advance adaptation activities and projects have been inadequate. While international efforts are concentrating on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation should rank just as highly on the international agenda. We urgently need commitments to create funding mechanisms to deploy the necessary adaptation projects and coping mechanisms. It is particularly important to examine the needs of the rural and urban coastal communities and small islands developing States, and for research to address the relationships between food security and climate change.

The steps for a stable climate and clean future are known-and now we need action. Since the 11th Con-ference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2005 in Montreal, Canada, youth from around the world have been working closely to tackle climate change. Together, we demand minimum binding emissions-reduction targets of 30 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050 for developing nations. We believe that investment must be made in renewable energy and energy efficiency and conservation. Policies should also create markets for renewable energy, reduce risks, provide acceptable rates of return for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and finance gaps in research and development, as well as in the commercialization of clean renewable energy.

We want a future to look forward to-and we are ready to take the steps necessary to secure it. The United Nations offers the framework to address global climate change. With the guidance and direction of the Rio Conventions (on biological diversity, climate change and desertification), a blueprint for sustainable development contained in Agenda 21 (a comprehensive plan of action adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro) and the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development, as well as the political will from the Governments whose decisions will impact our lives and those of our children, we can achieve global climate stabilization.