1
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2021
A. Simmons, Impacts of Climate Change on Young People in Small Island Communities,
Sustainable Development Goals Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50657-5_1
The Global Overview of Climate
Change
Abstract
This chapter introduces the issues relating to
greenhouse gas emission and global warming.
It highlights how climate change impacts
global affairs and states what young people
are doing through the Global Climate Strike
Movement to raise worldwide awareness and
pressure political leaders to take action to stop
the use of fossil fuel. This chapter discusses
the challenges to keep global warming within
“the 1 °C” and problems associated with the
impact of climate change on young people in
SIDS, specifically its impact on society, economy and well-being. It discusses why the
issue is needed to be studied and presented an
argument to justify the relevance of the youth
and SIDS as essential areas to be considered.
It explores pathways to alternative skills and
knowledge development such as the inclusion
of climate change adaptation for sustainable
development in curriculum, top-down and
bottom-up approaches to climate change
adaptation and others. Here, the purpose of the
book is presented to explore the knowledge
deficit between that which is known and that
which is necessary for young people to
enhance local resilience to climate change.
This chapter highlights the research questions
to be studied and concludes with a summary
of each of the chapter in the book.
Keywords
Global warming · Small island developing
states · Knowledge development · Youth
Climate change · Curriculum · Resilience
Vulnerability
The past decade was the hottest in history since
global temperatures have been recorded; 2019
was the second warmest year recorded since
records began in 1850. It concludes a decade of
exceptional global heat, retreating sea ice and
record sea-level rise driven by greenhouse gases
from human activities. It marks the year of the
most massive climate change protest in the world
where over 7 million people participated in over
6100 climate strikes in 185 countries. The activities and vibrancy of the youth to pressure global
leaders to take action to resolve the climate
change challenges were very vivid.
The living world is unique and spectacular, yet the
way we humans live on earth is sending it into a
decline. Human beings have overrun the world…
our planet is heading for disaster. We need to learn
how to work with nature rather than against it, and
I am going to tell you how. – Sir David
Attenborough, Lessons from life, 2020
Climate change emerges as the most significant global issue; this phenomenon will be
1
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2021
A. Simmons, Impacts of Climate Change on Young People in Small Island Communities,
Sustainable Development Goals Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50657-5_1
The Global Overview of Climate
Change
Abstract
This chapter introduces the issues relating to
greenhouse gas emission and global warming.
It highlights how climate change impacts
global affairs and states what young people
are doing through the Global Climate Strike
Movement to raise worldwide awareness and
pressure political leaders to take action to stop
the use of fossil fuel. This chapter discusses
the challenges to keep global warming within
“the 1 °C” and problems associated with the
impact of climate change on young people in
SIDS, specifically its impact on society, economy and well-being. It discusses why the
issue is needed to be studied and presented an
argument to justify the relevance of the youth
and SIDS as essential areas to be considered.
It explores pathways to alternative skills and
knowledge development such as the inclusion
of climate change adaptation for sustainable
development in curriculum, top-down and
bottom-up approaches to climate change
adaptation and others. Here, the purpose of the
book is presented to explore the knowledge
deficit between that which is known and that
which is necessary for young people to
enhance local resilience to climate change.
This chapter highlights the research questions
to be studied and concludes with a summary
of each of the chapter in the book.
Keywords
Global warming · Small island developing
states · Knowledge development · Youth
Climate change · Curriculum · Resilience
Vulnerability
The past decade was the hottest in history since
global temperatures have been recorded; 2019
was the second warmest year recorded since
records began in 1850. It concludes a decade of
exceptional global heat, retreating sea ice and
record sea-level rise driven by greenhouse gases
from human activities. It marks the year of the
most massive climate change protest in the world
where over 7 million people participated in over
6100 climate strikes in 185 countries. The activities and vibrancy of the youth to pressure global
leaders to take action to resolve the climate
change challenges were very vivid.
The living world is unique and spectacular, yet the
way we humans live on earth is sending it into a
decline. Human beings have overrun the world…
our planet is heading for disaster. We need to learn
how to work with nature rather than against it, and
I am going to tell you how. – Sir David
Attenborough, Lessons from life, 2020
Climate change emerges as the most significant global issue; this phenomenon will be
1