Nature-based Solutions were front and center in a recent Generation Climate Europe podcast! In the “Education Meets Action” episode, available on Spotify, Senior Expert Daniela Rizzi, Expert Silvia Assalini and Junior Expert Simon Racé outlined how NetworkNature is strengthening the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) community and supporting knowledge exchange to advance the deployment of NbS together with youth.
If you are curious about the origin of the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) concept, look no further. This episode follows the concept from its birth to the global definition adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly in 2022. The concept has never been more relevant, and its importance within the European Union is reflected in publications such as the European Commission’s Green Competences framework, as well as in the growing number of EU-funded projects focusing on NbS.
Concrete examples of success stories linking NbS to education can support educators in bringing the concept into their own classrooms. Cities such as Paris, France and Zaragoza, Spain, offer strong case studies for adapting schoolyards to more frequent heatwave episodes via NbS co-design with the school community. An inspiring example of youth inclusion can also be found in Turku, Finland, where a youth council and a children’s parliament have been set up to ensure that young people’s voices are heard and included in local policies. These kinds of examples align with NetworkNature’s mission to mainstream NbS across sectors and to highlight practical solutions that are co-created with local communities.
There is no doubt that NbS and youth inclusion are essential to sustainability initiatives. At the same time, it is essential to avoid greenwashing and youthwashing: youth inclusion within NbS is a long-term process and requires long-term thinking to lead to a successful co-creation process. Listen to the podcast for insights into NbS and youth inclusion, also from the perspectives of vulnerable groups and the Global South.
To learn more about youth engagement in relation to NbS, explore NetworkNature’s collection of knowledge resources, guidance materials and tools that support local governments, practitioners and educators. Take action yourself by making use of the NBS EduWORLD Youth Inclusion Toolkit, which encompasses a set of twelve tools targeting youth from primary through higher education, helping local governments engage young people when planning, designing, implementing and monitoring Nature-based Solutions.
