Push Europe

At the beginning of last week there was an interesting addition to the Guardian letters page - 1 year from this week in Brazil is the next UN Conference on Sustainable Development.  As the letter explains (which is co-signed by UKYCC) Rio+20 takes places 20 years after the original Rio Conference on Sustainable Development which marked the beginning of a commitment to environmental protection across the world.

One of the key issues within sustainable development is a move to a greener economy.  Here at Push Europe we believe that greater investment in a low-carbon economy along with tougher emissions targets will not only help reduce the catastrophic problem of climate change, but will also strengthen our economy leading to an estimated 6 million jobs.

Given the incredibly high unemployment rates across Europe (around 20% of under 25s in the EU-27 are out of work with Spain suffering the most at 44% of under 25s unemployed) this is big news.  6 million jobs could make a real difference to the lives of young people across Europe.

With Rio+20 just around the corner it is vital that the UK Government takes a strong stance and works with young people to ensure that our voices are heard and acted upon!  The Push Europe campaign seeks to add hundreds of youth voices to the call for the EU to increase their commitment to tackling climate change.

Remember to sign up your CV if you have not already done so and tell all your friends too!