by EH
For years, the young have led the charge in raising awareness about the environmental challenges that threaten the planet, famously proclaiming that there is no “Planet B.” But now, they are being asked to take their efforts a step further—by not only warning of climate catastrophe but by becoming the new voices of hope and action.
Filippo Giorgi, a climatologist and Nobel laureate, is making this appeal through his latest initiative, Generation Planet. The project invites young people between the ages of 18 and 30 to submit innovative ideas for addressing the climate crisis, with the promise of five scholarships worth 5,000 euros each. This effort, supported by the BCC Venezia Giulia bank, aims to harness the creativity and communication savvy of today’s youth to reshape how the world understands and responds to environmental emergencies.
“Generation Planet has a dual mission,” Giorgi explained in an interview. “On the one hand, it seeks to improve how we communicate environmental issues to young people, making them key players in spreading awareness through various forms of expression, including the arts, multimedia projects, and social media. On the other hand, the selected projects will not only identify problems but will propose solutions that inspire concrete action.”
This project comes at a pivotal moment for Giorgi, a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and director of the Earth Physics department at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste. For decades, he has studied the dire effects of human-induced climate change—rising temperatures, intensifying heatwaves, prolonged droughts, and the melting of glaciers, among others. These phenomena are already painfully evident across Italy and much of the world.
With global temperatures continuing to rise and the IPCC’s warnings growing more urgent, Giorgi has turned his focus to young people, many of whom, he believes, are caught between awareness and paralysis.
Eco-Anxiety and Action
Youth movements like Fridays for Future have spurred millions to rally for climate justice in the streets, but Giorgi notes an underlying sense of resignation. “I sense a certain eco-anxiety among young people. There’s awareness, but also a feeling of helplessness,” he said. “It’s important that young people—and all of us, really—move beyond good intentions and into tangible, impactful action.”
That need for action is what Generation Planet aims to address. Submissions for the competition are open until November 15, with hopeful participants encouraged to upload videos to the initiative’s website, outlining their creative strategies for combating climate change.
Giorgi believes this new generation of climate activists, equipped with the latest communication tools, could shift the discourse around the climate crisis. “If Generation Planet succeeds, it could serve as a model not just for Italy, but on an international scale,” he said.
Signs of a Planet in Peril
Giorgi has spent his career tracking the signs of a rapidly warming planet. “We are already seeing the effects of global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions,” he explained. “Rising temperatures, more frequent and intense heatwaves, longer droughts, melting glaciers in the Alps and Apennines, and rising sea levels. Unfortunately, if we don’t take decisive action, these signs will only become more severe.”
These threats are not confined to the far-off future. According to Giorgi, they are unfolding right now. The Italian government, along with industries and everyday citizens, must act quickly to reduce emissions, he argues, calling for a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
“This transition is not a sacrifice; it’s an opportunity,” Giorgi said. “The technologies are there, improving every day. It’s about recognizing that the ecological transition is beneficial not only for the environment but for economic progress and job creation.”
A Call for Better Communication
The science behind climate change is complex, and Giorgi acknowledges that the communication of that science has not always been effective. “There are too many fake news stories circulating, even from self-proclaimed experts,” Giorgi said. “The information must be scientifically rigorous but also clear and accessible to non-experts.”
Scientific communication is particularly crucial now, Giorgi added, as misinformation about climate change remains rampant. However, bridging the gap between the scientific community and the general public has been challenging, especially as the way people communicate has changed dramatically in recent years.
“In the 1990s, when I began working with the IPCC, the goal was always to share the most important findings from climate research with policymakers and the public,” Giorgi said. “But over the years, I’ve received feedback that much of this information is too technical. It’s often hard for the average person to digest.”
Generation Planet seeks to address this problem by enlisting young people—those most adept at navigating today’s social media and communication landscapes—to convey the urgent messages of climate science in ways that resonate with their peers.
“Improving communication may require new types of expertise,” Giorgi said. “Young people are at the heart of this transformation, and they have the creativity and energy to make it happen.”
As the deadline for submissions approaches, the hope is that these fresh voices can help inspire not only awareness but action—something the world desperately needs in the face of a rapidly changing climate.
For more information, visit www.generazioneplanet.it
