it is an honor to stand here in front of you today among such incredible speakers and guests thank you very much for for the invitation and for giving a space to young people also to express our priorities and our vision for the future the evidence is clear young people and future Generations are on track to inherit a planet that is uninhabitable if we don't act by 2030 billions of people will lack access to clean and safe water for their needs and more regions will face acute water scarcity by 2040 the increasing frequency and intensity of
climate-related disasters such as hurricanes and floods will leave billions displays causing immense suffering and loss of homes by 2050 the depletion of critical resources like land and fresh water will lead to food shortages on a global scale leaving billions of people vulnerable to malnutrition and hunger socioecological crisis stem from the prevailing capitalist economic system where our Relentless pursuit of growth and profit clashes with the finite limits of our planet and the well-being of people the past Decades of environmental politics have failed to guide us toward human and planetary well-being we need a new vision of
prosperity one that is focused on meeting the fundamental needs and rights of all providing a safe and just space in which everyone can Thrive within planetary boundaries one that is based on intergenerational collaboration so how can we create a post-growth economy that respects all generations well first we need to listen to their concerns their priorities and their vision so over the past months a generation climate year of we have worked together with youth organizations youth networks and think tanks to co-create that vision for a post-growth society and youth voices across Europe and Beyond have United
calling for an economic system that moves toward planetary and human well-being we have created a Manifesto for intergenerationally just post-growth economy supported by youth organizations representing over 20 million young people and supported by several academics and experts this is not just another advocacy paper this is the call of Youth claiming the rights to their future through this Manifesto we are urging EU policy makers to transform the current economic system and Implement specific actionable policies toward a post-growth economy we're mobilizing the potential of young people as system thinkers who understand the bigger picture of the crises
we're facing the manifesto gives a comprehensive overview of key elements for future of prosperity we're calling for absolute reduction of our resource consumption slashing production of resource intensive goods and services such as the meat industry automotive industry and fast fashion we're calling for prioritizing decolonial Justice for a system thank you [Applause] for a system of universal basic services including affordable housing high quality Healthcare accessible education and public transportation intergenerational Justice also requires equal employment opportunities and career choices for young people too many green jobs remain Out Of Reach for young people due to accessibility and
affordability barriers we are calling the EU to ban unpaid internships across all member states [Applause] we're calling for dismantling and already dying and deadly fossil fuel industry and for the EU to withdraw from the energy Charter treaty but all of this cannot happen without meaningful engagement of young people and youth organizations and that means engagement that is regular that is not happening on a one-time basis that is diverse that is engaging different young people from many different backgrounds if it's not just one group with one common opinion it's engagement that is structured that means Incorporated
in the decision-making processes and with a follow-up mechanism inviting young people to share their opinions is not difficult I can assure that you have a lot of opinions it is the key to ensure that these RDS are actually being considered and responded to [Applause] over the last years we have seen more and more young people speaking in various International fora but youth engagement has since become a bit of a buzzword too often used without a solid grasp of what it actually means and this puts us at the higher risk of Youth washing whereby young people
are involved in a superficial and tokenistic way millions of young people are volunteering every single day dedicating the time their energy their passion to make a world a better place for all and they don't have the same resources or influence that many governments or corporations have but they continue to go on because it is literally our lives that are at stake [Applause] I often hear from decision makers that with their commitment in action young people give them hope for the future and that they make them more certain that the next Generations will fix the world
so let me get things clear young people are not responsible for giving you hope and future Generations are not responsible for fixing today's failed leadership [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you [Applause] [Music] we will feel hope once we see ambitious action taken by our decision makers we will heal folk hope when policies are informed by evidence and science we will field hope when the daily news of the climate emergency are not fueling our climate anxiety we must build an economy that grows the well-being of people and planets not fills the pockets of the top one percent
of the ultra rich extreme affluence drives over consumption and devastating environmental and social impacts and these adverse impacts are disproportionately borne by those who are marginalized and living in poverty within Europe and globally a transition to post-growth economy is a story of privilege as the global North we bear the responsibility to harness that privilege as a catalyst for change a transition to a post-growth economy is the opportunity to redefine prosperity and progress in a way that respects our planet's limits and enhances human well-being postgrove is not yet present in the EU policies Frameworks and measures
at this scale reach this conference is in fact an exception showing that there is a growing momentum and support for New Economic thinking these free days have been packed with Incredible sessions it brought together over 4 000 people in person online that show the potential of a multi-party collaboration and it was made possible by a dedication of of MEP Lambert and other MEPS incredibly in Francois European Parliament staff the interpreters and numerous Civil Society partner organizations and countless others so thank you so much for your incredible word making it happen [Applause] however let us not
be deceived into believing that the conference itself was the most difficult part of this transition to a post-growth economy it is what we choose to do next that matters and I Envision the future where we look back at this Beyond growth conference and we don't see it as yet another talking shop but a key moment where Europe took a path toward a post-grove economy where we can look back and remember that this is where the idea of the next European post-growth deal grewings and spreads among different institutions so let's leave behind those empty words and
focus on meaningful action over the past three days I have heard academic experts in Civil Society organizations urgently calling to listen to evidence and to science and I heard decision makers responding with myths of decoupling and fair Tales of sustainable growth in the opening plenary president Mitchell emphasized the importance of growth we have to deliver now as much as for the next Generations so let me be clear future Generations don't need our obsession with economic growth they need a life where they don't have to fight for access to food and water a life where they
can experience happiness and well-being without sacrificing their mental health a life where the governments listen to people a life where they can trust decision makers to take ambitious action based on science and evidence a life where well-being drives our decisions and policies a life in harmony with nature where our planet is flourishing a life where everybody's fundamental human rights are respected and everyone is able to live a dignified life in Comfort health safety and happiness and I am standing here ready to fight for that future are you with me [Applause] [Music] [Applause] welcome
