Climate change is no longer a distant threat for Europe’s youth. It is reshaping their coastlines, their farms, their cities, and their futures. That’s why, on 7 May 2026, 17 young people from across Europe gathered in Brussels for a Youth Policy Dialogue on climate resilience and preparedness, joining Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, and Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, for a conversation about what it means to build a Europe that is ready for the impacts of climate change.
The Youth Policy Dialogue was co-hosted by the two Commissioners, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of climate resilience as an environmental and intergenerational challenge. The participants came from fields ranging from farming and engineering to research and climate advocacy, reflecting how climate affects every part of society.
Stories from the ground
The afternoon opened with personal testimonies from young people whose communities are already living with the consequences of climate change — from disappearing Arctic ice and struggling coastal ecosystems, to the pressures facing farming families whose relationship with the land spans generations.
“My farm has been in my family for a long time. We don’t own the resources — we borrow them. We need to pass the world on to the next generation.”
Jens Bartens, Norway
“Our brain is well-wired for a calamity that is close to us in terms of distance and time. It is not well-wired for what happens elsewhere or for what will happen in the future. The cost will be higher if we do nothing.”
Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth
Participants also raised the gap between ambition and reality for those working the land, noting that farmers are ready to invest in resilience but lack the capacity and resources to do so. They also highlighted the value of nature-based solutions and the fragility of Europe’s energy distribution networks.
Commissioner Hoekstra acknowledged the urgency but also pointed to the current energy crisis as an opening: “There is no substitute for mitigation,” he said, “but there is an opportunity here for electrification.”
Making youth voices count
The dialogue then focused on how climate education can help reach people not yet engaged with climate action and how to counter disinformation. Many participants spoke candidly about young people losing optimism and becoming afraid to engage with climate politics.
“We need not only to do advocacy work, but also to take a step back and find ways to make young people engage more in the first place.”
Maria João Monteiro Marques, Portugal
Commissioner Micallef responded that it was their responsibility as political leaders to ensure that young people don’t lose hope. He encouraged participants to run for office, use every platform available, and make themselves impossible to ignore.
“Youth should be around the table. We young people should inherit a world that is made by young people.”
Commissioner Glenn Micallef
What comes next
The Dialogue will feed into the work on the European Integrated Framework for Climate Resilience, expected to be adopted in the second half of 2026. The Framework aims to embed resilience by design across EU policies and ensure that the most vulnerable are not left behind.
