The Youth Climate Justice project publishes their keystone journal article outlining Postpaternalism theory.

29 Oct 2024

Keystone Youth Climate Justice's article outlining Postpaternalism theory is out now. They argue that children/youth are environmental rights leaders taking action on a global scale, rather than well-meaning adults “giving” children their rights.

In recent years, a shift has emerged in how we perceive children's rights and agency. All over the world, children and youth have taken the reigns across public spaces and turned to national and international courts to call for more urgent and ambitious climate action. The Youth Climate Justice project investigates how this wave of child/youth climate action is challenging the arena of international children’s rights law, marking what they call a “postpaternalist” era.

“Climate action and the UNCRC: A ‘postpaternalist’ world where children claim their own rights” is the title of their keystone journal article explaining this theory. It was published on 29 September 2024 in the MDPI Youth journal.

The concept of postpaternalism suggests that we can see grassroots action from children (for the first time, on a global scale), rather than well-meaning adults ‘giving’ children their rights. Future approaches to the UNCRC must reflect this, for example the Article 12 right to be heard primarily involves adults deciding which children are heard where, and when (and how much influence they have). This postpaternalist era however requires recognition of children/youth as leaders, and the transformative political contributions of under-18s. 

Access the full article here.

For more information about this theory, access here.

Citation: Daly, A.; Maharjan, N.; Montesinos Calvo-Fernández, E.; Muller, L.H.; Murray, E.M.; O’Sullivan, A.; Paz Landeira, F.; Reid, K. Climate Action and the UNCRC: A ‘Postpaternalist’ World Where Children Claim Their Own Rights. Youth 2024, 4, 1387-1404. doi.org/10.3390/youth4040088. This work is funded by the European Research Council (grant agreement 101088453).