Guess who *will* be at COP28?
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| | Brought to you by Liz Hilton Segel, chief client officer and managing partner, global industry practices, & Homayoun Hatami, managing partner, global client capabilities
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| Welcome back! This week, we’re reexamining Gen Z’s perspective on climate change.
| | | If you live on planet Earth, you probably know that COP28, the United Nation’s annual climate conference, is taking place this week in Dubai. Government officials, business executives, and other global leaders are gathering at the event to discuss how to continue to tackle climate change. (If you need a refresher on what the COP conference is, read our McKinsey Explainer, and if you’re interested in learning which conversations McKinsey leaders are facilitating at COP28, check out our agenda here.)
Also in attendance: plenty of Gen Zers. Mock COP—an organization created by youth advocates from more than 140 countries whose stated goal is to push world leaders to be more aggressive in their climate actions—is presenting at the UN conference. And finalists from an Arab student hackathon will compete against one another to create the best technology-backed solutions for water conservation, the circular economy, and agriculture during the conference as well.
Gen Z’s presence at COP28 is a reminder that, despite any number of headlines that say young consumers prioritize things like price over sustainability when making purchases, Gen Zers still keep sustainability top of mind, both in the market and at work.
Take travel, for example: sustainability could be crucial for travel businesses and global economies that rely on tourism revenue to attract Gen Zers. McKinsey partner Margaux Constantin and her coauthors cite data indicating that 38 percent of Gen Zers across the world would consider staying in green accommodations on their next holiday, compared with 33 percent for people over 25.
Nations may not be on target to reduce carbon emissions as set by the 2015 Paris Agreement, but they are further along in finding solutions to reduce climate change than they were eight years ago. As Gen Zers gain more power—both as consumers and in the workplace—they may be able to chart a new course.
As two Gen Z students attending the conference put it: “Our devotion to help mitigate the climate crisis through expansion of climate science and communication is fostering hope that is in short supply.”
| | | | | | | | | Employees in India report the highest levels of burnout, while employees in Cameroon, Colombia, and Argentina report the lowest.
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— Edited by Alexandra Mondalek, editor, New York
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