Gen Z, Millennials and Sustainable Finance: A New Routledge Volume
Young investors are changing the sustainable finance conversation
Morgan Stanley's Sustainable Signals: Individual Investors 2025 survey, fielded in February and March 2025 among 1,765 investors with more than USD 100,000 in investable assets, found that 99% of Gen Z and 97% of Millennials are interested in sustainable investing. About 80% of both groups planned to raise their sustainable allocations, against 56% of Gen X and 31% of Baby Boomers. The sample covers relatively affluent investors in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, so it does not describe every young person, but it shows where capital and expectations are heading.
What this book adds
Youth Engagement and Sustainable Finance: The Financial Power of the Next Generation (Routledge, published October 1, 2026, ISBN 9781041173823) is edited by Shakeb Akhtar, Nikita Singhal and Shikha Goyal. Over 15 chapters and four parts, it treats young people as financial actors, policy influencers and sustainability champions rather than future beneficiaries of climate action. Its argument is that youth have both the moral authority and the financial capacity to steer climate-compatible investment and consumption.
The volume combines economics, environmental studies, political science, finance, sociology and youth studies, and applies frameworks such as green finance, youth political economy and participatory governance. Case studies range from youth-led green startups in India to climate finance initiatives in Europe, digital financial inclusion in Africa and policy innovation in North America.
Where it can be applied
- Programme design: chapters on financial literacy, green consumerism and education for climate-responsive financial citizenship support youth-focused literacy and investment programmes.
- Policy and governance: the sections on institutional barriers, gender and youth participation in climate governance help advisers identify where young voices are excluded from climate finance.
- Investment and enterprise: the chapters on fintech, green startups and impact investing give researchers and practitioners comparative material across developed and developing economies.
Why it matters for libraries
For academic and research libraries, this is a reference for collections in sustainable finance, development economics and youth studies. It also offers comparative case material from the Global South that is often thin in finance holdings, and suits both graduate teaching and policy-oriented research.
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Q&A
What does youth engagement in sustainable finance mean?
It refers to the ways young people take part in financial decisions that affect the climate, from green investing and consumption to activism, entrepreneurship and participation in policy and governance.
Are young investors more interested in sustainable investing than older generations?
The 2025 Morgan Stanley survey found higher interest and stronger plans to increase sustainable allocations among Gen Z and Millennials than among Gen X and Baby Boomers, although the sample was limited to investors with more than USD 100,000 in investable assets.
What barriers limit young people's role in climate finance?
The book examines institutional obstacles, gender and marginalisation, limited financial education and weak access to climate governance, alongside the enablers that can reduce them.
Which regions does the book cover?
It offers comparative insight across developed and developing economies, with case studies from India, Europe, Africa and North America.
Where can I buy Youth Engagement and Sustainable Finance?
You can order it directly from CLNZ Books, with worldwide shipping included in the price.