Youth Engagement and Sustainable Finance: The Financial Power of the Next Generation

Editors: Shakeb Akhtar, Nikita Singhal, Shikha Goyal

ISBN: 9781041173823

Published: October 1, 2026

Format: Hardcover

Language: English

Publisher: Routledge

Description

As climate crises deepen and economic precarity grows, this book examines young people as financial actors, policy influencers and sustainability champions, not merely as future beneficiaries of climate action. It draws on economics, environmental studies, political science, finance, sociology and youth studies to show how young people use money as a tool for climate advocacy. Its core argument is that youth hold both the moral authority and the financial capacity to steer climate-compatible investment and consumption, and that their role is critical in moving economies toward sustainability. The volume applies frameworks such as green finance, youth political economy, social capital theory and participatory governance, and asks how financial systems can be reconfigured to include younger voices. It offers comparative insight across developed and developing contexts, with case studies from youth-led green startups in India, climate finance initiatives in Europe, digital financial inclusion projects in Africa and policy innovations in North America.

Key Features

Interdisciplinary treatment of climate finance, financial inclusion, intergenerational equity and climate justice in a single volume.
Comparative case studies across India, Europe, Africa and North America, useful for benchmarking youth-focused green finance programmes.
Practical coverage of fintech for sustainability, green startup ecosystems and impact investing, with concrete material for program design and policy advice.
A roadmap for scaling youth financial power within global climate and development strategies.

Coverage

Part I sets the stage with youth, the climate crisis and financial agency, including financial literacy and green consumerism. Part II covers youth-led innovation and green finance movements: climate finance activism, fintech and digital finance, and young green entrepreneurs. Part III examines barriers and enablers, from institutional obstacles and gender dynamics to climate governance and financial education. Part IV widens the lens to the Global South, intergenerational financial alliances, impact investing and strategies for scaling youth financial power. Readers can apply this material to designing youth financial-literacy and green-investment programmes, assessing institutional barriers to participation in climate finance, and shaping policy that brings young voices into climate governance.

About the Authors

Shakeb Akhtar, Ph.D., is a Lecturer at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Ibra, Oman, and a Research Fellow in the Department of Business and Communications at INTI International University, Malaysia.

Nikita Singhal, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Head of the Department (Management-BBA) at the School of Commerce and Management, IIMT University, Meerut, India.

Shikha Goyal, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Amity Law School, Amity University, Noida, India, specializing in finance, accounting, banking and insurance.

Table of Contents

Part I: Setting the Stage – Youth, Climate Crisis, and Financial Agency
1. The Climate Generation: Youth at the Crossroads of Crisis and Capital
2. Financial Literacy for a Changing Planet: Building Sustainable and Digitally Inclusive Futures
3. Youth and Green Consumerism: From Buying Power to Impact Power
Part II: Youth-Led Innovations and Green Finance Movements
4. The Rise of Youth Climate Finance Activism
5. Fintech for the Planet: Youth and Digital Finance Innovation
6. Young Entrepreneurs and the Green Startup Ecosystem
Part III: Barriers and Enablers in Youth Financial Participation
7. Institutional Barriers to Youth Participation in Climate Finance
8. Gender, Finance, and Climate: Empowering Young Women and Marginalized Voices
9. Youth in Policy and Climate Governance: From Protest to Power
10. Education for Climate-Responsive Financial Citizenship
Part IV: Global Perspectives and the Way Forward
11. Voices from the Global South: Youth, Climate and Money in Developing Economies
12. The Green Print for Tomorrow: Youth Empowerment in Climate Finance
13. Building Intergenerational Financial Alliances for Climate Action
14. Investing in the Future: Youth and Impact Investing
15. The Road Ahead: Strategies to Scale Youth Financial Power for Climate Resilience

Why buy this book?

Young people are an increasingly important force in sustainable investment, green consumption and climate policy, yet few titles treat them as financial actors in their own right. This volume combines theory with comparative case studies from four regions, giving researchers, educators and policy advisers a grounded view of how youth participation can be built into climate finance and development strategy. It fills a gap for libraries supporting sustainable finance, development economics and youth studies.

Keywords

Youth engagement, sustainable finance, green finance, climate finance, impact investing, financial inclusion, fintech, intergenerational equity, climate justice, development economics

Target Audience

Academics and researchers in finance, economics and development studies, policy makers, sustainable finance and impact investing professionals, educators, international business professionals, university and research libraries

Genre

Sustainable Finance, Climate Change Policy, Sustainable Development

Q&A

How do young people influence climate finance and sustainable investment?
Young people shape climate finance through green consumption, impact investing, climate finance activism and fintech-driven innovation, and this book examines how those channels can be scaled.

What is the role of youth in the green startup ecosystem?
The book looks at young entrepreneurs building green startups, including youth-led ventures in India, and the financing and policy conditions that help or hinder them.

What barriers do young people face in climate finance participation?
The volume covers institutional barriers, gender and marginalisation, limited financial education and weak access to climate governance, along with enablers that address them.

Which regions and contexts does the book cover?
It offers comparative insight across developed and developing economies, with case studies from India, Europe, Africa and North America.

Who should read this book?
Academics and students in finance, economics and development studies, policy makers, sustainable finance and impact investing professionals, and university libraries.

Where can I buy Youth Engagement and Sustainable Finance?
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