"How can you take so little responsibility?!" The speaker is Werner Schouten, visibly frustrated and directing his words at the leaders of our country. At 21, Schouten decided to represent young people’s views on climate policy in politics and business. He speaks out on climate and intergenerational justice as a speaker, entrepreneur and presenter.
Werner Schouten as a Speaker
As a speaker, he inspires audiences to make a difference. Rather than waiting for leaders to address the climate challenge, he encourages the younger generation to take the lead. In doing so, we can build a better, healthier and more beautiful planet. He not only inspires the leaders of tomorrow, but also shows them how they can help write the new story of a more sustainable future.
Start-up
As a toddler, Werner was extremely shy. Yet at the age of nine, he wrote in a friends’ book that he wanted to become Minister of Finance. From then on, his friends and family were convinced that Schouten would eventually enter politics. After completing a technical bachelor’s degree that he felt little affinity with, he went to South Korea for a summer school in 2018. The poor air quality triggered something in him. It troubled him that he could protect himself from air pollution, while people living on the streets had to spend their days without any form of protection. The injustice of this deeply affected him. He saw how vast and unequal the climate problem is. “The richest ten percent of the world emits as much as the other 90 percent. I simply couldn’t accept that.” He started a company that offsets the CO2 emissions of consumer products by investing in sustainable projects in developing countries, such as solar energy. He came up with the idea after discovering that he could pay extra to offset the climate impact of his return flight. After working hard on the start-up for a year, he sold his stake and focused fully on his role as chairman of the Young Climate Movement and his position on the Social Advisory Council of VNCI. The goal remained the same: to make an impact in the field of climate.
His Passion
“Follow your heart, use your head” is his motto. He therefore strives to find the sweet spot between the knowledge and expertise of older generations and the flexibility and openness to new ideas of younger generations. His passion is using a compelling story to inspire people to take action. Sustainability requires much more than technological innovation alone. Einstein said it already: “We can’t solve a problem with the same mindset with which we created it.” The sustainability challenge requires a fresh perspective, new norms and values, and a better relationship with the world around us. Sustainability requires a cultural shift. According to Werner, younger generations play a key role in this cultural shift. With their new perspective on what truly matters, young people are paving the way for a new, sustainable reality. As the representative of more than 100,000 young people and a “bridge-builder” between generations, Werner specialists in creating a sustainable cultural shift in politics and business.
