Young people should demand leadership positions in an intergenerational fight over the planet, a nature summit has been told.

But older people should also engage and work with youth rather than pretend they are doing them a favour.

Ensuring future generations have a functioning planet to inherit is among the key discussions taking place at the Global Nature Positive Summit in Sydney. 

Former Australian Council of Trade Unions president Sharan Burrow said the sins of her generation and the damage caused to people and the planet had become an intergenerational fight, despite the good that was being done.

“Even as many of us have tried … we’ve also got to recognise that we have left a huge legacy of challenges for young people,” the 69-year-old said on Wednesday.

The ex-union leader said young people would be the ones driving environmental change.

“Make sure the leadership we are handing to you … is not something you simply wait for, but you demand it,” Ms Burrow said.

UN Environment Program youth co-ordinator Zuhair Kowshik said young people should be considered partners in combating environmental destruction, not as beneficiaries.

“There is huge momentum for youth engagement around the world at this moment,” he said.

The UN group acts as an umbrella organisation representing youth across the world who are committed to addressing climate change, biodiversity and pollution, helping them build the capacity and skills to do so.

While many young people are aware and concerned about climate change, the decisions made to address it and the process those actions go through are ultimately determined by governments.

“Most of the cases, (those) who get left out from the space is the young people,” Mr Kowshik said.

A recent UN declaration pledged to better engage with young people, but the group’s status as an observer rather than member meant challenges persisted.

“We don’t even get space to speak up in the negotiation room, we need to struggle for that,” Mr Kowshik said.

Emerging young leaders such as Mr Kowshik should be “yanking” power from older generations, Ms Burrow said.

She was a general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation for 12 years following a decade as ACTU president.

Ms Burrow is now a member of the Nature Finance Council, which advises the Australian government, adding she does not plan to retire any time soon.

“Who can retire? The world’s in a s***ty space. We’ve got too much work to do,” Ms Burrow said.

This post was originally published on Michael West.