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Drawing on Human Capital Theory, the study conceptualizes climate finance as an external investment that can expand capabilities, enhance skills, and strengthen labor-market inclusion when effectively absorbed by domestic institutions. Using panel data and the Driscoll\u2013Kraay corrections as well as the Instrumental Variables Generalized Method of Moments (IV\u2013GMM) techniques, the analysis finds a consistent and statistically significant negative association between total climate\u2011finance inflows and youth NEET rates. This relationship remains robust across multiple model specifications, extended socio\u2011economic controls, and heterogeneity tests. The findings suggest that climate finance functions not only as an environmental mechanism but also as a developmental tool, promoting youth engagement through human capital formation and skill development. Policy\u2011wise, aligning climate\u2011finance frameworks with national education, training, and employment systems can potentially transform external funds into effective catalysts for reducing NEET rates.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-026-54358-7","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T07:59:48Z","timestamp":1779350388000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Climate Finance and Youth NEET in Africa: Cross-Country Evidence from 46 Nations"],"prefix":"10.1038","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Jeremy","family":"Ko","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arsene Mouongue","family":"Kelly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chun Kai","family":"Leung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chuangjian","family":"Xin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Boris Lok-Fai","family":"Pun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anthony Chun-Yue","family":"Cheung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammad","family":"Ridwan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Harry F.","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"54358_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1007\/s43545-025-01081-1","volume":"5","author":"AM Kelly","year":"2025","unstructured":"Kelly, A. 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