Communicating Climate Justice to Youth

The DEAR Project ClimAct-SPARK released the 'Youth and Climate Justice' report, by its partner Climate Outreach on 8 November 2022. Based on two years of research surveying over 6 000 young adults and 20 workshops across Europe, it examines what young people understand and feel about reparations for loss and damage and other climate justice issues. It explores how they respond to climate justice messaging and other key insights for advocates to more effectively communicate climate justice, in particular with young people.

The study found that young people care about both climate change and social justice (e.g. gender equality, racial justice, poverty), at home and abroad. Yet, they do not link both broad issues. During the workshops, young people conveyed their sense of powerlessness. They felt that power lies with companies and governments, whom they do not trust to take corrective action. 

Topics that motivate action include trajectories of popular struggle, different visions of the future, tangible and specific big-picture solutions. Talking about power and systemic change also inspires young people, the study showed.

The report launch webinar and insight blog shared key insights and recommendations for how advocates can more effectively and powerfully communicate climate justice. The concept of climate justice brings a lens of social equity and historical responsibility to the climate crisis. Having driven headlines at COP27, an increasingly powerful movement is calling for reparations for loss and damage resulting from climate change. During the discussions around the report launch, an attendee questioned the terms justice and reparation, criticising their fault-finding, rather than solution-finding focus.

Download the report and executive summary and watch the webinar recording here: https://climateoutreach.org/reports/climate-justice-young-adults-europe/