Many young people start learning about climate change at a very early age. As we gain experience and there are new ideas and discoveries, we continue learning for the rest of our lives.
Everyone’s journey is different, and young people learn about climate change in many ways and from many different sources. In fact, sometimes the amount of information can feel overwhelming, especially if it is not communicated in a youth-friendly way.
There is no one size that fits all for how we learn about climate change. However, you may find these tips from other young people useful:
- Make the most of what school/uni has to offer.
- If your school or uni doesn’t provide enough information, there are also many other places and organisations for young people who want to learn about climate change.
- Be careful with fake news! Reach out to reliable sources of information.
- Learn from other people’s wisdom and personal experiences.
- There is so much out there – focus on exploring the topics that are the most interesting and important to you.
Below, you can find resources and ideas for using your Climate Superpowers to learn about climate change. Not sure which superpower to start with?
Use your talent to connect with other people and organisations to learn more about climate change.
Ask a friend or family member to tell you about their experiences with climate action.
Look for young activists and youth-led organisations at events and on social media.
Find organisations that give advice and training to help you talk about climate change with people who have different views.
We all know that talking about climate change with people who are still sceptical can be quite challenging. There are no magic answers, but the following sites offer useful tips and can help you feel more supported to express your voice with family, friends and others.
Talking about climate change by Climate Action Australia
How to talk to family and friends about climate change by Ocean Generation
How to have a connected conversation about climate change by The Nature Conservancy Australia
Gain the knowledge you need by making the most of your individual skills and talents. .
You can choose to focus on any topic you like, including how to strengthen your Human Superpower even more by learning about improving your mental health and leadership capabilities. You are the expert on what interests you and how you learn, so trust your intuition.
Learn about eco-anxiety and solastalgia, and how young people can deal with it.
People around the world are coming up with great solutions to climate-related problems every day! Do some research to find out about one solution you didn’t already know about.
Read about climate leadership from young activists like Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book or watch the Fridays for Future collection of speeches by young environmentalists from around the world. Or check out this cool interactive timeline of Greta’s work!
Find one new opportunity to help you learn more facts about climate change. E.g. read a book, watch a documentary, take a subject at uni, or choose a project at school.
Explore how connecting to nature can help you learn about climate change and climate action.
Try new ways to make your diet more sustainable.
Delicious and sustainable snacks!
Check out this delicious list of recipes for sustainable snacks by WWC UK and tips on how to eat more sustainably.
Connect with and learn about the local natural environment where you live.
Improve your knowledge of how greenhouse gases are affecting natural environments around the world. For example, watch the ‘Our Planet’ documentary by David Attenborough.
Youth climate action is everywhere: at home, in the street, online… Become empowered and learn about how you can influence decisions that affect your life and community, as well as the rest of your country and the world.
Find out who your local MP is, and what they are doing about climate change.
Learn about young activists who are making a difference. You can look for documentaries, examples of young people taking legal action, search online to see what groups like School Strike 4 Climate are up to.
Learn about international reports like the Paris Agreement and the IPCC Reports – what do they say about climate change, children and young people?
The Paris Agreement for Young People: check out this resource developed by UNICEF on what this agreement is and why is it so important.
IPCCC Report FAQ and Factsheets: How will climate change affect the lives of today’s children tomorrow, if no immediate action is taken? You can also find out more about how Australia and other parts of the world being affected by climate change here.
Learn about how to use your vote to support climate action. Explore the proposals of different candidates and inform yourself of how to use your vote to support the mainstream and independent candidates that you like.
The Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) put together resources and tips to help young people who care about climate change vote in the 2022 Australian federal elections. That election is over now, but the resources might still be helpful if you are preparing to vote in a future election in Australia.
Learn about how climate action overlaps with other issues you care about, such as First Nations justice, gender equity, disability inclusion, and the rights of children and young people.
Experience how your cultural heritage, habits, language, stories, traditions, spirituality, customs, identities, values, and art can teach you about climate change and climate action.
Find artists you like that explore climate change in their work. Their art might involve drawing, painting, graffiti, photography, video, music, dance.
Learn about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are caring for Country.
Watch a movie or documentary about nature or climate change.
Draw from your passion to transform our cities, buildings, facilities, services, houses, vehicles, technology, water, and energy infrastructures, to learn how to make them more sustainable.
Learn about how to manage energy responsibly at home.
Find out what your carbon footprint is and how to reduce it.
Calculating your carbon footprint can be tricky, but there are many tools to help you and once you have your results, they can really help you plan for how to reduce your emissions. The WWF (World Wildlife Fund) UK developed the My Footprint App, that you can download from the Apple App Store or Google Play. You can also find it here
Learn about the impact of different forms of transport (including flying) on the environment.
Learn about eco-friendly approaches to building cities and buildings.
Learn more about how resources like time, money and energy can contribute to causes that help fight climate change and protect nature.
You can also focus on learning how to influence how others use their money to take care of the environment.
Inform yourself about ethical and clean superannuation and tell the adults in your life.
In Australia, as people earn wages they also save money for retirement that sits in something called a superannuation (or ‘super’) fund. Unfortunately, some of the companies that manage our super invest that money in the fossil fuel industry. By switching to super funds that don’t invest in fossil fuels, we can make sure that our money isn’t being used to make climate change worse. You can read more about this issue and find ethical super funds on the Market Forces website.
Learn about sustainable shopping and the harms of fast fashion.
If you are interested in how to buy clothes responsibly, these resources might be useful for you: Navigating Ethical and Sustainable Fashion for Teens by Good on You and Shop Ethical gives advices on different products, including youth fashion
Learn about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
You can access different resources for children and young people of all ages about the UN Sustainable Goals here. The UN also developed the Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, that highlights young people’s crucial role in sustainable development. You can ready about it here.
Do some research on how to make your job or career more sustainable.
