Society needs citizens who understand the climate system and know how to apply that knowledge in their careers and in their engagement as active members of their communities. (USGCRP Climate Literacy, 2009)
As part of the White House Climate Education and Literacy Initiative (CELI), launched in December 2014 to connect students and citizens with the best-available, science-based information about climate change new collaborations were formed focused on youth engagement on climate change. Youth and educators are asked to join the conversation at #Youth4Climate from November 12th to December 12th, 2015 as part of the COP21 conference in Paris. All major events can be found here.
A group of U.S. federal agencies and organizations, including The #Youth4Climate social media campaign is an effort led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Energy, the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), the CLEAN Network, The Wild Center, the World Bank Group’s global partnership program Connect4Climate, Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy, Alliance for Climate Education, Climate Interactive, Earth Day Network, National Wildlife Federation and others have come together to form the #Youth4Climate - Road to COP21 initiative. The #Youth4Climate initiative is working to connect some of these CELI commitments: These actions build on other collaborators working to connect students and citizens with the best-available, science-based information about climate change.
Events
The map highlights youth engagement efforts from Association of Science Technology Center sites in Argentina, Finland, India, South Africa, and, as well as science centers, schools, and other institutions in the United States.
Case Studies
The case studies showcase models related to climate and/or energy literacy, education, and engagement in the United States and internationally, particularly highlighting the youth initiated actions and initiatives.
Youth Engagement on Climate Blog
These blogs features updates, stories, and testimonials from the the #Youth4Climate initiative
COP21 and Beyond
The value of the #Youth4Climate initiative is to share Youth engagement programs with others across the United States and the world as examples of emerging best practices as they develop. Interested parties can explore these case studies, events, and blogs to listen to the youth voice, learn how these innovative programs were designed, and connect with them if they want to collaborate.
As the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change says in Article 6, education contributes to the solutions being developed to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change.
“The solutions to climate change are also the paths to a safer, healthier, cleaner and more prosperous future for all. To see this and to understand what needs to be done requires a sharp and sustained focus on education, training and public awareness in all countries and at all levels of government, society and enterprise.” UNFCCC
