Background/Objectives

Climate change is an intergenerational challenge, with today's rising generation facing a higher number of extreme weather events and climate related harms than previous ones. Climate change is affecting adolescent and young people's (AYPs) lives through direct exposures but also indirect ones, such as by impacting their educational attainment, livelihood opportunities, physical and mental health.  These harms are disproportionately felt by women and girls, and marginalized groups such as indigenous youth. 

According to the Malala Fund, climate change prevents over 12.5 million girls from completing their education each year; this is projected to increase. Other harms span child marriage and SRHR, food insecurity and poor nutrition, infectious disease (especially water borne), and mental health risks due to future uncertainty.  

Participatory research approaches can be utilized to ensure that research is inclusive of marginalized voices, and responsive to on-the-ground problems as defined by study participants.

Approach/Activities

To support young people’s contributions to climate action, Women Deliver Young Leaders (a network of youth gender equality activists) in Bangladesh, Guatemala, and Nigeria partnered with Population Council researchers to conduct focus groups with AYP ages 12-25 (n=196). In each setting, one of the focus groups centered a marginalized population (e.g., trans youth in Bangladesh and indigenous populations in Guatemala). Findings were analyzed using nVivo qualitative software to identify themes across climate impacts on health (including SRHR and mental health), education, and livelihoods, using a gender lens and with attention to climate actions taken by AYP. 

Results/Lessons Learned

Overall, across the three settings, AYP noted multisectoral and cascading impacts of climate change, e.g., how climate impacts on agriculture affected their livelihoods, health and nutrition, and mental health with regards to perceptions of their futures. Future participatory research with AYP on climate has the potential to empower them, build movement solidarity for AYP-led environmental justice work, and guide youth and gender-sensitive climate programs and policies. We are aiming to expand this work to additional settings and use the results together with additional participatory design methodologies to turn this research into youth-led action.