Centring the voices of young people in the fight for climate justice

In urban areas, one of the most significant long-term challenges to health equity is climate change. For example, people living in poor-quality housing, managing long-term health conditions, or surviving on low incomes are far more vulnerable to extreme temperatures.

Yet the communities most affected often contribute the least to climate change and are frequently excluded from climate activism and developing strategies to address climate change.

Over the past year, we worked with Impact on Urban Health to run Climate Calling, a youth-led project exploring the connections between climate change, public health, and racial justice in Lambeth and Southwark. The initiative reached over 1,350 young people and community members through exhibitions, school assemblies, and digital activities.

But the real lesson for funders is this: the stories we choose to highlight – and the ones we leave out – directly shape what gets funded, who gets heard, and what change becomes possible.

Missing narratives and barriers to health equity

Through this project, we asked a tough question: What missing narratives might be holding back progress on climate change and health equity?

Two key themes stood out:

1. Climate discussions often overlook structural racism and colonial history

Policymakers, academics and the media mostly focus on the science of climate change but often ignore the systems that create economic inequality and racial inequities. When these factors are left out, it limits the solutions we imagine, the projects that get funded and the communities that receive support.

2. Young people and community groups are undervalued as knowledge creators

Young people from Black and ethnically minoritised backgrounds, along with community groups and grassroots organisations, are often undervalued and their contributions overlooked. Climate Calling showed that when people are meaningfully engaged, they surface insights that traditional forms of research cannot.

Centring diverse stories

The solution to these gaps is simple but powerful: communicating about climate change in a way that makes clear links with racial and health justice.

Climate Calling showed what happens when these connections are treated as central to mitigating the harmful health effects of climate change.

Learning through play, a young person at the Climate Calling exhibit uses a simple activity that shows the hidden stories in our diets. © Wood & Water.

During the workshops, young people explored how racial justice, health, and climate are connected. They then used creative tools, including AI prompts and phone-made videos, to reshape climate stories based on their own experiences and insights from the Urban Health Index.

The participants didn’t just learn about climate, race, and health inequalities – they explained them, illustrated them and turned them into public exhibits and digital content. As one young person said, “this was the first time I saw my own story in something about climate.”