Institute of Development Studies

Empowering children to tackle climate change

IDS and partners launch new programme at UN Climate Negotiations

Emily Polack - 13 June 2008

Children in a Changing Climate (CCC) is a new programme that aims to secure children and young people a voice in preventing and adapting to climate change – from their communities to the UN. The programme was launched by the Institute of Development Studies, in partnership with leading child development agencies during a side event of the UN Climate Change Convention’s mid-term talks in Bonn on 12 June 2008.

Chaired by Lydia Baker, of Save the Children, the launch combined presentations from Leon, age 16 from Grimsby, UK and CCC partner organisation staff, with video clips from children in Sierra Leone, El Salvador and Philippines. The film footage presented children’s views and experiences of climate change and how they are engaged in trying to make their communities more sustainable and more resilient to the changes they face.

Leon said 'Having the chance to ask questions to some children in Sierra Leone was indeed an excellent opportunity; it allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the feeling and thoughts from those who are today being affected by the causes of Climate Change.'

Building the evidence base

IDS is coordinating CCC’s research programme. IDS-led research is establishing better understanding of children’s ability to communicate risks associated with climate change and contribute to adaptation policy and practice, and of children’s rights to adaptation and mitigation.

Amongst the ccc-research projects is a three year ESRC funded initiative, coordinated by Dr Thom Tanner, investigating risk communication amongst children. Other projects include looking at the role of social protection in child migration associated with climate shocks and stresses.

Children’s participation at the UN

By launching the programme at the UN conference, CCC is sensitising a crucial international policy space and demonstrating to key policy makers the strength of children’s voice and the value their participation can bring to driving an equitable international response to climate change.

Nick Hall from Plan UK said, 'just as UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon reminded country delegates to ‘think of your children’, CCC is requesting that at the next annual Conference of Parties, children are hovering over the shoulders of national delegations, reminding them on whose behalf they are negotiating.'

The UN Climate Change negotiations taking place between Bali, 2007 and Copenhagen 2009 mark a moment in history that all children will look back and reflect on how adults responded.

When challenged by an attendee on how children could participate in the UN process, Leon stressed that 'Shipping hundreds of young people from around the world to Bonn is not necessarily going to be appropriate. Policy makers must go to children and consult with them in their own communities where they feel comfortable contributing. It is time to empower young people to direct the power of government. Times are changing. The climate is changing. Let us be the centre of that change.'

CCC is a collaborative programme bringing together children, researchers, development practitioners and policy makers with a commitment to working with children as protagonists, not victims. CCC is welcoming interested organisations to join the initiative.

Read CCC’s launch publication ‘a right to participate: children’s role in climate adaptation’ (pdf)

Emily Polack is a researcher in the Climate Change and Disasters Group