- Over 8,400 young people surveyed show concern for environment alongside clear optimism for change
- Research finds schools are key to supporting climate-positive action among adolescents
- Young people are calling on government and large corporations to act urgently on climate change
Young people are taking climate change seriously and urging the government and big businesses to take fast, meaningful actions, while maintaining hope that positive change can still be done.
Researchers from Born in Bradford surveyed over 8,400 secondary school pupils and found that while nearly a third (32%) feel negative about the environment’s future, but almost half (49%) remain undecided rather than pessimistic, with many expressing cautious optimism in follow-up discussion.
Older participants were more likely to report negative feelings about climate change (36% of Year 10 compared to 30% of Year 8s) and air quality (39% vs 33%).
Young people described feeling limited power to influence change in the face of a crisis they did not create, with one 12-year-old participant putting it bluntly:
They’re the people who can do it if anyone can and then they’re just using it on other stuff that isn’t necessary and isn’t as urgent.
The research provides stark evidence of why that action is so much needed. Air quality measurements across the study cohort revealed that Bradford’s young people are regularly exposed to pollution levels that exceed World Health Organisation guidelines. The WHO annual average guideline limits are 5 µg/m³ for PM2.5 and 10 µg/m³ for NO2, which are types of air pollutant. The study found mean PM2.5 concentrations of 9.2 µg/m³, nearly double the WHO limit, and mean NO2 concentrations of 18.3 µg/m³, also significantly above the guideline.
Young people themselves were acutely aware of local environmental issues, with poor air quality, animal fouling, fly-tipping and litter among the most frequently mentioned concerns across all youth groups. As one 15-year-old participant reflected:
Whenever I go into a park and I’m surrounded by trees, I feel like it helps me breathe better. That’s why I like going to parks.
The research finds that young people are not simply raising concerns; many also reported to have a hope for better change and offered concrete solutions. As one 14‑year‑old participant said:
I think people need to realise that there’s still hope left and still we can make changes, just like subtle things that we can do to make a big impact and make sure that everybody knows what they can do.
Helena Clements, Officer for Climate Change from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said:
It is crucial to amplify these children and young people’s voices about the impact of climate change. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child health has been a strong advocate for climate action with a particular focus on air pollution. Improving air quality in our cities will have significant health benefits for children throughout their whole lifetime. Access to green spaces has particular benefits by connecting children and families to nature, improving mental health and giving opportunities for exercise and well as directly improving air quality.
Schools can play an important role in supporting CYP to have a voice, take action and support communities to adapt and become more resilient in the future. It is essential that we do hear their call for hope and action rather than inaction and climate anxiety.
Young people want more focus on positive environmental developments with schools emerged as a crucial setting for climate action. Participants suggested that educating people about “the positives that are happening” would help them “grow more attached to nature and want to protect it more.”
They called for climate action to be embedded meaningfully into the curriculum, through initiatives such as climate-friendly design competitions, peer-led discussion forums during the school day, and practical infrastructure like recycling facilities in schools.
Dr Kate Lightfoot, Research Fellow at Born in Bradford and lead author of the research paper said:
Young people are sending us a clear message: they want to be part of building a greener, fairer city. Our call to action is simple – let’s listen to them and act accordingly.
By investing in clean air zones, climate positive school programmes and the design of healthy urban places, we can give young people the tools and environments they need to turn their hope into real-world action. Bradford has the opportunity to lead the way, and its youth are more than ready to lead with it.
This study is published as a preprint and currently undergoing peer review on the open research platform Wellcome Open Research, and is part of the Born in Bradford Age of Wonder, a seven-year project tracking the lives of all secondary school students in Bradford across 20 different life dimensions: from mental health and nutrition to gaming, the environment and AI use.
Full paper: https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/11-202
For more information please contact:
borninbradford@bthft.nhs.uk