'Global weirding', 'deep decarbonisation' and 'just transition' are just three of the many phrases which the Institute for Policy Research, Cambridge Zero, ClimaTalk and Climate Words helped to decode for youth participants at the UNFCCC climate conference in Bonn, Germany (SB 62).

"After attending five COPs and many international conferences, there has never been a session like this one – explaining complex concepts in such simple words," said Benjamin Carvajal from Chile. "I would love to have had this session five years ago."

Developed as part of the ActNowFilm project, the workshop aims to empower youth climate leaders by exploring and demystifying the complex and often inaccessible language used in international climate negotiations. The session at Bonn attracted around 70 youth participants from all over the world, representing a diverse range of countries, cultures and backgrounds, all united by a shared commitment to engaging with and understanding the international climate negotiation process.

"It was very special to be at SB 62 in Bonn to deliver the third iteration of our 'Decoding UNFCCC language' workshop. More than half of our youth participants had never attended a COP or SB meeting before," said Dr Amy Munro-Faure, Co-Director of ActNowFilm.

The group was first introduced to key climate terms, which uncovered gaps in familiarity. While 42 per cent of attendees believed they understood 'deep decarbonisation'’, 81 per cent had never heard the term 'global weirding', a phrase used to describe the unpredictable and extreme patterns of weather linked to climate change.

The workshop also focused on the term 'just transition', a widely cited yet often differently interpreted phrase in climate discourse. Small group discussions allowed participants to define the term for themselves, then share their insights with the wider group, encouraging understanding of how such language may resonate differently across cultures and disciplines.

The session’s technical component, led in collaboration with ClimaTalk, offered participants an insight into how verbs in climate treaties – such as 'shall', 'should', and 'may' – signal varying levels of legal obligation.

It closed with a powerful multilingual exercise in which participants said the phrase 'intergenerational climate justice' in their native languages, including French, Portuguese, Arabic, Swahili and others, highlighting the global and inclusive nature of the climate movement.

By building clarity and empathy around technical language, this session offered a valuable foundation for the next generation of climate negotiators.