ActNowFilm: youth climate leaders in conversation with climate experts

The 2023 film features conversations between youth climate leaders and leading international climate experts.

About ActNowFilm: Youth Climate Leaders in Conversation with Climate Experts

Learn about the 2023 film.

ActNowFilm is an international youth voices in climate change film project, run by the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and Cambridge Zero, with support from the UK Universities Climate Network (UUCN).

The 2023 film is based on 1-2-1 conversations between 30 pairs of youth climate leaders and leading international climate experts. The film demonstrates that young people are experts in their own right, through their lived experiences, and already provide critical leadership on the climate crisis. It serves as a call to further empower young people to contribute to national and global climate policymaking.

The film was produced in partnership with One Young World.

Youth Climate Leaders in Conversation with Climate Experts

The conversations provided opportunities for mutual learning, covering areas such as:

their personal and professional experiences of the climate crisis
what they think needs to change and who they think should make and lead these changes
the advice they would give to each other
the role of young people in addressing the climate crisis
the skills, support and capacity-building opportunities they think will empower young people to be at the frontline of global climate policymaking and negotiations
their hopes for the future

Film participants

Applications were open to any young person aged under 35, from anywhere in the world.

We were delighted to receive applications from 342 youth climate leaders, from 88 countries. Thirty selected applicants were then carefully matched with climate experts, who were leaders from indigenous communities, business, policy, activism, academia, the third sector and international organisations.

We filmed with 30 pairs, from every continent, except Antarctica, with representation from 33 countries.

Learn more about the participants in the film

A collage of some of the participants in the 2023 film. The collage is designed in the style of a film strip.

Premiere at COP28

The film premiered at COP28, which took place from 30 November to 12 December 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The conference brought together international government negotiators, decision-makers and policymakers from 197 countries to discuss how they should accelerate action towards stopping climate change.

The film screened in the Green Zone on Friday, 8 December (Youth, Children, Education and Skills Day) in the Terra Auditorium, with opening remarks delivered by former Irish President Mary Robinson, and in the Blue Zone on Saturday, 9 December, in the GAUC Pavilion.

The ActNowFilm 2023 team

Meet the team.

ActNowFilm participants and members of the project team at COP28

ActNowFilm participants and members of the project team at the COP28 premiere.

Find out more about the team behind the film in 2023 and why they were excited to be part of the project.

Other films in the series

Learn more about the other films produced for the ActNowFilm project.

Intergenerational Conversations on Climate Change (2022)

In this film, both young and older people share their lived experiences of climate change, as well as their hopes and fears for the future. Find out more about the 2022 film.

Youth Voices on Climate (2021)

In this film, young people living across the planet tell decision-makers, in their own words, why stopping climate change is important to future generations. Find out more about the 2021 film.