ActNowFilm: youth climate leaders in conversation with climate experts is an international youth voices in climate change project, run by the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and Cambridge Zero, with support from the UK Universities Climate Network (UUCN) and in partnership with One Young World.
Young people from across the world were invited to apply to contribute to the film, which we will showcase in the Blue and Green Zones at COP28. The film will feature youth climate leaders having 1-2-1 conversations with world leading international climate experts from indigenous communities, business, policy, the third sector and academia. Through these two way conversations, the project provides opportunities for mutual learning, covering areas such as:
- young people's and experts' personal and professional experiences of the climate crisis;
- what they think is working successfully;
- what they think needs to change and who they think should make and lead these changes;
- what advice they would give to each other;
- what they wished they had done differently in their lifetime in regards to the climate crisis;
- the role of young people in addressing the climate crisis;
- the skills, support and capacity building opportunities that they think will empower young people to be at the frontline of global climate policymaking and dialogues;
- and their hopes for the future.
ActNowFilm: youth climate leaders in conversation with climate experts aims to highlight the value, place and importance of youth voices in the urgent climate debates. Young people, from every continent, are capable, ready and committed to be at the centre of global efforts to address the climate crisis. The ActNowFilm project hopes to amplify their voices in the COP28 negotiations, demonstrating that young people are not just able to have pertinent and timely conversations with climate experts but are experts in their own right, through their lived experiences, and able to provide critical leadership on the climate crisis.
This film follows on from the successes of ActNowFilm and ActNowFilm: intergenerational conversations on climate change which showcased in the Green Zone at COP26 and the Blue Zone at COP27 respectively. Both these films gave young people living across the planet the opportunity to tell COP decision-makers, in their own words, and through intergenerational conversations, why addressing the climate crisis is important to future generations.
This year, ActNowFilm: youth climate leaders in conversation with climate experts will premiere at COP28. The film is intended to showcase the skills, capacity, knowledge and expertise that youth climate leaders bring to the table, and act as a clarion call for the full integration of youth voices into global climate policymaking and dialogues.
From 30 November to 12 December, COP28 will bring together international government negotiators, decision-makers, and policymakers in the United Arab Emirates to discuss how they should accelerate action towards stopping climate change. From small island states to countries with rapidly growing urban areas, representatives from 197 countries are expected to join.