9. Introduction to Part II

9

Introduction to Part II

Part 1 above provides an independent review of current research into our rapidly changing climate, and the action being taken to address the associated risks and opportunities. This formed the basis for Climate Futures: Youth Perspectives, a virtual Cumberland Lodge conference held over the course a fortnight in March 2021, to give young people a platform to express their climate ideas, visions and expectations ahead of the international PreCOP26 Youth4Climate summit in Milan and COP26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Glasgow in November 2021. Young people of different genders, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds − from schools, colleges, universities and youth organisations across the UK and around the world − met online with civil servants, charity representatives, activists, community practitioners and academics. Together, they explored different perspectives and exchanged views on their priorities for climate futures. During the conference, delegates had the chance to hear from a raft of high-profile speakers, to take part in live polls and question-and-answer sessions, and to join intergenerational breakout-room discussions. Cumberland Lodge partnered with a variety of organisations to attract participants to the conference, including the British Youth Council, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, the Great Ormond Street Hospital Youth Board, Raleigh International, the UK Schools Sustainability Network, and Youth Link Scotland. One-third of the conference participants were under 25 years old, and the recommendations we present at the end of this report are chiefly guided by their ideas and contributions. Part II of this report summaries the main messages arising from the presentations, discussions and interactive polls at this virtual conference, and presents a statement from the young people who took part, with their priorities for climate action.