Cities and Youth Climate Leaders Need Each Other. Here’s Why.

In April 2025, Harris County, the largest county in Texas (and where I call home), adopted its first-ever Climate Justice Plan. The planning process for this strategy framework was guided by a Community Advisory Collaborative that included five youth climate ambassadors. Together, these youth helped refine the county’s goals and actions for a thriving future alongside the government, nonprofit partner Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience, and hundreds of residents.

Across the country, local governments continue to drive life-saving climate progress despite nationwide barriers to action. Like Harris County, urban centers seeking to enact truly responsive climate action plans must work with residents who have long been excluded from the decision-making room: their youth.

Cities Benefit from Youth Climate Leadership

If climate action plans are supposed to protect people, then city governments can’t afford to miss critical insights from the uniquely climate-vulnerable youth they serve.

From developing life-long health challenges attributed to nearby air pollution to missing weeks of school after a hurricane, young people are experiencing a distinct set of ever-growing climate impacts. These impacts can exacerbate issues already faced by youth of marginalized backgrounds. For example, girls, women, and sexual and gender minorities face an increased risk of violence in the aftermath of an extreme weather event.

Consulting a diverse range of youth community members helps cities identify the problems they face and potential solutions. City officials and residents can then use the gathered data to inform holistic responses to health and safety concerns that might have previously been overlooked. Furthermore, by integrating youth into their consultation and implementation processes, cities can build buy-in for the green projects that impact their collaborators’ day-to-day lives.

As evidenced by the steady rise in youth-led climate lawsuits worldwide, young leaders are challenging their governments to take urgent climate action. Cities that are up to the challenge would do well to harness the energy of their youth, many of whom have skills and lived expertise that they are eager to put to work.

Last year, more than 30 high school students in the Austin Youth Climate Equity Council applied their gained knowledge on climate justice to collaborations with local frontline organizations, including urban food forest stewardship and pedestrian and cyclist safety improvements. As a result, the students amplified the principles of the Austin Climate Equity Plan, strengthening their city while deepening their personal commitments to environmentalism.

As for young folks who don’t have skills or social connections in the climate space yet? Activating them is key to fostering stronger cities, too.

Youth Climate Leaders Benefit from Cities

Several months ago, I served on NWF’s Youth Advisory Council while struggling to launch my early career amid a rattled climate job market. I drew on my experience to recommend ways the Federation can further support future green jobseekers through its youth programs. When given a say in climate governance, my peers and I stressed the importance of not only engaging directly with youth but also fostering their skill development. Cities can scale up this development by investing in the education and mentorship of their young residents.

A city that invests in climate education develops well-informed, civically engaged leaders. And no, children aren’t too young to start learning about the part they can play in protecting their planet. Across the U.S., elementary students, guided by landscape architects on how to transform their schoolyards into neighborhood parks, have conducted surveys, presented design proposals, and advocated for project funding. Meaningful learning opportunities like these build green skills and professional networks, especially for youth who might not otherwise have been introduced to them.

Supporting youth climate action is also one of the best ways cities can help combat growing climate anxiety. As more young people are disrupted and displaced by climate disasters, city officials should evaluate how their environmental initiatives can improve residents’ mental health as a co-benefit. Inviting youth into decision-making processes is a powerful way to build more resilient community members who are prepared for a lifetime of steadfast civic engagement.

Will I See You at Work?

Cities interested in partnering with their youth will unlock a source of enthusiastic, community-driven climate action planners—if those youth are granted real decision-making power. The only thing better than pressuring officials to listen to us is working with officials who do. Given patience and mentorship, your future colleagues are excited to lead initiatives alongside you.

If you’re a young person who wants to create a youth climate council, don’t be shy about demanding compensation. Stipends expand youth access to climate governance by compensating those who can’t afford to work for free, thereby promoting inclusive recruitment and retention and ensuring that climate action plans address diverse community needs.

As a matter of fact, don’t be shy at all. As long as you’re someone who needs shelter, you have the right to speak up and help create a place where you and your loved ones can flourish. I look forward to seeing what you can build.

Mandy Tran was a member of NWF’s 2025 Education & Engagement Youth Advisory Council.

Read “Planting the Seeds of a Just Green Workforce” by Alicia Fontenot, a fellow 2025 Youth Advisory Council Member, here.