Inclusion of children and youth in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports (AR1-AR6)

Abstract

This Analysis assesses how children and youth are included in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Reports. We quantify how frequently these groups are referenced in past Assessment Reports (AR1-AR6) and conduct a thematic analysis of AR6 to unpack how climate impacts on children and youth are and are not included; references to these groups in discussions of mitigation and adaptation strategies; and the conceptual frameworks used when they are referenced. Evidence on children and youth has grown steadily in the IPCC reports, with a notable jump in AR6. In this most recent report, there is an emphasis on climate-related risks to children’s physical health and the power of youth climate activism. There is however a critical need for further funding and inclusion of research on marginalised children’s unique and intersecting vulnerabilities beyond physical health, and on the meaningful participation of both children and youth in climate measures.