About The Project

Tackling climate change has been a key issue for children across Scotland since Children’s Parliament began 25 years ago. Children have repeatedly told us that they do not have the chance to voice their worries and ideas around climate change. This is especially true for children under the age of 14 years.
By including the voices of those whose futures will be most impacted by climate change, we can contribute to wider cultural change: children have the right to have a say and be taken seriously under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and its legal incorporation in Scotland.

Wee Voices, Big Ideas

In December 2020, Children’s Parliament heard from 5,000 children across Scotland through a survey identifying key issues for children in 2020. 44% of children responding to the surveys voted ‘climate change’ as the most important issue for 2021.

Scotland’s Climate Assembly

Members of Children’s Parliament became the youngest, and first, children in the world to be directly involved in a citizens’ assembly. 12 of the Members of Children’s Parliament became the ‘Investigators’ and led the children’s work by exploring evidence of climate change, sharing their own experiences and ideas, and representing the views of the other children.

In June 2021, their 42 Calls to Action on climate change were given to Scottish Parliament alongside Scotland’s Climate Assembly full report.

Climate Changemakers

As part of COP26, the UN Conference on Climate Change, being held in Glasgow in November 2021, Children’s Parliament has been invited to contribute to the global conversations around tackling the climate emergency this year. Members of Children’s Parliament involved in Scotland’s Climate Assembly will share their experiences of being involved in deliberative democratic processes on tackling the climate emergency and share children’s Calls to Action to decision-makers.

We created this toolkit with the 12 Investigators, who shared their ideas and helped the website design. They told us how important it is for children to have the space to share their ideas on climate change, so we wanted to create something that all children could use. We look forward to hearing all about the amazing ways children continue to stand up for their rights to a happy, healthy and safe environment and have their say in decisions being made about the climate emergency.

Email us at info@childrensparliament.org.uk for more information.