Nearly 200 young people from across Newcastle came together to help shape the city’s approach to climate change at the Youth Climate Summit earlier this week.
177 children from 15 schools across the city came together for the annual event, led by members of Newcastle City Council’s Youth Council.
Together, they took part in workshops to green the city in heating and energy, transport, reuse and recycling, food and infrastructure.
Cllr Juna Sathian, Newcastle City Council Cabinet Member for Climate and Transport, said: “It never ceases to amaze me how engaged Newcastle’s children and young people are with the risks posed by climate change, and it’s fantastic to see their passion for protecting our planet.
“They are the ones who stand to be most impacted by the consequences of climate change and that’s why giving young people a platform to have their voices heard, to raise their concerns and put forward their ideas, is central to our approach in this area.
“How our actions impact our environment is always at the front of our thinking, and it’s incredibly reassuring to see our city’s young people are equally committed to safeguarding the future of our planet.”
In addition to the workshops, participants also took part in a school competition to design campaigns to raise awareness of climate change and its impacts, while Newcastle’s Youth Councillors joined the North East Community Forest to plant a hornbeam tree in the grounds of the Civic Centre to mark the event.