Climate change has become the world’s paramount issue, with its brutal impact transcending borders and socioeconomic states of countries. In response, governments and organizations have begun to take initiatives to discuss climate and propose policy solutions, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, Denmark’s climate action plans, and Canadian investments into clean-tech solutions. Most prominently, the annual Conference of Parties summit has become the highest stage of climate discussion. Despite the rise of climate-related thought leadership, academia has been less coordinated. While universities are beginning to create climate institutes and divisions dedicated to the research of climate, there has never been an institution to “connect the dots”. For example, academic institutions may have climate-focused professors working in policy, science, and engineering, yet lack a body that connects all three fields together and lobbies governments for the implementation of new research. Furthermore, youth-engagement in climate policy has been limited. While there are numerous initiatives designed to engage youth in climate action, the involvement of youth in policy and thought leadership has been limited. 

An entirely youth-led think-tank that focuses solely on current climate issues, writing research briefs that define in detail the issue being discussed, and then writing papers that demonstrate how policy, sciences, and engineering can be leveraged can bridge the disconnect and divide in academia. Further, the youth-led nature puts youth at the forefront of climate policy decisions, giving them a bigger say in future action. 

While our vision is global, we will begin by focusing on Canada; evaluating federal and provincial climate commitments and policies. This ensures that our work is both practical and impactful, while giving us the legitimacy to expand our lens internationally over time.