We are a group of young people with an interest in climate change who meet regularly to turn ideas into action. Find out how this project gives children and young people across the UK the chance to tell us what they think about climate change and how we share that insight with doctors.
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RCPCH declared a climate emergency in 2020 following a request from paediatricians through the AGM and a programme called the Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) was set up. There are 5 working groups being led by paediatricians – advocacy, international, evidence, building, and one focused on paediatricians plus ours which is led by young people from RCPCH &Us.
How do the RCPCH &Us Climate Changers address the issues created by climate change?
- Over the last few years, we have sent youth workers to do roadshows across the UK to find out what children and young people say about climate change and to ask for their ideas. For example, in 2024, we spoke to nearly 1000 children and young people about the importance of Clean Air. We helped design the questions that were asked, and we analysed the data that was collected to understand more. We made this short video summarising the main findings which you might find interesting.
- In Oct 2024, we visited Sol Haven, a permaculture centre near Northampton, where we learnt more about how to live in harmony with the land and share its resources. We wrote an Open Letter to doctors about the importance of starting climate-related conversations with patients, using the principles of permaculture to illustrate what we meant.
- We have also created useful resources for doctors, children & young people, and their families, to use to help start conversations around the importance of clean air. These resources appear in the RCPCH Air Pollution Companion, like this poster for doctors to display in their waiting rooms, and this leaflet for doctors on how to start climate change-related conversations with young people.
- We have talked to health care professionals to see what they are doing and how aware they are on what they are doing about climate change. We’ve got ideas from over 200 doctors and we interviewed five of them about climate change and the NHS.
- We have spoken publicly at at least five conferences and events in Wales and England about our project and what matters to children and young people.
- Group members have written or contribute to articles for the member magazine, Milestones (page 11), and this this centre page poster.
- We have also released a podcast episode about climate change.
“The future of health for children & young people is changing, and the climate has a lot to do with that. How we have those conversations with children and young people, how we help them, and manage the impact of the climate crisis,…is going to be really significant in the coming years I think.”
Young person from RCPCH &Us Climate Changers
What changes have we noticed due to climate change?
The changes our group has seen includes:
- Heatwaves have led to an increased seizure risk for in RCPCH &Us young people with epilepsy. Normally they have a care plan for when they visit hot countries - but in summer 2022 they had no such care plan for staying in the UK during its heatwave!
- As climate change gets worse, pollen season becomes longer. And so allergic asthma is worse with more pollen issues/attacks/and longer periods of asthma/.
- Young people experience mental health anxiety about what to do to challenge climate change and knowing what is happening. There are worries that some people not doing enough or that we're surrounded by people who aren’t doing anything - this can be disheartening as you feel that nothing changes.
- There are difficult decisions for some people with health conditions - for example, having a feeding tube which uses disposable plastics so feeling like you have to use it but also wished it didn’t have to be thrown away straight away. It’s so hard looking after yourself and trying to keep yourself well but know that you are killing the planet
We asked other young people too, who said the changes were:
- Mental health: Last year's heatwave meant all the grass in the parks went brown and there were no green spaces which increased poor mental health for many, but also linked it to increasing eco anxiety for those concerned about the climate and linking it together. Eco anxiety came up time and time again for children and young people we spoke with.
- Physical health: There were worries about what happens for people with long term conditions, if people won’t be able to be outside as much or doing sports, if there will be new issues with health to deal with, that the heatwave can lead to exhaustion or a lack of sleep.
- There were worries about more weather incidents like heatwaves, floods and storms.
- There was the feeling that people aren't listening to children and young people, that it will be down to them to sort it out but they have no power or influence over the solutions needed now.
- There needs to be lots more done around education and creating places for people to be able to get involved positively.
- We need to unite different parts of who we are between staying well and being a climate activist.
Join us
If you are 11-24 and in the UK and want to know more about becoming and RCPCH &Us volunteer visit RCPCH.us or email and_us@rcpch.ac.uk to find out more.