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<p>As climate change continues to impact our planet, research studies note that marginalized and vulnerable populations, particularly those across the Global South, face disproportionate and multilayered consequences of climate change. This paper centers the voices of youth and young adults from the Global North and the Global South, and their perceptions, attitudes, emotions, and experiences in relation to the climate crisis. Utilizing post-colonial theory and drawing from the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities, a cardinal feature of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, we highlight the need for an intersectional approach, a decolonial lens, and an international perspective to address the climate crisis, considering the nuances of power and privilege, climate coloniality, and unequal historical responsibility. This qualitative study conducted seven focus group discussions with 26 youth and young adults from the Global North and the Global South recruited from Connecticut communities and colleges. Findings show that sociopolitical and economic influences of neoliberalism and colonialism posed significant challenges to addressing climate change and were seen as direct negations to individual-level action and advocacy. This study emphasizes the need for social workers to draw connections between the disproportionate historical responsibilities and ongoing exploitative practices of the Global North in their conceptualization of climate change to inform a critical macro practice. Advocacy and policymaking need to include the voices of youth and young adults, and particularly populations across the Global South. </p>

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Understanding Climate Change Crisis Through a Post-Colonial Lens: Comparing Perspectives of Global North and Global South Youth and Young Adults

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月16日

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  • Rebecca Leela Thomas,
  • Fizza Saghir,
  • Fernando Ricardo Valenzuela,
  • Taylor Redner

摘要

As climate change continues to impact our planet, research studies note that marginalized and vulnerable populations, particularly those across the Global South, face disproportionate and multilayered consequences of climate change. This paper centers the voices of youth and young adults from the Global North and the Global South, and their perceptions, attitudes, emotions, and experiences in relation to the climate crisis. Utilizing post-colonial theory and drawing from the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities, a cardinal feature of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, we highlight the need for an intersectional approach, a decolonial lens, and an international perspective to address the climate crisis, considering the nuances of power and privilege, climate coloniality, and unequal historical responsibility. This qualitative study conducted seven focus group discussions with 26 youth and young adults from the Global North and the Global South recruited from Connecticut communities and colleges. Findings show that sociopolitical and economic influences of neoliberalism and colonialism posed significant challenges to addressing climate change and were seen as direct negations to individual-level action and advocacy. This study emphasizes the need for social workers to draw connections between the disproportionate historical responsibilities and ongoing exploitative practices of the Global North in their conceptualization of climate change to inform a critical macro practice. Advocacy and policymaking need to include the voices of youth and young adults, and particularly populations across the Global South.