Come on, gang, let's save the world!

A new survey suggests teenagers aren't that interested in climate change. Julie Ferry asks if campaigners can overcome this apathy

Come on, gang, let's save the world!


These should be the best of times to be an environmental campaigner. With the world finally waking up to the challenges of climate change, green groups can now get down to the business of helping to forge the practical solutions that will save the planet. But one group you would expect to be all ears doesn't appear to be listening.

According to a recent survey by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), only half of 11- to 17-year-olds claim to be worried about climate change. The age group as a whole said they were less likely than adults to believe they are - or ever would be - affected by it, and only 12% said they were capable of making a positive impact by changing their own lifestyles.

In the face of these rather deflating statistics, a raft of groups is now trying to "get down with the kids" and engage them in the climate-change debate. Next month, the Live Earth concert will see musicians - including Madonna, Snow Patrol and the Black Eyed Peas - do their bit to raise awareness in a 24-hour music marathon taking place over seven continents. At the same time, a somewhat smaller event will be beating the same drum on Clapham Common in south London at the Party for the Planet. Organised by C-Change, an environmental forum run by young people, it aims to encourage those already stirred by climate change to help raise awareness among their peers. The event will feature a low-carbon eco-village filled with interactive installations, information tents and games. It will also host the final of a Battle of the Bands competition, with the winner given the chance to use a solar-powered studio.

Emma Kosmin, 18, is a member of the 20-strong C-Change steering committee, which is also planning a number of projects for the rest of the year, including club nights and a youth radio station. She says the climate change debate is a concern for some young people, but admits it has yet to spark enough interest among most of her peers.

"Generally, young people have this view that they can't really affect climate change. Most young people are living with their parents. It's not their call whether they use green energy, or what kind of car the family gets around in. They feel it's not relevant."

However, Kosmin believes that young people are more powerful than they think, citing "pester power" as one of their most effective weapons. "Young people can use the guilt card to impact their parents' views. They can drive home the message that they are going to inherit the world, and want it to be in good shape."

Perhaps teenagers are too interested in updating their MySpace profile to get involved in saving the planet, but Kosmin says that it is exactly this kinds of forum that organisations should be looking at when trying to attract them. At the Glastonbury festival, C-Change, in collaboration with the Centre for Alternative Technology, launched the Climate:Mobile, a mobile-phone application that calculates your carbon footprint. Next week, Operation: Climate Control, a computer game, funded by Defra and aimed at teenagers, will be unveiled at the House of Commons. In a similar manner to games such as SimCity, players are set the challenge of making decisions that will halt climate change.

"Young people are an important group," says Neil Verlander, a spokesman for Friends of the Earth. "We have been trying different ways to reach them. Johnny Borrell from Razorlight recorded a new song in a studio powered by 18 solar panels in support of our campaign, and we ran a successful advertising campaign in universities, showing condoms covering a coal-fired power station chimney, a car exhaust and an aeroplane engine."

Such initiatives tread a thin line between appealing to young people and being seen as too "try-hard". C-Change stands out because it is run by young people, says Kosmin. "We aren't a group of middle-aged adults trying to think up what is cool to get the message across. We are using what we know to be cool among our peers and what will connect with and open up their minds."

While the Defra research shows poor awareness of climate change among 11- to 17-year-olds, another survey of 54,000 university and college applicants aged between 17 and 21 found that 91% thought that in 25 years, the effects of climate change would be "hitting the world hard". The Future Leaders' survey, commissioned by sustainable development charity Forum for the Future and the higher-education clearing house UCAS, also found that two-thirds of respondents believed that global oil reserves will have run out within 25 years, and 76% think lifestyles will need to change radically if civilisation is to survive into the next century.

While these results suggest this older age group is open to change, when they were asked what actions they had actually taken to help the environment, the answers were less positive. Only 40% had specifically chosen locally produced food over imports, and just 17% had taken a holiday in the UK instead of overseas. And, in another survey by the Department for Transport, it was those aged 16 to 25 who said they were least likely to pay more for a greener car.

"Our survey is a sign that this group is, in fact, super-engaged on climate change but they may not be thinking about doing something about it for a few years," says James Goodman of Forum for the Future.

Whether this is due to a lack of education and a sense of impotence, or just plain old teenage apathy is unclear. However, the government and environmental groups are hoping their new "cool" approach to engaging young people will start to make a difference, even if initially that "difference" is hundreds of teenagers attending an eco rock concert.

"Many of the solutions already exist, so it is a failure of willpower more than anything," says Verlander. "Of course, there are things young people can't do, but they are going to be the next generation voting and spending money, so it is important that they start thinking about these issues now".

· C-Change:; Operation Climate Control: