Youth Climate Panel applications are open!

Gloucestershire County Council is calling on young people aged 16 – 25 to be part of a Gloucestershire Youth Climate Panel. 

The panelwill give young people a voice on climate change issues, and the ability to influence how the county responds to the effects of climate change.

Initially, the Youth Climate Panel will be made up of around 30 people, who will meet with council officers on a regular basis to talk through and give feedback on aspects on the emerging Gloucestershire Climate Change Strategy. This strategy will be the overarching plan for how the county will deal with the consequences of climate change, such as extreme weather. It will shape how partners can work collectively to reduce Gloucestershire’s carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2030, when compared to 2005, and secure a carbon neutral (net zero) county by 2050.

On 21^st May 2019 Gloucestershire County Council held a Climate Summit jointly with the GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership.  At this event, the council committed to setting up a Youth Climate Panel and agreed that young people must play a key role in informing future plans to bring about a low carbon, resilient and attractive Gloucestershire where people want to live, work and visit.

Cllr Nigel Moor, cabinet member for environment and planning, said, “Our county’s children and young people are the generation who will be most affected by our actions towards climate change, so it is vital they are fully involved with developing plans now.

“We are looking for young people from a range of backgrounds across the county. So, if you are aged 16-25 and passionate about climate change or interested in working with us to make change happen, please do apply. The group will help us to achieve our targets on carbon reduction and assist in responding to the climate emergency.

“We will be looking into expanding the number of members once the panel is up and running. A public consultation will be carried out in the near future to ensure everyone across the county has the opportunity to give their views on how to tackle the effects of climate change.”

Apply to be part of the Youth Climate Panel online at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/youthclimatepanel  The deadline for applications is midnight 9 September 2019.

You can find out more about what the council is doing to tackle climate change online here.