
NYSPHA is working to engage youth on climate change and other environmental issues.
Photo courtesy SrdjanPav, iStockphoto
The New York State Public Health Association is working with youth to advance climate action across the state.
Through its Climate Committee, launched in December 2023, the APHA-affiliated public health association has created a climate guide for youth and held focus groups across the state, among its other work.
The meetings have helped the association learn how New York youth and their families are affected by climate change, according to Susan Harris, EdD, committee chair. She said youth have been actively engaged throughout the 90-minute sessions, sharing their anger, worry and hope about climate change, which is expected to become worse during their lifetimes.
“We have to get with the times and take them, involve them, bring them to the table and really pass the baton in a way that’s informed and meaningful,” said Harris, who discussed the committee’s work during APHA’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo in October.
The association’s “Youth Climate Resource Guide” is aimed at students in grades K-12, teachers and parents. It serves as a directory of opportunities for youth to get engaged on climate change work in New York state, from summer camps and clubs for kids to pre-college programs and employment opportunities. It also shares information on climate contests for kids, games, movies and more.
Research has shown that many youth are concerned about climate change, which is already raising temperatures, worsening droughts and making extreme weather more common.
A 2021 survey of 10,000 young people ages 16-25 in 10 countries found that more than half felt sad, anxious, angry, powerless and guilty about climate change. Almost 60% said they were extremely worried.
“It’s not just about extreme weather, it’s about all of the conditions that contributed to people’s experiences,” Harris told The Nation’s Health.
The association committee is also working to ensure that climate education is accessible and equitable in schools across the state.
As climate education is not mandatory in New York public schools, it is often overlooked in districts with fewer resources, Harris said.
Through the committee, the New York association is advocating for a bill in the state Legislature that would mandate K-12 climate change education in all schools. The legislation, Senate Bill S278A, would provide $20 million to support climate education initiatives. New Jersey and Connecticut are the only states to have similar initiatives in place.
The association is also supporting a new law aimed at reducing the state’s contribution to climate change. The New York State Climate Act, signed into law in 2019, pledges to reduce 40% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and 85% by 2050 from 1990 levels. While the law has received pushback from the fossil fuel industry, the Climate Committee and other health advocates are working to see it receives needed funding.
Other work by the committee includes plans for a communications campaign that will educate New Yorkers about climate change.
Partners, such as the New York State Association of County Health Officials, have helped the committee grow and are essential to its success, Harris said.
“Collaboration is so important and who you collaborate with,” she said. “If we can speak with one voice, how powerful would that be?”

NYSPHA’s “Youth Climate Resource Guide” is aimed at teachers, parents and students in grades K-12. The guide serves as a directory of opportunities for youth to get engaged on climate change, from summer camps to pre-college programs.
Photo by FatCamera, courtesy iStockphoto
In 2023, the NYSPHA committee received the Climate Leadership Award from APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity for its work to date. Harris envisions the NYSPHA Climate Committee as a model for other APHA Affiliates.
“Advocacy, communication, collaboration, education and action is the name of the game,” Harris said. “We can’t just sit back. Climate is urgent. Climate can’t wait.”
For more information, visit www.nyspha.org.
A version of this story was published on APHA’s Annual Meeting Blog.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association