Youth Climate Work

AYEA and Climate Action!

Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) Teens are at the forefront of climate justice and climate action. You can support their efforts today by clicking the take action button. You can view the work they’ve completed through the years below. Every Alaskan teen interested in climate action is encouraged to join in; either through current actions or by asking for support to develop their own campaigns and action projects. Email [email protected] to identify the most current opportunities!

Climate Action Today!

AYEA Teens today are taking a multifaceted approach to climate change and climate justice actions. Statewide in 2023, Youth Organizers have chosen to pursue action and advocacy around food insecurity and access across Alaska.

Stay tuned to hear what issues and bills delegates advocate on during the 2023 Civics & Conservation Summit!

Past AYEA Climate Actions

In 2020 AYEA members and alumni met with Senator Murkowski to advocate for the consideration of Alaskan communities in the federal infrastructure package. Participants raised concerns about equitable access to broadband, advocated for increased support of clean energy in rural communities, and clarified the importance of investing in education to prepare future leaders of Alaska.

AYEA joined young adult voices throughout the globe by taking part in Earth Day climate strikes across the state in 2018 and 2019. In 2018 Alaska’s youth organized strikes in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Homer, Mat-Su, Valdez, Cordova, Haines, Sitka & Soldotna, bringing together hundreds of Alaskans who want to see climate protection for our future. These actions put a spotlight on key climate justice fights through state and international communities. They also called for the Dunleavey Administration to reinstate the Climate Action Leadership Team that prior AYEA teens successfully brought to former Governor Walker.
In 2019 the strikes culminated in the Alaska Digital Youth Climate Strike: a two-hour live stream full of inspiring speeches from youth all across the state, fun music, and the chance to connect with others and maintain community in the midst of the start of the pandemic. This strike was built from the inspiration and will of youth climate justice leaders from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Sitka, Unalaska, and more.

In 2015 AYEA Teens successfully petitioned the Walker administration to re-establish the Climate Change Task Force after leading numerous cross-community educational events, meetings with administration officials, and follow-up advocacy.
In 2016 AYEA teens called for state elected officials to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2030, calling attention to the impacts Alaska’s villages and economies were already experiencing: naming collapsing fishing industries, infrastructure in rural Alaska that depended on permafrost, relocation of coastal communities, and massive wildfires.

In 2006 AYEA Teens delivered local and national elected officials a “Letter to Our Leaders” signed by 5,000 teens in over 150 villages and cities, advocating for climate change action through emissions reduction and renewable energy use.
In 2009 Teens hosted educational workshops for communities to improve energy efficiency, renewable energy, and weatherization, securing action commitments from individuals and community leaders alike to support federal renewable energy funding.

The Youth Climate Strike Movement

The youth of America, are striking because the science says there are just a few years left to transform our energy system, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and prevent the worst effects of climate change. World leaders have yet to acknowledge, prioritize, or properly address our climate crisis and marginalized communities across our nation —especially communities of color, disabled communities, and low-income communities— are already disproportionately impacted by climate change. With their futures at stake, the youth call for radical legislative action to combat climate change and its countless detrimental effects on the American people.

AYEA Fairbanks Chapter

AYEA youth in the News