World’s first ‘Youth Map of Climate Injustice’

The 'heat map' shows areas in the U.S. impacted by climate injustice based on stories shared by young people

Spotted: DoSomething is a US-based global nonprofit organisation that uses impactful campaigns to motivate young people to make positive change – both online and offline.

The organisation’s latest campaign is for young people to share stories of how environmental injustice affects their communities. The stories will be shared in an interactive heat map with the aim of calling attention to the changes needed to address climate-related issues. To incentivise young people to submit their stories, those who submit are automatically given the chance to win a USD$2,500 (around € 2,205) scholarship.

The organisation highlights that there is a compilation of research to suggest that people of colour and low-income communities are ‘more likely to breathe in pollution, suffer from medical conditions, and experience natural disasters’.

“It is time for legislators and regulatory bodies to listen to the voices of young, marginalised people who are emphatically and unapologetically advocating for systemic change to address climate change,” says DeNora Getachew, CEO of DoSomething.

A key goal of the project is to provide a platform for young people to express their views on the environmental issues that impact them most. “I live in the Salt Lake Valley where pollution is a large issue,” explains DoSomething member Abigail. “The sky is often visibly grey and smoggy due to air pollution. In combination with the COVID-19 pandemic and its respiratory effects, the health of susceptible populations such as the elderly and children are greatly impacted.”

Other recent innovations that give people a voice on social issues include an online storytelling platform for female and under-represented film-makers, and a digital platform that organises a younger generation of climate activists.