In this episode of the Sustainability & You podcast we interview Talia Hardie. Talia is a third-year Geography student at Cambridge University. They are a passionate advocate for the climate dedicated to storytelling, education and action in response to the climate crisis. Talia explores what social system change might look like in the Anthropocene and the tools needed to achieve it. With a focus on theorizing hope and its role in shaping the future, they find purpose in translating these ideas into practice through climate education. They have worked as a Climate Action Plan Coordinator for the charity Students Organising for Sustainability-UK for nearly two years, passionately advocating for youth-led, youth-inclusive approaches to climate action and delivering hands-on climate education. 

 

We discuss with Talia what youth-led climate education is and why it's so important. Through their work with the Green Schools Revolution, which helps schools to implement aspects of the Department for Education's 2022 Sustainability & Climate Change Strategy, Talia has firsthand experience of how vital it is to equip young people with the skills and knowledge to navigate and prepare for a net-zero and nature-positive world.  We spoke about the impact of the 2019 global student climate strikes, rising cases of eco-anxiety, the gaps in the DfE's sustainability strategy, and the growing popularity of the climate justice movement among young people. Despite the significant work needed to improve climate education, we ended our conversation on an optimistic note. It was refreshing to hear Talia's call for young people to remain hopeful about fighting climate change and work together to find solutions, but they urge governments to adopt acute listening skills to youth advocates and more inclusive behaviour of those to whom the planet is left.