We are facing a global crisis today—crisis caused by widespread climate disruption resulting from human activity. We set out to explore the different aspects of the crisis and teenagers’ views on them.
The first aspect of the current global crisis is the climate crisis, which is characterized by increasingly extreme changes in temperature and weather patterns. These changes are causing multiple problems, including environmental degradation; ever more serious natural disasters such as floods and droughts, food and water shortages; and conflicts over limited or scarce resources.
The second aspect of the contemporary global crisis relates to human rights. These rights are recognized as inherent in every human being regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, language or religion.
Human rights include the right to life, education, freedom, non-discrimination, fair treatment before the law and freedom from slavery, forced labor and torture. They are not a modern invention.
In fact, they are first recorded in an early form way back to 539 BC. Since then, some of these or other similar rights have been set down in documents of various kinds, such as England’s Magna Carta of 1215 and the US Constitution of 1787, before being enshrined in documents such as the Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
The third aspect of the contemporary global crisis is connected to migration. Migration refers to the movement of people from their place of residence to a new area. Anthropogenic climate change is responsible for at least 166,000 deaths per year (Euronews, 2024) as a result of extreme heat, cold, droughts and floods.
However, it is also responsible for increased migration as people try to escape these unliveable conditions. Migration is often, among other things, a means of escaping conditions of poverty, conflict and persecution which may in themselves be the direct or indirect result of the climate crisis.
This Venn diagram shows how the climate crisis effects people by forcing them to migrate, and also how it impacts human rights. Because human rights are being violated as a result of the climate crisis, as people lose access to things like safe water or health and may be forced to leave their homes. Other human rights of theirs may also be violated en route to their destinations; and this is not limited to certain parts of the world; it truly is a global phenomenon.
When resources run short, there are consequences
The lack of resources poses a serious threat to international peace and security, leading in particular to mass displacements and negatively affecting human rights. The Global Migration Report for 2018 published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) states that millions of people migrate to other parts of their country or abroad because of a lack of resources there, or conflicts stemming from insufficient resources. Between 2008 and 2016, some 21.7 million people were displaced by climate change (UNHCR, 2016).
Climate change negatively impacts human rights, including those related to life, food security, health, housing and access to clean water. Unfortunately, for many migrants, their ordeal does not end when they have left their home region, as they may also face difficult working conditions, exploitation, marginalization, discrimination, deportation, xenophobia, persecution and social exclusion down the line.
They may even suffer some or all of the above in our own societies here in Europe. In addition, during their migration, families may be broken up and children can end up separated from their parents.
But climate-related human rights violations are not only suffered by people who are forced, directly or indirectly, to migrate due to floods or other disasters. In fact, this issue has already attracted a great deal of interest and the victims have started to mobilize. Take “Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and others versus Switzerland”, a case brought before the European Court of Human Rights, for instance.
This is the first ruling in which a court holds a state’s inaction on climate change to constitute a violation of its citizens’ human rights (ECHR, 2024). This shows that even people who live in more affluent and developed societies are beginning to grasp the universal nature of the climate crisis and its impact on human rights and life in general.
The impacts of migration
Migration has positive and negative consequences for both countries of origin and host nations. Countries of origin may benefit from remittances or from migrants returning with new skills, but they may also be negatively affected by the brain drain, a shrinking workforce and unfortunate social conditions such as family separation and gender imbalances in everyday life.
For host countries, migration can cover labor shortages in sectors such as health or agriculture, increase tax revenues, enhance cultural diversity, and stimulate innovation. On the other hand, it can put a strain on public functions such as housing, health care and education, as well as causing social tensions and other difficulties.
It is typical that as climate migrants quit the DRC for countries including South Africa (Conte, 2023), South Africa is itself suffering a severe water scarcity crisis (African Business, 2025), which is being further exacerbated by the migrants’ arrival.
Our research
The logic underlying our questionnaires is that it is important that we understand the nature of the climate crisis and its connection to human rights and people, particularly in relation to migration. As we pondered these matters, the question “Are teenagers well-informed about these issues?” cropped up unbidden. We therefore drew up two questionnaires and handed them out to teenagers aged 13-15.
Our first questionnaire was on the climate crisis and migration and received 33 responses. The second questionnaire dealt with the climate crisis and human rights and received 19 responses. The results reveal a remarkable variation in the views of the participants. Thus, 66% said that the climate crisis affects migration to a moderate or significant extent.
This percentage points to a limited level of awareness of, and concern about, the issues in question. This proved to be the case, as the majority of respondents reported that they either did not know anyone who had been affected by either issue, or that they were not sure if this was the case. This shows that people have significant gaps in their personal awareness of the issues, at least within their local and wider communities.
This is an important finding, which may influence the degree to which the climate crisis and migration are perceived as urgent issues.
Even more worrying is the fact that the data shows that these issues are not topics the participants discuss among themselves. In fact, 69% talk about these issues very little or not at all. Likewise, the respondents’ views on immigration policies vary: so while 30% think minor changes are needed, 27% are undecided, and another 27% are in favor of moderate changes. Finally, 42% of the participants feel their ability to discuss climate change and migration is limited, while 24% feel they cannot discuss them at all.
Climate and human rights are related, but teenagers don’t talk about that connection.
The responses to our second set of questions reveal that the majority of participants are quite or very satisfied with the human rights they enjoy, while 47% recognize the link between human rights and climate change. This suggests there is a conscious understanding of the interconnectedness between climate and human rights. Nonetheless, the discussion would seem to be limited, with 75% of participants stating these issues are not discussed at all, that they are not sure whether they are discussed, or that they are hardly discussed.
Legislation and loopholes
In addition, over 75% of the participants believe that there are loopholes in the legislation on human rights, or are not sure whether there are or not.
This finding reveals a significant lack of confidence in the relevant laws. Only 16% reported that their school or group has taken initiatives which relate to the climate crisis or human rights, while 63% were not sure or did not know.
Finally, 32% felt that their ability to talk about these issues is limited, while 42% believe that they can do so to a moderate or significant extent. Though this result allows no room for complacency, it does demonstrate a degree of engagement as well as spotlighting the need to boost this engagement and strengthen the advocacy relating to these issues.
Information and education are the key to changing attitudes
All in all, the responses we received to our questionnaires were somewhat concerning. Although the results cannot be generalized from the sample to all adolescents in the age group surveyed, they do reveal a lack of awareness and—still more worryingly—a lack of awareness of just how urgent these issues are.
These three vast areas—the climate, human rights and migration—may seem to present insurmountable difficulties for teenagers and young people. This global crisis is not only about melting ice caps or rising temperatures. It affects people indirectly as well as directly.
Millions are being forced to flee their homes as a result of natural disasters. And while these people are losing their homes, many more are losing their rights and their dignity. They may feel cut off or helpless in the face of it all. However, change is still possible.
First and foremost, this can be achieved through education. The more you know about how the climate crisis is affecting people—and especially those living in the countries most affected—, the more you will have to say about it, and the better informed what you say will be. Because we’re not talking about “a house on fire”; as Greta Tunberg (2018) put it, “I want you to act as if the house is on fire”. Because it is our home: we all live in the same world.
The more fully informed people are about the issues, the better able they will be to discuss them.
Teenagers can “get the message across” in a number of ways: on social media, through initiatives at school or student councils, or even just by talking to family and friends. And raising and spreading awareness can encourage decision-makers to take action against the climate crisis, protect human rights, and support migrants and refugees.
Our daily choices
The choices we make in our daily lives matter, too. We can eat less meat, avoid fast fashion, and use public transport to reduce CO2 emissions.
We can also report rights violations to help defend human rights and support migrants. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about doing the best we can.
Finally, we can speak out and take a stand at others’ side. Participation in youth movements allows us to push for political changes that serve to protect the earth and the people who call it home.
We may be young, but if we speak as one, our voices will be heard; we can help protect our world. If we act together now, we can make the future fairer, safer, and better for all.
