We're fighting for climate justice.
We are the Australian Youth Climate Coalition
The Australian Youth Climate Coalition is Australia’s largest youth-run organisation, our mission is to build a generation-wide movement of young people to solve the climate crisis, by shifting the power towards a clean and just future.
Young people have the most to lose from climate change, but we also have a lot to gain. Climate change is our best opportunity to create a world that works for everyone, not just a few. We can power our lives with the wind and sun, and ensure access to clean energy and job opportunities for all.
The climate crisis is unjust because those that have done the least to cause the problem feel the effects first and worst. Solving the climate crisis is about more than just cutting emissions; it’s an opportunity to rethink the way this world operates and build a fairer future for everybody.
The world needs us.
We believe that the only way to solve the climate crisis is through a social movement - a groundswell of support and momentum that is powerful enough to inspire the change we need and hold decision makers to account. We build power in young people by equipping our generation with the skills and experience to hold the line on climate justice and demand the real solutions we need, that resonate with the lived experiences of our generation, to hold decisionmakers to account.
Climate change is a symptom of deeper injustices. It affects everyone, but not equally. It is often the most marginalised in our societies who are hit first and worst by climate impacts and carry the burden of polluting industries.
As young people, we are concerned that we already live in an incredibly unsustainable and unfair society, with rising inequality and environmental destruction. At the root cause is a colonial system that puts the profits of big polluters over First Nations land rights, the wellbeing of our communities and the environment.
Our vision is for a fair and just world, with a stable climate and healthy environment for our communities and future generations.
We can have a better world - with clean energy that never runs out, diverse and thriving cultures, fairer and more connected communities, restored natural environments and biodiversity. We’re working for a future grounded in climate justice, where people on the frontlines of climate change can take back power and lead solutions from the ground up.
We are committed to a vision of climate justice, which means we:
- Work to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees
- Advocate for just and sustainable solutions to the climate crisis
- Take leadership from, and work together to build the power of, those most affected by climate change
- Examine and challenge the systems at the root cause of the climate crisis
We focus on energy
We are working to build a future powered 100% by clean, safe, renewable energy from the sun, wind and waves. We must move beyond polluting and destructive energies like coal, gas, oil and nuclear.
We focus our major campaigns on transitioning our energy system away from fossil fuels to renewables. This is because fossil fuels are Australia’s greatest contribution to the climate crisis. Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and gas, and we are home to some of the dirtiest coal-fired power stations in the world. On the flip side, we are one of the sunniest and windiest places on Earth, meaning we have huge potential and responsibility to lead the way on the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
We see the biggest barrier to addressing the climate crisis as the vested interests of the powerful fossil fuel industry. For decades the fossil fuel lobby has been delaying action on climate change through public campaigns, undermining climate policies and pushing forward dangerous projects. Big fossil fuel companies have been given licence to trample Aboriginal land rights, putting Country and cultures at risk without proper consent or compensation.
The only thing that can shift this is a powerful grassroots movement, and at the AYCC that is what we are building: a movement of young people.
So how do we win?
It is young people who will inherit the consequences of decisions made today. Through history, young people have demonstrated how we have the creativity, passion and innovation to lead social change movements.
This is why we are building a movement of young people, standing in solidarity with those on the frontlines of climate change, to lead solutions to the climate crisis. We are empowering our generation to make sure history is not written for us, but by us.
It is only through a huge, diverse and committed social movement, led by those with the most at stake, that we will see just and sustainable solutions to the climate crisis realised. Decision makers in governments, businesses and our communities will only make the changes required if there is a strong social movement demanding it.
We educate, inspire and mobilise young people to win campaigns for a safe climate, to keep fossil fuels in the ground and build a future powered by clean energy.
Impact Reports and Constitution
Legacy Impact Report: 18 years of our youth climate movement (2025)
Impact Report 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009
