Information needs and methods of accessing climate information by urban children and youth in Bangladesh: a policy-practice agenda

Children and youth play a crucial role in climate action, mitigating climate change and adapting to climate change impacts, yet their specific climate information needs, preferred access methods, and capacity to utilize such information remain underexplored, particularly in urban areas of climate-vulnerable nations like Bangladesh. This study investigates the climate information needs of urban children and youth, their existing access methods, and their capacity to engage with climate information. incorporating 27 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 15 key informant interviews with a total of 327 participants, including children, youth, parents, teachers, government officials, NGO representatives, and media professionals across three urban locations in Bangladesh. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data, while statistical visualization methods were applied to the pre-assessment survey data. The findings reveal that while children and youth primarily access climate information through digital platforms, especially social media, they remain concerned about misinformation. They exhibit sector-specific climate information needs, particularly related to education, health, food security, water management, and waste management. Additionally, their knowledge about climate action varies, with significant gaps in sectoral understanding. Based on these insights, we propose an eight-point policy-practice agenda to enhance climate information access and reliability for urban children and youth. The study underscores the necessity for local-level information hubs, participatory climate information needs assessments, and strengthened digital and non-digital information landscapes to foster effective climate action among youth.Local climate information hubs can improve access to reliable data by engaging trusted messengers like educators, community leaders, and climate experts.Participatory climate assessments can help institutions like Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Department of Environment (DoE) identify urban youth’s information needs, ensuring content and delivery methods suit their digital and non-digital preferences.Strengthening climate literacy can reduce misinformation by promoting digital skills, verifying sources, and encouraging responsible information-sharing among young people.Expanding climate information access can improve dissemination through digital platforms, social media, and traditional channels while addressing the needs of marginalized groups by considering socioeconomic conditions and challenges related to digital access and literacy.