“If you’re alive on this planet in 2090, you have the right to talk about its future. Climate change isn’t just a matter of particle chemistry — it’s a matter of life and death.”

So says 24-year-old Anni Pokela, founding member and strategist of Operation Arctic. The state-awarded Operation Arctic is a climate strategy initiative that seeks new ways to talk about climate issues and influence society. Pokela also serves as one of the two experts for the City of Lahti’s Climate Mentor course. In the course, mentors and teachers worked together: the teachers handled the educational content, while the mentors engaged young people in discussions about the impacts of climate change and the possibilities for taking action.

Pokela feels she grew up in a world where climate change was acknowledged as a background concern but not yet seen as a true crisis.

“Only later, in academic and activist circles, I understood the real severity of the situation. We’re constantly living on the edge of risk and crisis.”

The other Climate Mentor, 28-year-old Sara Yrjönmäki, describes her childhood in similar terms. The threat still felt distant back then, and only later did she realize the scale of the issue.

“Climate change has been a topic of discussion, but not yet an existential threat.”

Yrjönmäki works at the sustainability consultancy One Planet and has previously served as Finland’s Youth Delegate in both national and international nature-related forums. In her work, she helps companies and cities find ways to mitigate climate change and protect nature.

Both mentors point to the same phenomenon among young people: no one wants to be labeled “the climate person.” Yrjönmäki says she discussed the issue with her younger brother, who is now in upper secondary school, asking whether climate issues are even talked about among his friends.

“He said that sometimes they come up at school, but only in certain groups. Those who talk about it more may get labeled as the ‘woke climate type.’ And most don’t want that label. Most just want to be ordinary young people.”

Pokela relates to this.

“Many young people say they’re not a ‘climate person.’ I didn’t get started because of climate issues either, and I’m not even particularly interested in climate as such. I’m interested in life, culture, and people — and these are the things now under threat.”

The crisis has fallen on young shoulders

The Climate Mentor course was organized in Lahti’s upper secondary schools as part of the first geography course. Participation was voluntary.

“We are concerned about young people’s wellbeing and sense of hope for the future. Climate change raises many emotions and questions, and that’s why it’s important to talk about it — especially with young people,” says Johanna Särkijärvi, City of Lahti’s Director of Environment.

The Climate Mentor course differs from traditional climate education in schools because it offers students personal mentoring on how to take climate action. The participants are around 16 years old.

Fear makes us look away

Research from the University of Helsinki’s TeensGoGreen project shows that young people’s attitudes toward climate issues vary widely. The study, led by Academy Professor Katariina Salmela-Aro and doctoral researcher Salla Veijonaho, followed the experiences of more than three thousand 11–15-year-olds in Helsinki regarding climate change.

According to the research, some young people experience climate change as highly threatening and its consequences as distressing. On the other hand, up to half of the respondents report only low levels of climate anxiety, even while acknowledging that climate change is real. Some young people view climate change with skepticism or downplay it — and some even deny it altogether.

The study also identified young people who simultaneously experience climate anxiety and a tendency to deny the problem. This may sound contradictory, but it accurately reflects the way climate change affects young people’s minds. A young person can fear the future and, at the same time, shut their eyes to reality if it feels too overwhelming.

Sara Yrjönmäki recognizes this tension in young people’s experiences.

“Many see climate change as a problem, but because it’s such a big issue, they push it aside. They think, ‘There’s nothing I can do.’ This isn’t indifference — it’s a coping mechanism.”

The comments from young people reflect their frustration: they have inherited extreme environmental challenges that threaten their future — the climate crisis and biodiversity loss — and are now expected to solve them.

“You have every right to be angry about this situation,” Anni Pokela tells the group of upper secondary students.

Everyone has the right to be heard

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is currently studying the mental health impacts of climate change in Finland. According to THL, the threats posed by climate change can affect mental health broadly and, in particular, weaken young people’s sense of hope for the future. Research by E2 Studies also shows that young Finns’ trust in society’s ability to tackle major societal challenges has declined significantly.

Pokela says that young people’s frustration is heightened by the fact that many adults also shy away from responsibility, arguing that climate change is too complex an issue. It can feel easier to hold on to what is familiar and rooted in the past.

“It’s true that climate talk can sound difficult with all its terms and numbers. And it’s true that climate science is complicated — but so are many things we deal with every day, like taxation,” Pokela points out.

Yrjönmäki has noticed that when reading climate news, it often feels as if the entire topic is reserved only for certain people — for those who are already experts in the field.

Pokela believes that everyone living on this planet has the right to speak about climate issues, and has the right to be heard. To her, it’s a matter of life and death, not just particle chemistry.

“If you accidentally drop your phone into the toilet, you don’t hope it will save itself — you act immediately. The same applies to the climate: the processes are already underway, and the question now is what we choose to do,” she says.

Pokela emphasizes that the climate crisis is, above all, a human crisis. The climate itself doesn’t suffer, people do.

“We’re talking about food production, infrastructure and peace. Issues that affect all of us,” she notes.

As the climate warms, heatwaves grow longer, meaning rainfall no longer comes at the right time for crops. This leads to reduced harvests and rising food prices. Heavy rains and storms damage homes, roads and power lines. Dangerous heat kills people. Shortages of water and food drive migration and fuel conflicts, increasing tensions both within societies and between countries.

“Positive feelings and hope can come from taking action — but they can’t be the starting point for action. That’s why I don’t want to inspire hope, but capability,” Pokela says.

Pokela highlights a contradiction that often leaves young people in a passive position: they feel vaguely anxious but don’t know what to do.

“The news shows how bad the situation really is. We see material evidence of what’s happening. But at the same time, the message we’ve often received from parents or teachers is this strange mix where you’re first told all the worst-case scenarios and then instructed to recycle,” she says.

According to Pokela, acting in this moment means accepting contradictions: we are all part of the very system we criticise. It takes persistence and resilience. You can’t long for “the good old days,” but you also can’t place your faith in distant utopias.

“You simply have to stay present in the here and now and tolerate the messiness. It’s hard, but it’s necessary,” Pokela says.

Change can start right where you are. We all have our own role, and not everyone needs to be an expert, a politician or an activist. When each person does what they can, the whole begins to shift, Yrjönmäki reminds us.

“It’s enough to pause and think about how your everyday life, your work and your choices connect to nature and the climate. Influence can begin with a conversation with colleagues or a small change in your own life.”

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