The Role of Youth in Developing Science for Action
- Author(s):
- By the WMO Secretariat
Today’s youth and future generations will have to live with the long-term consequences of climate change, which makes their engagement in climate and weather science a matter of both equity and urgency. WMO’s response has been to empower and invest in the next generation of scientists by involving them in research and integrating their insights, energy and experience to navigate challenges related to weather, climate, water and the environment. Through engagement with the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme, World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), youth help ensure that WMO science remains responsive to real-world challenges.
Each WMO research programme refers to and defines early-career professionals (ECPs) slightly differently, however, their shared objective is to engage the next generation of scientists and to ensure they are equipped to address the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Research in the WMO Youth Action Plan
The WMO Youth Action Plan, to be presented to the World Meteorological Congress at its Extraordinary Session in October, emphasizes the importance of strengthening the capacity of youth across the research community. In particular, the Plan calls on the WMO scientific bodies and research programmes to support knowledge exchange across the research community. Additionally, it encourages engagement with early-career professionals, such as Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) and others, to promote active participation of youth.
At the WMO Governance level, the Research Board (RB) and the Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) actively support these efforts. The RB, which translates the strategic aims of WMO into overarching research priorities and mobilizes research internationally, includes early-career professionals in its membership. Additionally, the RB’s youth engagement focal point played a key role in facilitating the development of the WMO Youth Action Plan. The SAP, which provides forward-looking strategic advice on emerging challenges and opportunities, aims to issue a public call for early-to-mid-career professionals to join its membership in 2026.
Under the guidance of the RB and the WMO Youth Plan, GAW, WWRP and WCRP have prioritized the integration of and investment in the next generation of scientists. This objective is pursued in three fronts:
- By mainstreaming their expertise into key initiatives
- By supporting their career development
- By organizing events to enhance outreach and foster meaningful partnerships with organizations that share the same vision.
Mainstreaming youth participation in research
To bring youth perspectives to the forefront, WMO research programmes integrate youth across their projects and activities to ensure that they are engaged in world-leading research. For example, WWRP’s focus on ECPs stems from a strong tradition of prioritizing the inclusion and support of the next generation of weather and climate experts at the core of its work. As per its mission statement, WWRP adopts an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, linking social scientists as well as academia and ECPs.
Subsequently, every project in WWRP’s Implementation Plan (2024–2027) has prioritized the inclusion of ECPs to strengthen innovation and integrate fresh perspectives. This is done through open calls for membership for WWRP projects and Working Groups to ensure equitable access to opportunity. The WWRP approach goes beyond simply having youth “representation” by ensuring that the expertise of ECPs is integrated into the design of projects. This approach also provides early-career scientists with an opportunity to engage as equals with senior scientists. Subsequently, ECPs are members of the Steering groups of all WWRP Projects and Task Teams.
WCRP is also deepening its commitment to supporting and engaging the next generation of climate scientists and stakeholders. Early and Мid-Сareer Researchers (EMCRs) are a pillar of WCRP’s activities, not only as participants, but also as key contributors shaping the future of climate research and action. In addition to the provision of resources, WCRP also collaborates with EMCRs, to support the professional growth of young scientists through hands-on experience in international climate research. This approach is part of WCRP’s commitment to ensuring that it remains dynamic, inclusive and forward-looking.
For example, EMCRs participate in WCRP governance structures and scientific activities, including serving as co-leads of project steering groups and actively engaging in workshops, training schools and major conferences. Dedicated activities, such as the WCRP Global South Fellowship, also support EMCRs by enabling them to develop their own research as well as enhance regional capacity and build international collaborations. Finally, WCRP is innovating its communication strategy to reach and inspire engagement from broader youth audiences. A new series of short videos is being developed for social media, including TikTok, to make climate science more accessible and relatable to young audiences, combat misinformation, and highlight the real-world relevance of long-term climate research. The goal is to encourage young people to feel that they can be part of meaningful solutions and can lead the transition toward climate resilience and sustainability.
The GAW Programme, in renewing its expert advisory groups, is also encouraging participation from younger scientists. For example, 10% of the membership of the Expert Team on Capacity Building is under 35 years old. Moreover, the GAW and WWRP junior scientific staff officers supported the launch of the WMO Spotify channel “Beyond the Forecast: Youth Conversations” on a variety of topics relevant to weather and climate research.
Empowering youth to drive scientific innovation
Recognizing that youth are the future of science, GAW, WWRP and WCRP support career development, training and education activities.
GAW places strong emphasis on involving ECP participants in its capacity building activities. For instance, an intercomparison exercise for monitoring ozone took place at the University of Santa Maria, in Brazil, giving students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the science and techniques used in stratospheric ozone monitoring. GAW also promotes the World Calibration Centre on Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6 ) Training and Education Course, focused on greenhouse gases (GHGs), which is hosted by the Korean Meteorological Administration. In the 2024 and 2025 editions, 16 out of 21 participants were under 35 years old. Additionally, the GAW Training and Education Centre (GAWTEC) provides scientific guidance and instruction for technicians and junior scientists working at global and regional GAW stations, focusing on the use of instruments and data. GAWTEC holds in-person courses twice a year, each with 10–12 participants. It also hosts a webinar series featuring keynote presentations on atmospheric composition by experts, offering a platform for knowledge exchange. In the last two editions, 8 out of 17 participants were ECPs from monitoring stations around the world.
GAW also contributes to seminars and training events coordinated by academic institutions. For example, GAW represents WMO in the European Dust Doctoral Network, which aims to train a team of early-career scientists to develop a multidisciplinary approach to mineral dust. GAW has also developed a partnership with Fudan University to organize a series of 10 courses over 10 years on specific topics related to climate risks, specifically aimed at young scientists. The first two courses in 2024 and 2025 included participants from over 19 countries − a vast majority at the graduate or post graduate levels. The 2025 edition focused on “Human Activity and Weather/Climate Extremes and Their Impacts”. Additionally, GAW routinely extends support to initiatives such as the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Early Career Researcher Online Conference, which took place in September. The event showcased the work of ECPs in atmospheric chemistry worldwide and fostered networking and engagement. To maximize global participation, the conference will be structured across multiple time zones.
Similarly, the WWRP promotes career and skill development within the ECP community by supporting attendance to international scientific conferences, subscriptions to leading scientific societies and prioritizing to ECPs in summer schools and training workshops. The most significant effort in this regard is the WWRP Mentorship Initiative, that aims to connect ECPs, regardless of geographical or institutional limitations, with senior scientists based on learning needs and professional journeys.
The Initiative has been well received thus far with potential to scale-up in the future. In the words of one of the mentees, Ruben Imhoff from Deltares, "WWRP’s mentorship program has helped me to learn from a more senior professional in our field. It is great to frequently meet with my mentor to discuss opportunities, share ideas and get different perspectives on how to approach specific projects. Since we are both involved in WWRP projects, it helps to see that my challenges are the same challenges that my mentor has come across. This allows us to discuss possible approaches and reassures me that I am not alone in this."
WCRP also creates spaces for youth to collaborate, learn and lead through a range of initiatives across its core projects, lighthouse activities and regional hubs. In particular, the WCRP Academy aims to provide equitable access to high-quality climate science education and training. The Academy connects young researchers around the world with learning opportunities (both online and in-person) fostering capacity development, especially in underrepresented regions. By mapping global training needs and resources, the Academy supports WCRP’s vision of a diverse, inclusive and well-equipped climate science community.
Another example of WCRP’s commitment to earlycareer development is the Fresh Eyes on the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) initiative, which invites EMCRs to critically assess and explore CMIP from new perspectives. This initiative provides EMCRs with training and capacity development in data analysis alongside global workshops designed to foster collaboration and innovative approaches. Additionally, WCRP is strengthening the My Climate Risk Early-Career Researcher Network across activities, including CMIP. These activities enhance the design of CMIP and expand EMCR engagement through hands-on practice, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities.
WCRP also collaborates closely with youth-oriented organizations such as YESS and Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) to expand its reach and impact. Collaboration with youth-oriented organizations results in broader participation of EMCRs in WCRP activities, including workshops, webinars and conference sessions. These partnerships also provide valuable networking and mentoring opportunities, build professional capacity and create mutual benefits by linking youth networks to WCRP’s global science agenda. Finally, such collaborations provide direct entry points into leadership roles within WCRP core projects while amplifying the visibility and impact of young researchers in international climate science.
Youth engagement through collaborative events
The research programmes also collaborate with partners in developing and delivering events to engage and inform youth, amplify their participation and empower them to co-design sustainable solutions.
In March 2025, during a nationwide youth-led Sustainability Week across Switzerland, GAW, WWRP, and WCRP collaborated with the WMO Youth Team and local universities to host events. The “Science for Society: Igniting Change through Youth Empowerment” workshop was co-hosted with Popaedia International, a student-led organization from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), and engaged 50 students and young professionals. The workshop inspired participants to explore WMO activity areas, and its success generated further requests from youth organizations and groups in Geneva for similar in-person and online sessions. GAW, WWRP and WCRP are also collaborate with UNIGE students on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summer School, currently taking place (from June to October). Through this initiative, WMO representatives support students in Geneva and globally by proposing real-world challenges related to weather and climate, offering mentorship, and engaging directly with student projects. This collaboration offers an excellent opportunity to connect with emerging talent – students from China, Hong Kong (SAR), India, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States from America – while contributing practical sustainability solutions to real-world problems. WWRP and GAW have also collaborated with the IGAC program to connect students at UNIGE during the SDG Summer School, and hosting sessions with the Global Climate Innovation Coalition.
Additionally, at the 8th International Workshop for Monsoons in March 2025, over 65 ECPs joined WWRP and WCRP supported sessions, contributing fresh insights on emerging research skills, the balance between artificial intelligence (AI) applications and physical understanding, and the need for better access to data and resources. And in April 2025, the Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System (IG3IS) initiative of the GAW Programme enabled and encouraged earlycareer participation in the Urban Greenhouse Gas Conference and Stakeholder Summit. The Summit ensured a balanced mix of early-career and senior presenters in oral sessions, and the hybrid format, absence of a registration fee, and open access conference materials made the conference accessible to young participants. Finally, in June 2025, WWRP led a session and workshop on co-production and people-centred early warning systems at the Sustainability, Resilience, and Innovation Africa Satellite Event in Nairobi, Kenya. This event was held in collaboration with Future Earth—highlighting youth-driven insights and aiming to make such events more accessible to youth in the Global South.
Looking ahead
As part of a growing and ongoing commitment, the WMO research programmes are not only informing young scientists, but actively empowering, equipping, and inspiring them to help shape innovative solutions and drive long-term resilience. Young people will be the ones developing and implementing the tools, technologies and frameworks needed for future adaptation and risk reduction. Its continuous engagement with youth ensures that WMO can adapt with agility to changing priorities and contexts in a world with rising uncertainties. Empowering youth in science is not only about inclusion but also about ensuring that the global response to weather, climate, water and environmental challenges is innovative, resilient and rooted in the realities of those who will carry it forward.