Intergenerational Justice

We bring together work on intergenerational justice being undertaken across the University in collaboration with children, young people and other partners committed to supporting young people in navigating the challenges of climate change.

About

Children and young people (from now on referred to as young people) are one of the most affected groups by climate change and are at the forefront of climate action.  Perversely, they are not the main group responsible for carbon emissions that cause climate change. In addition to experiencing increasing levels of climate distress, young people often feel powerless and unheard by decision makers in relation to their claims for more climate action.

We  foster collaborative efforts to advance intergenerational climate justice with a focus on strengths-based, creative and participatory approaches.  We are developing new approaches to offset the trauma, health impacts and extended social disruptions from environmental threats such as disasters.

Seven Capitals from the Climate Superpowers Project

Leads

Katitza Marinkovic Chavez - Research Fellow - Disaster, Climate and Adversity Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, MDHS

• Kati is a Psychologist and Research Fellow at the School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne. She applies participatory approaches to collaborate with children and youth in contexts of climate change, disasters, and domestic violence.

Pheobe Quinn - Research Fellow - Disaster, Climate and Adversity Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, MDHS

• Phoebe holds a Master of Public Health and is undertaking a PhD with funding from Melbourne Climate Futures and Natural Hazards Research Australia, exploring democratic innovations using digital technologies, and their potential for community decision-making around disasters and climate change. More broadly, her research includes disaster resilience, community wellbeing and social justice, and strengths-based approaches to disasters and climate change.

Sunny Nguyen - Research Officer - Disaster, Climate and Adversity Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, MDHS

• Sunny is an intergenerational justice and equity specialist at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, where he works on youth climate mental health, Indigenous engagement, and ageing amid climate crises. His career spans government, academic, health systems and NGOs, and is defined by a commitment to embedding ethics, equity, and intergenerational perspectives into climate-health action.