From Echoes to Impact: How Young People Are Leading Climate Action in Asia

by Muskaan Anand, Asia Regional Representative, Commonwealth Youth Council

The youth of Asia are no strangers to adversity, but what defines them is not the weight they carry, but the will with which they rise. Amidst uncertainty and shifting realities, they are choosing action over apathy, courage over indifference. Nowhere is this resolve more visible than in the realm of climate leadership. As the region faces intensifying environmental challenges, young people are stepping into the breach, not with grand resources, but with grounded ideas and a deep commitment to protect the places they call home.

This World Environment Day, the Commonwealth Youth Council celebrated this unstoppable momentum through Voices for Our Planet – From Echoes to Impact, a week-long campaign spotlighting the force of youth-led climate action across Asia.

What made this initiative unique was not just its scale, but its soul. It was rooted in the everyday actions of young people confronting climate injustice in their communities, often with limited resources but boundless resolve.

Climate Action in Asia: Urgency Meets Innovation

Asia’s climate vulnerability demands urgent, context-specific responses. But formal climate frameworks often move slowly, and community needs frequently outpace policy reform. This is where young people are stepping in, developing hyper-local solutions, building awareness, and reimagining sustainable futures from the ground up. From the terraced hills of the Himalayas to the bustling urban corridors of Dhaka and Delhi, young people are restoring degraded land, reducing plastic waste, promoting green infrastructure, and pushing for stronger climate laws. In many places, they are the only ones doing so.

Voices for Our Planet began with a virtual launch pre-event co-organized by the Commonwealth Youth Council, along with the Commonwealth Youth Climate Action Network, the Commonwealth Asia Youth Alliance, the Commonwealth Youth for Sustainable Urbanisation, YOUNGO’s Energy Working Group, and the Solar Radiation Modification Youth Watch. The event brought together young people from the Asia region and seasoned experts from Commonwealth bodies, partner organisations, and UNESCAP.

This virtual pre-event started a conversation. A space where youth voiced their hopes, shared their exhaustion, and reaffirmed their commitment. Several participants discussed the mental toll of working on climate issues, particularly in environments where support systems are limited and political resistance is high. Experts responded not with platitudes, but with lived experiences, offering lessons on rest, resilience, and pacing activism for the long haul.

From Awareness to Advocacy: Local Stories, Lasting Impact

Over the week that followed, youth-led climate actions unfolded across Asia, ranging from foundational efforts like starting eco-clubs and organising clean-up drives, to structural engagement like influencing state environmental policies. This collective resolve was reflected in a series of standout initiatives led by young changemakers across Asia. For example, Ashyk Newaz Ahmed in Bangladesh led workshops on rooftop plantation to promote climate-resilient urban living; Abhishek Panwar in India founded youth clubs, launched Majlis—a children’s assembly to eliminate plastic waste and raised awareness on sustainable practices; Ahmed Kamal in Pakistan mobilised young people through “170 Actions for a Sustainable Future”, a campaign that linked daily actions to global sustainability goals.

These aren’t isolated efforts; they’re part of a growing ecosystem of youth-led change across the Commonwealth. They also show that when empowered, young people don’t just demand climate justice, they deliver it.

Sustaining the Momentum

To continue this movement, the Commonwealth Youth Council will identify and announce a cohort of Climate Action Ambassadors, young changemakers who have shown exceptional initiative during the campaign. Their role will be to sustain community action, mentor peers, and amplify Asia’s youth climate voice within and beyond the Commonwealth.

A Shared Responsibility

The climate crisis in Asia is real, and it is urgent. But the energy and leadership of young people offer hope and demand recognition. Initiatives like Voices for Our Planet remind us that youth are not waiting to be invited into climate spaces; they are already leading. What they need now is not encouragement, but investment in their ideas, in their initiatives, and in their right to shape the environmental future of a region they call home.