How young People talk and are talked about: Regional Policy Discourses and Community-Based Dialogues on Local Climate Adaptation

Local climate adaptation requires alignment between rhetorical, policy-level, and experiential, real-life levels, particularly concerning groups most likely to be affected by the climate crisis, such as young people. This article examines this issue on two levels: i) how young people are talked about and represented in normative policy discourses in climate regional plans, and ii) how young people talk and make themselves heard in dialogues with community stakeholders. First, a content analysis was conducted on the Climate Change Adaptation Plans of 8 northern regions of Portugal. Second, a thematic analysis was performed on observation notes from 8 'climate collaborative labs' in those regions. The findings show that normative discourses mostly ascribe passive and vulnerable roles to young people, overlooking them in the design and implementation of adaptation measures. Yet, when given the opportunity to participate in climate-related discussions, young people reveal themselves as willing to engage in collaborative efforts towards solutions for their territories, despite facing adults' condescending attitudes.