Climate change adoption programs to promote equity and social justice among youth: insights from the global perspective

Purpose This study aims to find out the impact of climate change adoption programs to promote equity and social justice among youth. Towards that, the objective of this review paper is to explore how do climate change adoption programs impact equity and social justice among youth, to investigate the challenges of climate change adoption programs on equity and social justice among youth across the world and to find the major mitigating strategies used across the globe to overcome climate impacts on equity and social justice among youth. Design/methodology/approach A narrative literature review was conducted, focusing on the selection of studies from prominent electronic bibliographic databases. Seven themes that describe climate change adoption programs, the role of non-governmental organizations and the impacts, difficulties and tactics of these programs to foster social justice and equity among young people have surfaced from the literature search. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria, the review was carried out between 2015 and 2025. Findings While youth are acknowledged as crucial actors in climate action, they face significant obstacles, such as systemic marginalization, limited access to decision-making and financial constraints, which hinder their ability to drive equitable adaptation. The global climate crisis disproportionately affects vulnerable populations in low-income countries, who contribute minimally to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating health inequalities and endangering the livelihoods of women, children, Indigenous communities and the elderly. Originality/value This literature review is unique because it details the impacts, challenges and mitigating strategies of climate change adoption programs to promote equity and social justice among youth that have not been examined previously.