We are all part of different communities. Communities can include your school, neighborhood, town/city, ethnic group, religious affiliation, etc. Communities take on many shapes and forms. Who is in your community?

Are there community groups or local organizations in your area that focus on climate work? If so, what do they do? (Examples might include a community garden group, a bicycling group, an environmental justice group, etc.)

Are you already part of a community that is responding to the climate crisis? If so, how are you working together?

Do you want to be more involved in your community? How do you want to help your community respond to the climate crisis?

Read "What do you mean by climate crisis" below for more ideas on climate impacts and solutions.

Interview a community organization responding to the climate crisis on a local level.

Produce a news segment or documentary-style piece on a local climate impact or source of heat-trapping gas emissions and how the community is working toward a solution.

Explain how you want to support your community's climate work through narration, acting, animation, song, or other story-telling methods.

Have an idea not listed here? Go with it! We look forward to seeing your creativity!

Note: Your video must be no longer than 3 MINUTES. Plan with that limitation in mind.

Note: Everyone whose face is visible in your video must fill out a waiver, with the signature of a parent or guardian if under 18. See the Rules, below. If your video includes interviews, have them sign the waiver at the time of the interview.

Note: If video includes languages other than English, please provide English subtitles. See tips in the Rules section below.

• Not all people experience pollution and climate change equally. Having fewer burdens and greater wealth can make it easier to adapt and respond to climate changes. Historic and present-day racism has often resulted in industry, highways, and ports located in predominently BIPOC communities, increasing the health and economic harms of pollution and sharpening the impacts of climate change. Communities with lower incomes, BIPOC communities, people with disabilities, older or very young people, women — all can be more at risk from climate change. Climate justice is a concept that focuses on addressing the unequal burdens of climate change and working toward equity in climate change solutions. Read more about climate justice from the University of California Center for Climate Justice and the MIT Climate Portal.
• Talking about climate change is important. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication showed that while 72% of Americans surveyed in 2021 understand that global warming is happening, 65% never discuss global warming with others. Only 57% of Americans surveyed understand that climate change is caused by people, and 53% think it won't harm them personally. A recent study of more than 6,000 people in the U.S. found that while supporters of major climate policies outnumber opponents 2 to 1, Americans falsely perceive nearly the opposite to be true. As you explore the Yale Climate Opinion Map, does it lead you to new questions or ideas for how to communicate about climate change in your community?
• Eliminating the use of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas will slow and reduce the impacts of climate change. The United States gets 80% of its total energy from coal, oil, and methane gas for uses like heating, transportation, manufacturing, and electricity. In California, almost half of electricity is from renewable sources, but that varies widely depending on your local community's resources and choices. In 2018, California passed a law to end the use of fossil fuels for electricity by 2045. You can find information on California's oil refineries and renewable energy resources from the California Energy Commission, and explore a map of oil and gas wells and related facilities from the California Department of Conservation. Do these resources lead you to new questions or ideas for how to address the use and impact of fossil fuels in your community?
• In September 2023, the State of California sued five major oil companies (Exxon, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and BP) and the American Petroleum Institute for deception, cover-up, and damage of health and environmental impacts resulting from their business practices. Read the press release and the text of the lawsuit. Does this lead you to questions or ideas on how your community can address the climate crisis?
• While we work to end our use of fossil fuels, it's important to responsibly plan for a future of climate change. Sea level is rising, although the amount it will rise depends on how fast we eliminate CO₂ emissions. Learn about sea level rise in California and how the choices coastal communities make today will have a big impact on what our coast looks like tomorrow.
• According to the US EPA, transportation is the largest source of heat-trapping gases in the United States, at 27% of the total as of 2020. Emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuel for cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes. What methods of more sustainable transportation are available in your community? How could your community reduce the distance traveled for things like work, shopping, and fun?
• California's increasingly dangerous and prolonged fire season is connected to climate change. Read about the connection and the impacts in Grist and Yale Climate Connections articles. UC Santa Barbara's ENVENT Lab has produced climate fact sheets on a number of topics including the connection between climate change and wildfires. California Tribes and others are calling for a return to traditional fire management practices to reduce large, dangerous wildfires. How is your community addressing wildfires and the resulting smoke?
• We can help protect coastal communities and habitat from sea level rise and increasing storms through nature-based projects including dune and wetland restoration. Beaches (which are important public recreation lands as well as serving as habitat and flood protection) can move inland as sea level rises unless hard structures are in the way of that movement. How does this knowledge relate to your community's preparation for sea level rise?
• We can pull some CO₂ out of the air and ocean (a process called carbon sequestration) through activities like carbon farming, kelp restoration, and wetlands conservation. Many of these actions have other benefits for natural and human communities. Do projects like these have a place in your community?
• Project Drawdown is a research organization that identifies, analyzes, and reviews global climate solutions. Find their ranked list of solutions linking to information about each of them. Do any of these solutions exist in your community?

2022 - What is your vision for a thriving future?
First place: Growing Our Future, by Charlotte Quintanar
Second place: Dream Earth, Moselle Mac and Kyle Lieu
Third place: Compost Happens, Audrey Ma
Honorable mention: Blockville, Rosemary Achauer, Claire Kaltsas, and Kimmy Swift

2021 - What does climate justice look like to me?
First place: The Health Crisis at the US-Mexico Border, Ilan Jinich
Second place: What does climate justice look like?, Natalie Cavander
Third place tie: What Will We Choose?, Emma Weibel, Elena Grilli, Solaine Bardin, and Inji Hamdoun
Third place tie: The Climate News Network PSA, Ify Chidi, Aamir Haq, Kate Rivera, and Shenran Chen
Honorable mention: What does climate justice look like to me?, Rajvi Umrigar, Hasith Basnayake, Nikki Liu, Frank Hobson, and Jena Alsup

2020 - How can we come together for the climate?
Winning video, by Edison and Ashley Jun

Watch a playlist of winning videos from previous years