Young people at a crossroads: Negotiations of environmental knowledges, practices and subjectivities in immigrant homes at a time of climate crisis

随着青年气候行动主义在世界各地的发展，该项目将产生独特的理解，了解来自全球南方（GS）的第一代和第二代移民组成的家庭如何应对两个种族多样化城市（曼彻斯特和墨尔本）的气候危机的生活经历。就政治和社会对气候危机的反应而言，第二代移民不仅在历史的十字路口成长，而且在他们的家庭生活中，在根植于（至少）两个国家的一系列政治和文化价值观、经济可能性和环境特征之间，也处于另一个十字路口。这个开创性的项目将是同类项目中第一个对这一经常被忽视的年轻人群体进行研究的项目，从两个城市和来自不同种族背景的年轻人中获得见解。该项目的核心问题是，第二代移民——当今最具“气候变化意识”的一代人的一部分——如何与父母讨论和协商应对气候危机的措施，这些父母可能亲身经历过资源和气候的不确定性，但他们的知识在全球北方（GN）环境中往往不受重视。这一领域的研究既及时又重要，因为在已经感受到气候变化影响的社会迫切需要根深蒂固的适应的时候，GS移民拥有宝贵的知识，而这些知识往往不为他们所生活的GN环境中的公众和政策制定者所了解或完全理解。对GN地区成年移民的现有研究发现，移民更倾向于“可持续”的做法，比如减少家庭垃圾、节约用水、走路或骑自行车而不是开车。随着城市寻求实现雄心勃勃的可持续发展议程，随着城市居民越来越多地感受到气候变化的影响，GS移民的知识和经验可以为如何应对干旱、极端天气和气候变化的其他影响提供见解。年轻人在从学校到家庭传递环境教育信息方面的作用得到了充分的研究和记录（包括由PI）。然而，一个重要但很大程度上尚未开发的领域是，第二代移民如何回应并使父母对气候不确定性的认识在学校中为人所知，这些知识可以丰富和多样化现有的气候变化教育。该项目将采用一种行动研究方法，通过培训年轻人在家中开展研究并与父母、同龄人、教师和研究人员合作，支持年轻人的参与。行动研究将产生一个工具包，记录使气候变化教育多样化的资源（除其他产出外）。这有可能使学生、教师、政策制定者和环保非政府组织受益，特别是第二代移民及其家庭，因为他们所拥有的宝贵知识在曼彻斯特、墨尔本和其他地方得到认可、辩论和应用。同时，该项目将通过在主要的社会科学期刊上发表文章、PI的第一本专著和在国际会议上发表演讲，对环境政治、政治地理和批判环境教育领域作出重要的学术贡献。这些学术成果将使PI成为这些领域交叉点的领先研究人员。这项研究将进一步加强PI和导师通过其对环境、可持续性和移徙的现有研究开始建立的国际网络。在一个比以往任何时候都更需要关于如何应对气候变化在不同社会中的“邪恶挑战”的知识的时代，这项研究具有巨大的潜力，可以导致进一步的国际合作，以推进这一重要而独特的领域。

As youth climate activism grows around the world, this project will generate unique understandings into how families composed of first and second generation immigrants from the Global South (GS) are responding to lived experiences of climate crisis in two ethnically diverse cities: Manchester and Melbourne. As well as growing up at a historic crossroads in terms of political and societal responses to the climate crisis, second generation immigrants are at an additional crossroads in their family life, between sets of political and cultural values, economic possibilities and environmental characteristics that have roots in (at least) two countries. This pioneering project will be the first of its kind to conduct research with this often overlooked group of young people, generating insights from two cities, with young people from a range of ethnic backgrounds. The question at the heart of the project is how second generation immigrants - part of the most 'climate change-aware' generation alive today - discuss and negotiate responses to the climate crisis with parents who may have first-hand experience of living with resource and climate uncertainty, yet whose knowledge is often not valued in Global North (GN) contexts. This area of research is both timely and important because at a time when deep-rooted adaptations are urgently needed in societies already feeling the effects of climate change, GS immigrants hold valuable knowledges that are often not known to or fully appreciated by the public and by policy makers in the GN contexts where they are living. Existing research with adult immigrants in the GN has found that immigrants show a higher disposition towards 'sustainable' practices such as reducing household waste, using water sparingly, and walking or cycling over driving. As cities seek to meet ambitious sustainability agendas and as city residents increasingly feel the effects of climate change, the knowledge and experience of GS immigrants can offer insights into how to respond to drought, extreme weather and other effects of climate change. The role of young people in carrying environmental education messages from schools to homes is well researched and documented (including by the PI). However, an important but largely unexplored area is how second generation immigrants respond to and make parents' knowledge of living with climate uncertainty known in schools, where such knowledge can enrich and diversify existing climate change education. The project will employ an action research methodology that will support young people's participation by training them to carry out research in their homes and work with parents, peers, teachers and researchers. The action research will result in a toolkit documenting resources for diversifying education on climate change (among other outputs). This has the potential to benefit students, teachers, policy-makers and environmental NGOS, and in particular second generation immigrants and their families as the valuable knowledge they hold is recognised, debated and applied in Manchester, Melbourne and beyond. Concurrently, the project will make important academic contributions to the fields of environmental politics, political geography and critical environmental education through publications in leading social scientific journals, the PI's first monograph and presentations at international conferences. These academic outputs will position the PI as a leading researcher who is uniquely positioned at the intersection of these fields. The research will furthermore strengthen international networks that the PI and mentors have begun to build through their existing research into environment, sustainability and migration. At a time when knowledge on how to respond to the 'wicked challenge' of climate change in diverse societies is more needed than ever, the research has significant potential to lead to further international collaborations to advance this important and unique area.