Origin Story
GenAction unites 30 science centres across the nation to deliver climate action programming inspiring our next generation of climate heroes – like you!
Its mission is to engage over 200,000 youth by 2024. Collectively, participating science centres are connecting educators and youth with Science Spotlights, accessible peer-reviewed climate research articles, raising awareness of climate change science AND delivering programming to educate citizens on climate actions they can take to make a difference.
Did you know that human activity is the number one cause of climate change?
Climate change is a long-term change in weather conditions identified by temperature, precipitation, or winds, from the increase of heat in the atmosphere. If our Earth becomes too hot from emissions caused by humans, it can lead to more conditions like droughts, floods, or dangerous winds. If climate actions are neglected, the more negative impacts of climate change will be evident. It’s time for GenAction!
You Can Be a Climate Hero
Here are examples of daily climate actions you can take to make a difference:
- Unplug devices that are not in use
- Make homegrown compost as fertilizer for your gardens
- Eat a more seasonal, plant-rich diet
- Ride a bike to school or travel with a friend
- Donate unwanted toys and clothes
- Plan or participate in a community cleanup at school
- Read our Science Spotlights and spread the word about climate change science and actions
Join the Movement and Pledge to Be a Climate Hero Today
Our Mission Impact
Interact with the map below to discover climate action commitments happening in your region and the collective impact youth have on the future of our planet.
Science Spotlight
Discover local climate research from science heroes in your region and climate actions that you can do at home, in your classroom or in your community. They are available in French and English, to read online or download.
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Food Chain Reactions: How Climate Change Is Impacting Canada’s Lakes
Chaînes alimentaires et réactions en chaîne, ou comment le changement climatique est en train d’impacter les lacs du Canada
A team of researchers has been studying native lake trout in lakes across Canada. They knew that climate change could change Canadian ecosystems drastically. To support the study, the scientists looked for data on lake geography, their physical characteristics, and even the fish communities living within them. Eventually, they assembled a dataset of almost twenty-two thousand Canadian lakes and could draw conclusions about how the lakes are impacted by climate change.
Une équipe de chercheur.euse.s a étudié les touladis indigènes de lacs situés un peu partout au Canada. Ils/elles savaient que le changement climatique pouvait modifier les écosystèmes canadiens de manière spectaculaire. Pour appuyer leur étude, les scientifiques se sont intéressé.e.s aux données sur la géographie des lacs, leurs caractéristiques physiques, et même les communautés de poissons qui y vivent. Ils/elles ont fini par constituer un ensemble de données sur presque vingt-deux mille lacs canadiens, et ont pu tirer des conclusions sur la manière dont les lacs sont affectés par le changement climatique.
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Getting to the Core of Climate Change: A Look at How Refrigerants Are Affecting Our Environment through Ice Cores
Au cœur du changement climatique : Grâce aux carottes de glace, voyons comment les réfrigérants affectent notre environnement
Ice cores are long cylinders of ice that are drilled from ice sheets and glaciers. Some ice does not melt, even in the summer, so the snow that falls on it buries snow from past years. That snow eventually turns into ice that has captured the chemicals that were in the air and on the snow when it formed, including pollutants. Ice cores can reveal atmospheric particles or aerosols (which are tiny invisible pieces of solids or liquids that float in the air and even in our atmosphere!) from thousands of years ago and tell us a lot about what the world used to be like.
Les carottes de glace, aussi appelées carottes glaciaires, sont de longs cylindres de glace que l’on fore dans les inlandsis (calottes glaciaires) et les glaciers. Il y a de la glace qui ne fond pas, même en été, alors la neige qui tombe dessus enterre la neige des années passées. Cette neige finit par se transformer en glace, une glace qui a capturé les produits chimiques qui étaient dans l’air et sur la neige quand elle s’est formée, incluant des polluants. Les carottes de glace peuvent révéler des particules atmosphériques ou aérosols (qui sont de toutes petites parcelles invisibles de solides ou de liquides flottant dans l’air et même dans notre atmosphère !) vieilles de milliers d’années, et nous en dire ainsi beaucoup sur comment était le monde autrefois.
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Trees on the Move
Les arbres se déplacent
Trees are important, both environmentally, creating oxygen, shelter, and food for the creatures in their environment, and economically, providing lumber for industry and construction. Assisted migration is being considered to help conserve some trees that are not able to spread their seeds fast or far enough to move to new environments as their old ones become uninhabitable for them due to climate change. Scientists have been researching cold adjustment in tree rings of migration-assisted trees to see how far we can move trees to other areas and have them thrive.
Les arbres sont importants, tant sur le plan environnemental, car ils produisent de l’oxygène et fournissent un abri et de la nourriture aux créatures se trouvant dans leur environnement, que sur le plan économique, car ils fournissent le bois d’œuvre pour l’industrie et pour le secteur de la construction. On considère que la migration assistée aide à conserver certains arbres qui ne sont pas capables de propager leurs graines assez vite ou assez loin pour se déplacer dans de nouveaux environnements quand les leurs deviennent inhabitables à cause du changement climatique. Les scientifiques ont effectué des recherches sur l’adaptation au froid, en examinant les anneaux de croissance d’arbres que l’on a aidés à migrer pour voir jusqu’à quelle distance on peut déplacer des arbres vers d’autres régions, et les voir s’y épanouir.
Member Organizations
Meet the 30 science centers participating in GenAction and find local climate action programs in your region.
