More than 500 teenagers in Burgenland, Austria, will help shape the region’s revised climate strategy, which aims to make Burgenland climate-neutral by 2040. Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported the plan on 26 October 2026.
The move puts young people at the centre of a strategy that will shape the region they will live in for decades to come. Instead of consulting teenagers after decisions are made, Burgenland is asking for their ideas before the first draft is written.
Workshops at 11 schools
Upper secondary students will take part in workshops at 11 schools, according to ORF. There, they can discuss the strategy with experts and share their own views on what Burgenland’s climate future should look like.
The workshops are the first step in the process. They give students a direct channel into regional climate policy, rather than leaving the strategy to officials and expert groups alone.
Youth conference in mid-November
The results of the school workshops will be brought together and presented at the Burgenland Youth Climate Conference in mid-November. The conference will gather the young participants’ ideas in one place, so they can be carried forward as a single youth contribution.
From youth ideas to a first draft
Together with findings from expert working groups, the workshop results will provide the basis for a first draft of the new strategy. The draft is due to be presented in early 2027.
When the draft appears, the public will also have an opportunity to give feedback and submit ideas, Deputy Governor Anja Haider-Wallner said in a statement reported by ORF.
Why youth voices matter
Climate strategies set the course for energy, transport, housing and land use for many years. The teenagers taking part in Burgenland’s workshops will live with those choices longer than any other age group.
By inviting young people in at the drafting stage, the region is also testing a wider idea: that climate policy works better when the people most affected by it help to write it. The Burgenland process will show whether that early involvement produces a strategy with broader support when it is published.
Key facts
- More than 500 young people can contribute ideas to Burgenland’s revised climate strategy.
- Workshops will take place at 11 upper secondary schools, with students discussing the strategy with experts.
- Results will be presented at the Burgenland Youth Climate Conference in mid-November.
- The first draft of the strategy is due in early 2027, when the public can also give feedback.
- The strategy aims to make Burgenland climate-neutral by 2040.
- Source: ORF, as reported on 26 October 2026.
