AN URGENT call has been launched to tackle misinformation which councillors say is fuelling 'climate anxiety and fatalism' amongst young people.

Carlisle City Council's health and wellbeing scrutiny panel were discussing climate change and the work of the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership on Thursday.

Members of the panel agreed that it is their responsibility to call-out misinformation, and tell young people that they can make a difference when it comes to climate change.

Labour councillor for Currock and Upperby Colin Glover said: "Every now and then somebody says something that shocks you into action and yesterday I was talking to a young guy in his 20s, we were talking about climate change and he said he's pretty much given up because he thinks he could be the last generation."

Councillor Glover tried to explain to him: "The less we do now, the more needs to be done.

"It's a bit like when you're encouraging people to take out a pension; you take it out in your 20s, you'll get the benefit in retirement. If you don't take it out until you're 50, you're in trouble. It's the same with climate change.

"This young guy was saying he feels like it's already too late."

The Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership is made up of more than 70 cross-sector organisations who are working to reduce the county's emissions to nil before 2037.

Part of their work involves educating the public about how they can play their part.

Partnership manager Tim Gale said: "Really interesting point on climate anxiety. I see it, I've got young family, their friends, you hear conversations.

"I'm plugged into different meetings where we're engaging young people where there is climate anxiety and it's not nice, it's not pleasant and it's worrying."

Mr Gale said that it is important to address issues such as fuel poverty which are more tangible elements of climate health.

But he said: "There are things like that as well like anxiety that are affecting people's mental health, particularly young people. So that's absolutely something that we are very concious of."

Conservative councillor Gareth Ellis said: "I think if we do come across young people who are off the idea that they're the last generation or that the world is going to end or that their children are going to be worse off in a generation's time then we actually need to tell them the truth that it is not the case.

"Even in the worse case scenarios, they're not going to be the last generation. Their life isn't going to be worse off. It's up to us to actually not just tell them not to give up, we also need to tell them that there's context to this and that the world isn't going to end."

He said that there are young people who are convinced the world is going to end: "And that's because of the nonsense pumped out by some people who are suffering with health problems themselves and we need to challenge that. We can't just let those people set the agenda."

Citizens' Juries are taking place in Cumbria and across the country with residents giving their view on what more can be done to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

Mr Gale added that through the partnership, practitioners are working with young people in a variety of settings. It is a key goal to support young people to access the right information.