"Why would they care?": Youth, resource extraction, and climate change in northern British Columbia, Canada.

Discussion about local decision making tends to overlook rural and remote youth engagement. Resource extractive industries are, however, fixtures in many rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous communities in settler colonial British Columbia, Canada. These industries shape youths' perceived options for social and economic ventures when they are looking towards their futures. By engaging literature on climate change, settler colonialism, and critical Indigenous studies, and drawing on empirics from workshops conducted with youth from northern British Columbia, this paper explores how rural and remote northern and Indigenous youth engagement and perspectives can transform discussions on climate change and resource extraction. The paper documents how rural and northern youth have been engaged in environmental decision making, particularly in light of resource extraction. The paper also suggests that environmental decision making has at times been extractive itself. The paper concludes that when engaged meaningfully, youth desire to work collectively against social and environmental injustices. Key Messages: How rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous youth have been engaged in environmental decision making has at times been extractive itself.On local and global stages, youth—and particularly Indigenous youth—are demanding action‐oriented and accountable responses to the climate crises.Youth from northern BC communicate desires for the future of their communities to reveal the power of youth voices as they contribute to more just and sustainable communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]