Young people know it. They have the most stake in the future and the least say in decisions made by today’s leaders: decisions that continue to expand the ecocidal operations of the petronormative global order which destroys the possibility of a livable future. In a bitter parallel to the generational divide between digital natives and digital immigrants, today’s young people—the most climate literate generation of humans so far—have to contend with adults whose climate literacy leaves much to be desired. Even though many adults support young people’s fight, many more—including in corporate and political leadership—are caught up in commitments oriented to saving the market rather than the planet. Like the child in C.H. Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” today’s youths have no patience left for the naked king. They know that adults’ illusions are maintained by the dominant narrative of eternal growth in the market economy. 

     This chapter suggests that youth media productions offer the most versatile space where young people are able to articulate a counternarrative: to create a new story about where we are as a species and where we want to go from here. The argument starts by recognizing a systemic failure of the institutions of our petrocapitalist political order—including education—to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and other urgencies of the Anthropocene. We contend that traditional channels and frameworks within the current schooling systems are inadequate to accommodate student voices and concerns, leading to digital spaces becoming a creative forge for young people’s DIY climate literacy education. 

     Our argument is that climate literacy should not be a DIY project only but should also be centered in 21st century schooling. We believe that actively supporting youth media productions and engagement in educational spaces is essential if teachers are serious about joining young people in the fight for climate justice, universal climate literacy, and a transition to an ecological civilization. Accordingly, in this chapter we will describe the benefits, considerations, and best practices for teachers wishing to integrate student-created sustainability-related media projects into their curriculum. This guidance will be illustrated by real world examples of student created media assignments that can be applied to virtually any classroom environment.