Endline Report 2025

Measuring the impact of climate education in building climate-resilient youth in landfill communities.

Are climate-vulnerable children becoming climate-resilient leaders?

Chintan’s Paryavaran Saathi – Endline Assessment evaluates the impact of a 41-week climate education programme on children (ages 10–18) living near Bhalswa and Bhopura landfills in Delhi NCR. By revisiting the same students surveyed in the baseline assessment, this report captures changes in their climate knowledge, attitudes and actions—revealing how sustained engagement can transform vulnerable youth into informed climate actors.

The assessment surveyed 323 students to understand shifts in climate literacy, perceptions of local climate impacts and real-life behaviour change.

Climate knowledge skyrocketed: only 8.9% could explain climate change in the baseline vs 56.97% at endline. Awareness of human-driven causes rose from 40.9% to 79.26%.
Attitudes transformed: students recognising climate change in their own communities jumped from 54.9% to 92.57%, with sharp increases in awareness of heat, rainfall changes, biodiversity loss and gendered climate impacts.
Participation in climate action surged: children reporting they “take action” grew from 20.57% to 70.28%. Understanding of mitigation strategies rose from 6.34% to 60.37%, and adaptation measures from 4.82% to 58.20%.
Access to climate information improved: students with no access to climate info dropped from 43.7% to 4.02%, with the programme itself cited as the primary source of learning (56.6%).

However, the report notes persistent challenges — continued dependence on government-led solutions (47.99%), insufficient disaster preparedness at household level, and rising climate anxiety (15.1% to 26.63%).

The Endline Assessment confirms that Paryavaran Saathi significantly improves climate literacy and leadership in waste-picker communities — but calls for deeper institutionalisation, continued hands-on learning, family engagement and mental-wellbeing support to sustain youth-led climate action.