Table Topics: Creating Space for Deliberate Dialogue About Climate Change
By Vincent Wong
Spotlight Awards: SECOND Place
This article was awarded second place in the inaugural Perspectives on Global Health Spotlight Awards in the category of Climate Change
The climate crisis poses a significant threat to global health. The World Economic Forum (2024) estimates climate change to cost health care systems an additional US$1.1 trillion globally by 2050. In addition to the financial burden, climate change is predicted to cause an additional 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 to 2050 from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress alone (World Health Organization, 2023). With increasingly frequent natural disasters, deaths and chronic illness from environmental stress will continue to rise.
Earth’s average temperature climbed above 1.5ºC compared to pre-industrial levels for the first time in 2024 (Bevacqua et al., 2025). While breaching this threshold for one year does not mean that we have officially exceeded the 1.5 ºC target of the Paris Agreement, this news—nonetheless—underscores the urgency of climate action.
When I read climate news today, I often feel disheartened; it makes me wonder whether we—as individuals and as a society—are doing enough to protect our planet for future generations. My eco-anxiety also feels isolating because climate change is not a topic I often discuss with my peers. Our busy schedules put these difficult—yet important—conversations aside.
Noticing this gap, I wanted to create space for meaningful climate conversations. In January 2025, I collaborated with Apathy is Boring (AiB)—a youth-led organization that supports democratic engagement—to host a community gathering for 19 young people residing in Montreal to discuss sustainability and climate action. The objective was not to find the best solution to resolve climate change, but rather to dedicate time, energy, and space to reflect on our beliefs, share stories, recognize our gaps in knowledge, and learn from one another.
A Framework for Democratic Engagement
AiB’s Table Topics initiative, founded in 2019, creates opportunities for young people to gather over a meal and share their ideas about a topic relating to Canada’s democracy. Studies show that the more a young person talks about political issues, the more likely they are to take action such as voting and advocacy (Levine & Settersten, 2009). Political participation and civic engagement are crucial to the health and performance of our democracy. It allows young people to realize their power as citizens and to understand how they can leverage their position, knowledge, or skillset to contribute to a social issue.
For this event, I was selected as one of 16 youth leads from across Canada to host a Round Table Topics, funded by the Youth Take Charge grant from the Government of Canada. This iteration of Table Topics covered many themes including artificial intelligence, global conflicts, Indigenous reconciliation, housing, and electoral reforms. In my case, I was interested in how my peers perceive climate change and climate action.
Planning and Facilitating the Event
AiB staff provided two key resources to prepare youth leads for their events: virtual training sessions and the Toolkit. Virtual training sessions provided best practices for group facilitation and conflict resolution (e.g. setting group norms), whereas the Toolkit is a free resource with guidance on facilitation practices and the planning process for anyone wishing to engage in political dialogue.
For my event, I used a conversational approach to encourage semi-structured dialogue. The conversations were deliberate in that the participants were given open-ended prompts but was flexible because their conversations unfolded organically. The concept of a round table situates all participants on equal footing; it symbolizes that everyone has an equal right to speak.
The gathering began with a catered dinner where participants informally connected. After the meal, we gathered in a circle to collectively establish group norms. We then split into five breakout groups of four participants each, rotating through stations with open ended prompts:
Describe a moment when you felt connected with nature?
What worries you about the future of our planet? What gives you hope?
Can you think of (individual or collective) actions that you want to see happen to tackle climate change?
How do you personally define nature? Does nature include human civilization? If so, at what point does civilization become nature?
What have you heard on the news (or in politics) regarding the climate crisis?
Breakout groups documented their discussions at each station using sticky notes and poster paper such that subsequent groups could reflect on—or even respond to—previous comments. The event concluded by reconvening the whole group to discuss each person’s takeaways and complete feedback forms.
Insights
Several themes emerged during our discussions. Participants expressed concern about systemic issues including lack of political prioritization, wealth inequality, and corporate accountability. Others identified a disconnect between knowledge and action—what one participant called the "knowledge-doing gap." Still others emphasized hope through local, community-based initiatives and education. Many participants advocated for concrete actions including carbon taxation, pedestrian-friendly cities, localized food systems, and reduction of fast fashion. While participants were deeply concerned about climate change, they found hope in collective action, technological advancement, and youth leadership.
Our discussions directly connect to global health concerns. For example, participants recognized the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable populations, noting that “the people most affected by climate change are the ones least responsible.” This reality connects to global health equity principles and underscores the need for climate justice. Participants also emphasized the interconnectedness of climate change and health outcomes, noting that the increased frequency of climate disasters will have a significant human toll.
The Power of Community Spaces
The event allowed participants to process their personal understanding of climate change—which many described as "enlightening" and "eye-opening"—while fostering a sense of community. As I previously mentioned, the objective was the process of having this dialogue, not a specific outcome or idea.
I believe that community-based conversation circles can function as an effective grassroots method to enhance social cohesion and engage young people in political dialogue. My hope is that by sharing this story, others will feel motivated to organize similar gatherings in their own communities, whether formally or informally. There is profound value in creating intentional spaces for reflection and connection about pressing global issues such as climate change. Each of us has the power to make a difference—it could be as simple as hosting a dinner party.
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank Irmak Taner from Apathy is Boring for her guidance with planning the event and her contributions reviewing and editing this article. I also extend sincere gratitude to all the participants: Kenzie Woodland, Emma Wong, Kate Townson-Carolan, Romain Perusat, Ben Merbaum, Dan Voicu, Zoe Martin, Henry Stephenson, Keira Gallagher, Brenna Shimizu, Benjamin Hartwick, Eva Elbert, Elliot Durkee, Camille Deslongchamps, Elliott Cole, Zach Charlesworth, Gabe Jon, Audrey Cronin, and Sophie Allard. Your open-minded participation and unbound curiosity give me hope for a brighter future.
References
Bevacqua, E., Schleussner, C.-F., & Zscheischler, J. (2025). A year above 1.5 °C signals that Earth is most probably within the 20-year period that will reach the Paris Agreement limit. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02246-9
Levine, P., & Settersten, R. (2009). Civic Engagement and the Changing Transition to Adulthood.
World Economic Forum. (2024). Quantifying the impact of climate change on human health. In collaboration with Oliver Wyman. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Quantifying_the_Impact_of_Climate_Change_on_Human_Health_2024.pdf
World Health Organization. (2023, October 12). Climate change. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
Vincent Wong (he/him)
is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Honours Neuroscience at McGill University as a Loran Scholar. Beyond his research on multiple sclerosis at the Montreal Neurological Institute, Vincent is passionate about strengthening Canada’s healthcare system, specifically in reimagining primary care and advancing rural health equity. In 2022, Vincent completed a Feast Centre Community Fellowship in Yellowknife, where he collaborated with Inuit communities to identify health research priorities. This experience deepened his commitment to serving rural and northern communities as a future physician, researcher, and health advocate. He is also a volunteer first responder and serves as an editor for the McGill Journal of Global Health. In his spare time, Vincent enjoys exploring the outdoors through camping, rock climbing, and long-distance running.