PUPILS from York and North Yorkshire will be looking at how the world will survive in the future at a young people's version of the Earth Summit.

Youngsters from Fulford School in York, Easingwold School, St Aiden's School in Harrogate and St Augustine's School, Scarborough, will be taking part in the event based on the Johannesburg Earth Summit of 2002.

The pupils will get the chance to question government ministers on their commitment to green issues at the event, near Doncaster, later this month.

Taking place at the Earth Centre at Conisborough, in South Yorkshire, the "summit" has been organised by the Institute For Citizenship.

It aims to encourage young people to think about and influence sustainable development in their communities.

Each school will specialise on an issue such as energy, bio-diversity, agriculture, fisheries, corporate accountability, over-consumption and water.

The schools have developed plans which they will present to a panel made up of local councillors and government ministers.

The pupils will then be able to quiz the panel on their commitment to sustainable development.

A spokesperson for the Institute For Citizenship said: "The lasting benefit of the project is that the schools will be encouraged and supported to use their plans to influence and affect their local communities.

"The aim is that schools will have an action plan for how they can tackle and influence some of the environmental issues that affect their local community.

"They will be able to form partnerships with other local groups and promote change."

Fulford School has looked at over-consumption by investigating how households and businesses manage their waste.

At the event pupils will use examples of organisations such as British Sugar and City of York Council.

Easingwold School has investigated biodiversity, which involved looking at ways to encourage natural habitats to develop and flourish in its school grounds.

Pupils from St Aidan's School in Harrogate have investigated water consumption in their school and ways it can be reduced. The school is also raising money for Water Aid to help people in the developing world.

St Augustine's School, Scarborough, has looked at agriculture and fisheries and whether food in local shops is fairly traded.

Updated: 12:30 Wednesday, April 21, 2004