Responding to the challenges of climate change demands more than a specialized workforce; it requires an informed and engaged global citizenry. In this conceptual chapter, we explore how embedding opportunities for epistemic agency—the ability to shape knowledge-building practices and communities—can empower students to address climate change critically and constructively (Stroupe, 2014). We foreground our arguments within the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which reorient instruction from passive transmittal of knowledge toward engagement in science practices, emphasizing student-driven investigation and engagement with real-world phenomena. Through case study and conceptual analysis, we illustrate how students can critically engage with complex data, challenge prevailing narratives, and develop innovative solutions to climate issues. Thus, climate education uniquely affords opportunities to assert epistemic agency through interdisciplinary, justice-oriented, and hope-infused inquiry. The implications for research and teacher education underscore the necessity of equipping educators to facilitate these transformative learning experiences. Challenges include navigating the politicized nature of climate topics, the prevalence of prescriptive curricula, and the need for professional development. By positioning students as legitimate co-researchers, climate change education can transcend traditional paradigms, enabling youth to become action-oriented advocates and agents of change.