Over a pizza with other early career polar scientists at the European Geosciences Union Annual Meeting in Vienna, Rhian and I talked about how difficult it is to conduct outreach to children about climate change. We tell schoolchildren about climate change, how life will be different on a warmer planet and the humungous task we have in front of us to change and "save" ourselves. It’s difficult not to leave them in despair. As Rhian pointed out, some of the children have said, “Yes, we can bike to school, but it’s not going to change anything - the school bus is still going to drive past us!”
Local Viennese beer brewed a brainstorming session on how to empower children in the face of climate change. Here are some ideas that we would like to share with you:
THE LONG TERM VIEW
We can tell children that they need to learn more about climate change and be ready to make profound changes to the society in 10 year’s time when they become adults and enter into the workforce. If we can make a concerted effort to change the society’s habits in using energy in one generation, then maybe there is a chance that we can limit climate change to a level that is manageable and bearable.
IMMEDIATE ACTION
But we don’t have 10 years to sit and wait. In 40 years, warming could reach such a level (2-3 degrees C) that a large part of the word’s coral reefs and Amazon forests could disappear. Polar bears could go extinct.
There are many things that children can already do now. They are, after all, the little kings. There are the simple things: walk, run, bike; reduce, reuse, recycle. If they want something more exciting, more subversive: Don't ask for a energy consuming present at birthdays, plant a tree instead. We can also tell children: Talk to your friends, your family, your teachers about climate change. Challenge them about their habits. If your parents are buying a SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle), ask them why. If they drive to buy bread, ask them why. If they leave the heating / air conditioning on, and the door open, ask them why. Tell them that it's your future that they are messing up.
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Thursday, 03 May 2007 21:40
What can children do in face of climate change?
Written by Environmental Legacy
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3 comments
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Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 posted by Mark
This is a topic that is near and dear to me, and I feel strongly that it is usually counter-productive to overwhelm children (until they are in their early teens) with the gloom and doom of climate change, because it can lead to a well-documented phenomenon of eco-phobia. They are not for the most part developmentally (emotionally, cognitively) ready to handle the complexities of climate change, and it is far better to make sure they don't suffer from nature-deficit disorder by getting them out and about, immersed in the wonder of nature, even if it is just observing bugs on the school grounds or charting the progress of the seasons through their classroom window. By mid to late teens, they are much more emotionally ready to deal with these issues and understand the science and social aspects of climate change. When I give presentations to young people I stress the wonders of the natural world, minimize the perils of global warming (though often the kids bring it up), and stress that this is a very exciting time to be alive because we get to change everything by using less and sharing more.
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This is an important discussion and I'm really concerned that some efforts to "educate" young people, especially the very young, about climate change can violate the need to protect their innocence during those early, formative years.
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Comment Link Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 posted by Mark
After further reflection, I'd like to ammend my comments. So long as we keep in mind the developmental/emotional appropriateness of the information provided to young people, it's fine to encourage them to pester their parents; the recycling movement, which was once robust, was somewhat successful due in part to young people insisting their parents recycle. (The fact that recycling is still a very energy intensive business, and that reducing and reusing is far superior is usually not part of the equation.)
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The big challenge in my view is encouraging values of simplicity and sufficiency to combat the huge appeal of affluenza: buy this new _______ so you'll be cool and appealling and comfortable. Sadly, at a very young age children are conditioned and socialized to want stuff and be good consumers. Changing that paradigm is the real work in changing the climate.
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Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 posted by Terry
Way wait 10 years? We need to get the kids behind the concept of climate action as they understand it better than most adults. We are embarking on Camps for Climate Action where we will actively deal with issues around Climate Change and use of Alternative Technology to work against it.
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