How To Talk to Kids About Climate Change
These five steps to lessen climate anxiety and take action aren't necessarily easy, but they are relatively simple
Today is Earth Day and it’s likely that there been a lot of discussion about climate change. What do you do if your kid asks about climate change? What if they learn about it in school and the idea makes them anxious? Fortunately, there are some ways we can talk to them that are factual, don’t inspire fear, and even empower them.
1) Present the facts without panic. Say something like “The weather is so much hotter than it’s been in the past because pollution we’re putting into the atmosphere is making the Earth warmer over many years.” You don’t need to go into the science in detail.
2) Talk about what adults are doing to fix it. This is a big part of not sparking climate anxiety. Something like “Many adults are working to build and improve clean sources of energy that don’t make this pollution like solar and wind. Other people are pushing politicians to do even more to address the problem.” If they’re younger kids, you can point out what high schoolers and college students are doing. They feel like adults but aren’t parental figures, which may have even more of a punch. After studying Greta Thunberg in school, my younger son was truly excited to attend a climate rally yesterday.
3) Involve your kids in making systemic change. Have them envision what a truly sustainable community would look like to them and how it’s different from your own community. Then have them write to local policy makers to tell them what they think of climate change and what they would like to change locally. This is really empowering! Check out the Cultivating Climate Justice At-Home Family Toolkit for a template and more ideas.
4) Find ways to live more sustainably in your own lives and explain the reasons behind it to your kids, like switching to solar or wind power, eating less meat, biking/walking/ taking public transit instead of driving, etc. This doesn’t replace systemic change though! Check out my book, Growing Sustainable Together, for tips on both individual action and activism.
5) Make meaning together in your actions. Find ways to be fulfilled through more environmentally friendly activities, whether that’s more time together, building relationships with neighbors or friends, more time in nature, writing stories or creating art, etc. This will be what makes your actions personally sustainable as well as environmentally sustainable!