How to Communicate Climate Change to Children
As future stewards of planet Earth, the pressure is mounting for the younger generation to get to grips with climate change.
The tender topic and jumbled jargon are challenging enough for adults to wrap their heads around; so, how do you communicate the scientific facts and figures of the climate conundrum to children without dropping an immense weight on their fledgeling shoulders, or worse - provoking a serious case of eco-anxiety?
Before tackling the sensitive subject of climate change, the first pivotal step is to encourage children to form a genuine passion for the natural world from a young age to boost their relationship with the wildlife around them. From watching David Attenborough’s illuminating documentaries that touch upon the implications of global warming, camping under the stars in the wilderness or visiting a host of nature reserves to show them the vast array of extraordinary ecosystems, each encounter with Mother Nature will ignite an internal green flame and give young people a taste of why caring for the planet is crucial. Over time, this ever-growing appreciation for the natural world will gradually allow young people to understand the dangers of climate change and empower them to make a difference. Emily Edmonds-Langham, who works for the American Museum of Natural History as the manager of elementary education, also advises implementing sustainable domestic products in the home which focus on conserving the planet; these can range from going plastic-free, to using eco-friendly toothpaste and recycling. Linking small, everyday actions to safeguarding planet earth ensures that children will ultimately gain a deep-rooted insight into the various ways anthropological activities can negatively impact the world and its valuable resources.
Camping under the stars in the wilderness. Illustration by Amelia Brooks.
For the youth of today, engagement with the natural world has been considerably thwarted by the cacophony of contemporary society as we plunge further and further into a bleak concrete jungle. In 2005, American author Richard Louv termed the phrase ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’, which encapsulates the negative effect disengagement from nature has on our mental and physical wellbeing. “We won’t protect what we don’t love, and we won’t love what we don’t know – and so many children today don’t know”, Richard previously wrote. As young children progress into adolescence and are increasingly lured away from the natural environment by the invisible magnetic pull of modern technology, more in-depth discussions regarding the science underpinning climate change could prove beneficial as they continue to develop the cognitive capacity to think conceptually about such complicated issues. In an age where social media provides a constant stream of information (whether that be reliable information or not) from peers and ‘influencers’, climate change is already entwined into their lives and engrained in their brains and requires gentle pruning like a blooming rose.
The first pivotal step is to encourage children to form a genuine passion for the natural world from a young age. We need to educate young people on the value of nature. Illustration by Amelia Brooks.
To inspire excitement and involvement with nature, the climate conversation has now permeated the education sector, with proposals for the introduction of a brand-new natural history GCSE to the national curriculum being steered by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas. Initially pioneered by renowned writer Mary Colwell in 2011, a natural history GCSE would encourage pupils to put down their smartphones and dive head-first into the natural world to learn about the importance of healthy, functioning ecosystems, and consequently inspire them to conserve the environment. With a government-funded investigation by The Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) finding that, in 2016, approximately one in nine children hadn’t visited a natural habitat (for example, a forest or park) for at least one year, the prospective qualification couldn’t have arisen at a better time. The latest State of Nature report published by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) showed that the UK has lost a whopping 50% of all wildlife over the past 40 years, with a host of species such as bumbling bees and snuffling hedgehogs experiencing a devastating decline, and the launch of natural history to secondary schools across the country could guarantee the next generation appreciate and strive to protect our perfect planet. “Our children are growing up in a world with less life – but they aren’t even being given a chance to know what they’re missing…unless we educate young people on the value of nature, the next generation won’t be able to recognise the scale of the loss we’re living through or do anything to reverse it,” says Caroline. “Creating a Natural History GCSE would get children back outside, instil them with a love of nature and give them tools they’ll need to restore our land and replenish our seas.”
Empowerment stems from education, and every candid conversation moulds the minds of the future naturalists our planet depends on for protection against our ever-changing, unpredictable world.
Thank you to Amelia Brooks for her beautiful illustrations. You can find more of her work on her Instagram @amelia__brooks.
Rosy Fox
Rosy is a BSc Animal Management graduate from the University of Derby, with a strong interest in entomology. Nature has always been an intrinsic part of her life growing up; she enjoys intertwining her love for the natural environment with her passion for writing. Rosy currently volunteers for RSPB Sherwood Forest writing blogs to inspire and educate visitors, and she aspires to continue bridging the gap between nature and humanity - especially insects!