Talking to your children about climate change

Talking to adults about climate change can be difficult enough. Many don’t realize just how urgent it is that we deal with it now. Some might not know just how far reaching the scientific consensus is, or know much about the science behind global warming. Others even deny that climate change is caused by human activity.

Given how hard it can sometimes be to talk to each other about this issue, how do you start addressing it with children? After all, they have an even more limited understanding of the world, and are much more impressionable. Parents and other adults in their lives may be reluctant to even try—they may not want to scare them, or they may be worried that they won’t understand.

There’s no one way to discuss climate change with kids, of course, but there are some approaches you can take to do so.

Just like with any topic, you have to know your audience, and meet them on their level. How you start the discussion depends on their age, interests, and other factors. Generally, it’s easier to start if they already have some knowledge about nature or environmental issues from school.

However, even if your child is young enough to be a blank slate on these issues, then you can take the initiative to give them knowledge about and appreciation of the environment. Stacie Paxton Cobos of the Climate Reality Project recommends this as an important first step.

This can be done by showing children age-appropriate material about the environment (documentaries, Youtube videos), as well as taking them to museums, parks, and wildlife centers where they can see things more directly.

Once children have a better general understanding of the environment, you can use the same approach to tackle climate change specifically. You can connect what you discuss about climate change to things they learned previously. For example, you could discuss the effects global warming will have on certain animal species or environments.

Some places may even have exhibits with information about climate change. Miraikan in Tokyo, for example, has exhibits where visitors can look at simulations of the Earth that address different issues and show it under different conditions, such as how temperatures will rise due to CO2 emissions.

Older children and teens have likely learned more about climate change, either at school or on their own through the internet and other sources. This means you can go deeper than in your discussions with younger children, but it also means they may have their own opinions and fears about climate change. Many teenagers are understandably very worried about global warming as they’ll have to live with the fallout. September’s climate strikes were a great example of this.

This can be a great age to encourage more direct action; both in terms of activism and little habits they can adopt now to help the environment.

With some care and planning, you can teach children about climate change and discuss its future effects with them. The steps you take now can influence them to work harder for a better future.