How To Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change — & Why You Have To
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.
There’s no doubt about it: We’re in the midst of an environmental emergency. Human-caused climate change has reached a crisis point. Our summers and winters keep getting warmer — and the more our planet warms, the more dire the impact. The average wildlife populations have dropped by 69 percent since 1970, and we’re losing entire islands and capital cities (farewell, Jakarta) as sea levels continue their rapid rise.
More from SheKnows
Last year, for the first time ever, I told my children that the air quality was too dangerous for them to go outside. Smoke from a wildfire burning hundreds of miles away had come to the Northeast and the entire world had taken on an orange-yellow tint that was more horror movie than real life. This winter, they lost days of school to back-to-back, once-in-a-decade flooding events after intense and prolonged storms. And they aren’t alone. Kids across the country — across the world — are spending days trapped indoors because of destructive weather events.
Climate change is already impacting our kids, changing the shape of their childhood — and they’re taking notice. Which means we, as parents, have to talk to our kids. Even if we don’t know the answers. Even if we’re afraid of what the answers may be. Because they’ll be dealing with this issue a lot longer than we will. But where do we start, and how do we have that conversation without scaring them?
Start by listening.
Whether you’ve addressed the topic with your kids or not, most likely your kids have heard the term “climate change”. They’ve likely been exposed to the discussion at school, with their friends, and definitely — for older kids — from social media.
Given that, parents should start the conversation with kids by asking questions and then listening to the answers. Ask open-ended questions and then let kids talk. “Start by seeing where they are, what they know, what they care about, and then listen,” Wendy Greenspun, a climate psychology practitioner and educator, tells SheKnows.
Validate their feelings.
One of the most important things parents can do when talking about climate change with their kids is to validate the feelings kids are having — especially feelings in response to a climate event that impacts them directly.
“Validate their feelings, because it’s pretty big what’s happening and there’s not a lot of time and space for young people to process it,” says Mary DeMocker, Author of The Parents’ Guide to Climate Revolution. She encourages parents to stay in the conversation with their kids and then to determine what kids need to feel emotionally empowered.
In an interview with SheKnows, Emily Walker, education coordinator for EarthDay.org, the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, encourages parents to avoid dismissing their kids’ concerns and promising everything will be okay. It’s okay to acknowledge that things aren’t perfect now — but the message shouldn’t end there. “Create an open environment where you can talk to [your child] about these topics and make them feel safe,” she advises.
Let kids know that it’s normal to have concerns and big feelings about climate change, and ensure they know you support their feelings.
For very young kids, stick to science and facts.
For young kids who don’t know anything about climate change, veteran environmentalist Maya van Rossum, founder of the non-profit Green Amendments For the Generations, recommends starting the conversation with science and facts — describe what climate change is and where it comes from. “Be clear that climate change is a non-natural condition,” she said. “It results from people putting too much carbon dioxide and methane into the air, which is harming natural ecosystems that help keep us safe, like forests and rainforests.”
It’s important to be honest about the real consequences of climate change, and share examples kids can understand, she stresses. For example, we are getting more rain which is causing flooding, and in some places the earth is getting hotter and drier so it’s difficult for people to live there and grow food. Keep it simple, but don’t try to make it less important than it is. Additionally, Greenspun urges parents to start by teaching children to care for more than the human world. Teach them about plants and animals, how we care for them, and what happens if we don’t care for them.
However, we don’t have to share facts that can overwhelm children with fear, warns van Rossum, such as that parts of the earth will soon become uninhabitable or that climate change is linked to increased spread of disease, war, or acts of terror. “This information is real and important, but it’s not information children need to understand that climate change is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.”
Encourage older kids to take action.
For older children and teens, the conversation can be more technically driven and more detail oriented. It also needs to be solution-oriented. “As [kids] get older, it’s important for them to know there are solutions, that we have solutions, they just need to be scaled up quickly. It’s disempowering to think it’s just happening,” says DeMocker.
Whether kids are talking about climate change openly or not, many are experiencing anxiety about climate change, or eco-anxiety. Much of that anxiety isn’t just about climate change, but also about the feeling of being abandoned and betrayed by those in power who aren’t protecting kids’ futures, notes Greenspun.
For that reason, collective action goes a long way for kids, and Greenspun suggests that families find ways to get involved in their communities. “When parents show ‘I care and I want to be in this with you’ that’s one of the most powerful messages we can give.”
By nurturing a sense of empowerment and the belief that there is always something that can be done, you can help reduce the risk of your child feeling helpless to act, which can create stress and anxiety. For instance, talking about the impacts of climate change and the importance of solar panels may be good information, but you have to give your child a way to act on that information — otherwise they may feel powerless. Families should get involved in whatever way feels right to them, whether that’s by connecting with local youth leaders, supporting community gardens and bike paths, writing letters to leaders, or supporting more global movements. Even getting outdoors and connecting with nature can help.
Likewise, education can help manage eco-anxiety. Most kids are only getting little to no climate science in schools, notes Walker, who encourages parents to research and learn with their kids.
Give them permission to hold others accountable.
It’s important to make sure your child understands that climate change causes and solutions don’t all rest on their shoulders. “Government has the most important role in allowing the activities that have brought us to this place and need to be the ones to ensure that industry, communities and government implement key solutions,” said van Rossum.
But you can also help your kid understand that they can be part of the solution, not only in the decisions they make for themselves but in what they seek from (and how they someday vote for) those who have greater authority, which can have a greater impact. This could be anyone from a government official to a class teacher who is using single-use plastic straws for the end-of-term party.
Get kids of all ages involved in finding solutions.
Whatever the age of your kids, these solution-oriented approaches can encourage ongoing conversations about climate change.
– Get them to help you do a personal carbon audit, figuring out the ways you contribute, as individuals, to climate change; you can do this with a carbon footprint calculator like this one from The Nature Conservancy. Make a plan of action to reduce your personal impact, and take a family pledge to turn this around where possible. Ways you can make a difference include transportation (walk/cycle instead of driving), eating local produce, eating less meat and buying less stuff.
– Show your kids you care by getting politically involved. Research your political candidates and vote for those who have big plans for tackling climate change — and talk openly about it at home.
– Get connected by joining local groups that are lobbying or working in communities for change. As well as making a difference, your kids will benefit from truly valuable skill-building, community-engaging opportunities. (Use this helpful map from EnvironmentalGroups.us to find one near you.)
Remember, it’s not all about age.
The conversation you have with your child about climate change will take shape based on many things besides their age. “It’s also about their personality and the level of information they may already be receiving from other sources,” said van Rossum. She advises checking in with your kids regularly to see how they’re feeling, what they are hearing about environmental issues, and to talk about how they can be part of the solution.
The most important rule, she says, is to be honest. “Do you best to gauge the level of information your child can hear, understand and act upon,” she said.
And don’t worry if you get it wrong! It’s a big issue and nobody expects you to be perfect. Talking to kids about climate change can be overwhelming — and terrifying. So much of the news about climate change feels catastrophic or even hopeless and kids can feel disempowered, believing it’s just happening.
But there is hope, and it’s crucial to ensure kids know that too. Though some of the changes we’ve experienced are likely locked in for a while, there is a lot to be excited about — innovative ideas like Greencrete instead of concrete, seaweed mining, and the ability to plant coral reefs — but these ideas have to be talked about and funded.
“There’s hope for avoiding the worst catastrophes if we can now and act big,” says DeMocker. “The window of opportunity is closing, but it’s still open.” And that matters.
It takes a village!
If you still need help, there’s lots of it out there. The Climate Reality Project published an e-book on how families can start conversations about climate change, and NASA’s Climate Kids site offers practical suggestions for ways kids can reduce their own carbon footprint, such as turning off lights when they’re not needed and drinking tap water instead of bottled water.
And if they need a young climate activist to inspire them to take action, look no further than Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, whose rousing “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood” United Nations speech to world leaders has hopefully spurred millions of people — of all ages — to take action.
Best of SheKnows
There's Something So Beautiful About the Bond Between Brothers
All the Pregnant Celebrities Who Showed Off Their Baby Bumps on the Red Carpet
The Best Bras for Your Teen — & How to Shop Together Without Dying of Embarrassment
Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
