What do you tell your kids about climate change?

[AdultHumanFemale]

The recent thread about flying prompted me to wonder about how and when we talk to our DC about climate change; it's causes and impact.
My parents were green activists when I grew up in the 70s and 80s, so I was raised in an atmosphere of alarm and impending doom, which caused me a lot of anxiety. My community (northern Scandinavia, on the Baltic) was also impacted by the Chernobyl disaster which compounded this.
My DC (8 and 5) know the usual stuff about recycling, single use plastics, pollution, food miles and endangered animals, and know that there are things which we as a family won't do or buy 'because of the environment', but they do not yet understand that their future will be massively impacted by climate change, and still think that their lives will look pretty much like ours do now when they're adults.

Do people talk about the impact of climate change to their DC? If so, from what age, and what do you say? Are there things that you think are 'too much' and choose not to tell them?
If you choose not to talk to your DC about it, why not?
How much should schools contribute to this conversation?

Humans aren't the cause, it's a natural cycle.

We should try and do everything possible to look after the planet though.

That's not true Vitalogy. All but a tiny proportion of scientists agree that humans are causing climate change.

To be honest I haven't discussed it much with my children yet as they're only 5 and 7, but I tell them that not using the car and cutting down plastic tat is better for the Earth.

I remember my grandparents regularly saying that they thought we had gone too far and the planet was doomed from around the early 90s.

Follow the money. Who makes money out of "climate change"

I just say "I'm sorry" because I know it's her generation that are going to have to deal with the consequences. We are starting to see things now, which are major catastrophic event to a (relative) few, such as flooding/loss of homes/loss of life/loss of livelihood (e.g. crop failure). As years pass we will start to see such things become a major catastrophic event to many and that is when things will become more difficult for her.

How old is your DD, been ? For you to say "I'm sorry, " I imagine she is old enough to understand some of the impact? What does she say about some of the scenarios you are describing?
Vitology , we have to agree to differ in our opinion as to where responsibility for climate change lies. Maybe I shouldn't have written 'causes', but focused on impact. Do you tell your DC about any of the changes they are likely to see in their lifetime as a result of climate change, irrespective of how you feel it is caused?
Ghost , I agree with you wrt the responsibility for climate change. Your DC are similar in age to mine. Do you think you will let them absorb information gradually, by osmosis, and tackle it bit by bit, or might you have a 'talk' at some point?
I am a primary school teacher and often come across environmental charity campaigns in school, junior fiction etc which touch on the subject of climate change and wonder to what extent schools should be having this conversation with children. A colleague read a class book last year set in a post 2050 Britain, and was told by some parents that it was far too bleak, although it only really reflected a future outlined in the IPCC report.

She's still young, but understands that there is a reason I am keen for her to learn certain basic survival / life skills and that life may not always be as comfortable as it is now. At the moment she is too young to understand the true horror of the situation and sometimes I am glad that is the case.

Another thread where some people are not quite sure on what causes climate change.

The climate changes as part of a natural cycle that has gone on since the formation of our little planet. Geological records show multiple periods of warming and cooling.

It is entirely natural that we are currently experiencing global warming - that is the part of the cycle we are in.

BUT, and it is a rather large BUT, this process has been, and is being, accelerated by human activity. The result is that the planet is changing more quickly and violently than it would have otherwise.

Is climate change caused by humans? No. Have we made it much worse? Yes, undoubtedly.

The Lorax is quite a good book. Doesn’t necessarily deal with climate change but it’s a good way to introduce the idea of looking after the planet.
There was another good book that had dinosaurs in but I can’t remember What it’s called, I trying to google it xx

We have been watching these youtube channels/programme for children together.

www.youtube.com/channel/UCsaEBhRsI6tmmz12fkSEYdw

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsmqeqKj7M-p_cC_I81favAvBu4U8-5-2

they do not yet understand that their future will be massively impacted by climate change
you do realise that this is a theory? not absolute fact?

@Vitology
Follow the money. Who makes money out of "climate change"

Follow the money. Who makes money out of "climate change denial"

A pittance in comparison, so not much of a deflect.

My dc have a lot of discussion about this at school, they are in primary school. They are very clued up on it.

been Yes, we are also having a good go at preparatory life skills etc. Like you, I am also of the "true horror" school of thought. If only a fraction of the predicted outcomes come to pass; if we manage to, against the odds, to stick to the 2`C target, it'll still be awful, irrespective of what is causing it. It will impact on their lives.
Nornironrock , as I said, I should probably have refrained from writing 'causes', focusing instead on impact. Given your point of view, if you have children, do you speak to them about the impact of climate change?
Runner Thank you for the recommendation, I love Dr Seuss!
Irvine I have seen this guy before, in fact we have watched a few of his other science related clips at school. Good to see that he is using his platform so well!
Vandrew4 So, given your point of view, and if you have children, do you speak to them about a "what if..." scenario, as a contingency? And what kind of conversations do you have around the inevitable messages they may be picking up elsewhere about climate change?
Adam Whenever someone comes at me with that type of nose-tapping argument "There's more to this than meets the eye..." / "Follow the money...", I am often wrong-footed and caught off guard, but you're quite right, representatives from the fossil fuel industry have been derailing climate talks and summits for decades. Climate change denial is definitely in the interest of lots of people.
Plaidlife Good for your kids' school! My kids do various recycling projects and sponsored events, most recently for a well-building project and saving endangered animals. They haven't learnt anything about the changes in geography or weather patterns, food scarcity or extinction of species. Hell, their school will be under water by the time their own children go to school if climate targets are not met!
As a teacher, I am wary about approaching climate change in greater depth as there are people who, like norn and vandrew4 who feel it is not necessarily a done deal, and who may feel I am peddling a political agenda.

Anthropogenic global warming is extremely well established science. It was also predicted well over a century ago.

Reducing it will cost money, meaning that just about every business has a short-term interest in denying it and trying to manufacture uncertainty on it. But especially the oil industry.

Financially, environmental charities and university academics are pennies in comparison.

My DC are lucky enough to have specialised science teachers and they crack right on, single use plastic- a project to reuse it and turn it into plant growers for indigenous river plants, a project to create art from rubbish found in the lake hung in a local aquarium, lots of discussion about the best type of water bottle, tooth brush, an online assessment where you type in your lifestyle and it tells you how many lives you are using up so my DC were running at 2.5, a river planting project where they all got into canoes at the end of year to look at there new planting success. My DS is particulary passionate about straws and pulls up every cafe we go in tha uses them, I get pressure about plastic toothbrushes, all sorts. They have rising sea levels, biodiversity and such as part of their regular school conversations, I don't think anyone complains, I can't imagine they would get far if they did.

Thank you, Safari . And it is a lot less scary, thinking it isn't real, or won't be as bad as predicted.
Runner , are you think of Dinosaurs And All That Rubbish by Michael Foreman? Lovely book.

Plaid , that is so good that they are discussing rising sea levels and biodiversity. Those are the very issues I think are among the hardest to speak about, both as a parent and a teacher.

I haven't actually get into the convo with my ds aiming to teach him about climate change/environment at first. We were just watching various science videos on you tube and came across some about climate change. But it did change my ds(10). He started being more conscious about wasting water/electricity, taken more initiative about recycling, generally started to care in general about environment.
We need to do something, however small it is. And I think that's what really counts.

My DC are much better than I am, I don't really like making a fuss in public but DC will pull anyone up on straws, anywhere, having a passionate teacher really helps.

I tell kids that our planet has always warmed and cooled but that some people think the way we live now is making it worse ... so without getting in a state about it, it's best to do our bit in reducing waste and making sensible choices

At the same time I give examples where people from both sides of an issue have clearly been paid to deliver their chosen line

Puzzled, do you really think it's all about money?
Some people have been doing it for years, at least I was aware since decades ago.

I think I'll probably let mine learn about it gradually - although my eldest is nearly 8 so old enough to start learning about it.

I was probably about 11/12 when I first heard about climate change (now I'm nearly 40!) and started to be concerned about environmental issues in general. I used to write to my MP all the time.

I have an experience more than a decade ago, that the bus I was on was stopping engine every time they stopped at the signal in my native country. It was near the airport, there were many American people on the bus. They are laughing how stupid it was, even though there was a sign up saying it was a company policy to protect environment, saying in my native language and in English/other languages. I was young, and I was hurt to see the little effort people trying to make was laughed at.

Puzzled, do you really think it's all about money?

Not all of it, but a lot - yes. Generally speaking, if you announce that you're concerned about something and then fund someone to "look into it", it's hardly a surprise if their report mirrors your concerns

It would take days to list all the examples of researchers' conclusions being "bought", but it seems naive at best to believe that the issue of climate change is somehow exempt from this (and of course the same goes for the issues which polluters wish to push)