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?

Puzzled , that's just it, I can just about manage not to get in a state talking about the benefits of recycling etc , but when I consider what overshooting the climate targets will likely bring about, even by just one degree, and what this will mean in terms of how they are able to live their lives when they are my age, I find it much harder to know what to say to them. My oldest is breaking her little heart over victims of drought and famine in Yemen, and feels so bad for the Central American migrants, and I feel terrible that this is the shape of her future, tenfold, and at much closer quarters. And she likely won't be in the comfortable, privileged position she is now.
Ghost , good for you, writing to your MP. I think it is such a great thing to see as a kid, parents taking positive action in the face of something which concerns them.
Irvine , I could not agree more, it is so frustrating when steps in the right direction or attempts at doing the right thing, are mocked and dismissed as being precious or over the top. Is it too outing to ask which country this was in? Don't say if you feel it is, of course.
I am quite surprised that this thread isn't attracting more responses. I would have thought that this is on all of our minds as our kids grow up, and that we are probably all trying to think of ways to break the bad news. Maybe not?

Not much directly, and at 9yrs old nothing on worst case scenarios.
Can't see any benefit in that. It was only as a teenager that I had the comprehension to start to come to terms with the realities of the world.

We do talk a bit about history, the industrial revolution, energy, that our climate is warming because of the burning of fossil fuels and what we can do to prevent negative effects from that.
We talk more about people and our society, what it means to live a good life, that love and good relationships bring more happiness than spend,spend,spend.
I keep it upbeat and focused on positive solutions.

I had a wobbly moment around the time of the Paris agreement. But I caught myself on - anxiety only spoils the fun and joy of our time together right now, which seems crazy. I try to channel that energy into positive action. I think I fear him turning round to me as a teenager and accusing me of doing nothing!

There's no discussion at school at all - a bit of lip service to recycling. I'd love it if they were more proactive.

I was brought up in an atmosphere of impending doom too (not environmental doom though!) and it was rubbish. I try instead to be pragmatic and not overwhelm him, show him how to cope, be grateful and enjoy every day and never be apathetic.

I would have thought that this is on all of our minds as our kids grow up, and that we are probably all trying to think of ways to break the bad news

Not necessarily. For all the reasons I've suggested some prefer to take a more balanced approach, stressing the importance of avoiding waste, conserving what we have and all the rest, while keeping a realistic eye on the manipulation we're so often subjected to

We were watching totally irrelevant video to climate change one day, and my ds found out only 1% of fresh water on the earth was accessible to human. It changed him. It was last year, so he was 9. A lot of children's programmes are one about what we can do, rather than saying we are doomed. Which is good. If we can raise more children who are considerate, it only makes it better.

Oh boy, tapped out a long post while sitting in DCs darkened room waiting for them to go to sleep, and then managed to lose it. The gist was:
False, I really appreciated your contributions to the flying thread. "Go hug a frequent flyer" was a perfect note upon which to end. Prophetic. And yes, worst case scenarios inappropriate for young children and not conducive to enjoying here and now. Better build resilience and resourcefulness.
Point about DC turning around and blaming us when older for the mess they've inherited; I know, and if we've got 12 years from now to ensure climate targets are met, that time will come around quickly, as it'll be clear pretty soon if it looks like we're going to massively overshoot.
Emboldened by PPs I decided to nudge the topic at school today. We're doing a geography topic, comparing our city to another similar city (which incidentally is also prone to flooding) on another continent. I talked about how our own city is going to have to invest in substantial flood defences in the coming decades, and how great it is to be able to learn from others, and to be adaptable in the face of change. I briefly mentioned rising sea levels as a result of climate change and global warming. The children didn't really know much about it, despite local paper having covered it quite colourfully in the last few months ("Xxx under water by 2050!), and I didn't elaborate. Just so much trust in a world where adults do the right thing and science and technology saves the day.

Thank you Adult for such a lovely reply!
That's great that you found a way to give some gentle attention to the issue at school, you sound like a lovely teacher.

More than anything I feel I need to be more courageous about speaking up (and also walking my talk a bit more ). When I've tried to do this humbly and non confrontationally, I've been so surprised at how many people are thinking and feeling similarly.

I really like this book about communication and global warming.
www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Even-Think-About-Climate/dp/163286102X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforum-21&qid&sr

All the best to you and your family.

Will you be covering the school strikes Jessica?

I can email you Jessica although tbh I haven't talked to my children about climate change that much (they're only 8 and 6). I can also ask on Twitter for you?

Vitalogy

Plot idea: 97% of scientists on earth contrive an environmental crisis, but are exposed by a plucky band of billionaires and oil companies.

Didn't come up with that one myself (wish I had) but it does neatly highlight how utterly brainless climate change denial is.