How to talk with children about climate change - BBC

What’s the best way of talking with your children about climate change? 🌍

Made in partnership with The Open University

#BBCIdeas

[narrativequestion]

Children should be made aware of the dangers that bbc staff pose.

[MrPerciG]

Kids shouldn't have to worry about this. Adults pushing all their problems on them.

[fenlandwildlifeclips]

I'm 43. I grew up with this knowledge. I was about 10 when I first became aware of it. Maggie Thatcher PROMISED to tackle the issue. The following year, she was out of power. We've known about this issue since the late eighties, some say we knew in the mid 70s. I don't have children partly because of climate change.

[adamw]

What’s next, kids can choose their own gender?

[MargaretMaryFrancis]

I'll believe in climate change when there aren't 400 private jets at a climate summit.

[lamestreammedia]

Climate change presented as a cartoon 😊 how appropriate.

[davidrobertsemail]

Evil people are abusing children by scaring them with nonsense.

[carnivore-muscle]

Explain to them the actual truth, science that does/does not exist and what happened the last few times we ignored the hoax (nothing).

[piccolitesticoli]

"climate is changing bro, no cap"

[barrygriffiths]

All you do is make kids get stress and depression

[michaelkossin]

"Why haven't you done something about this?" asks the nonvegan

[trishtraynor]

Are kids in England taught nothing ?? I'm almost 70 educated in Scotland and even did projects on it in Primary School!!!

[containedhurricane]

Billions of people means more energy, food, water and other resources are required, which will make climate change worse. Unfortunately, territorial, cultural and racial conflicts have been encouraging population growth race

[ryanbradford]

Love the propaganda from state sponsored media……

[jenyahar]

Today, reputable scientists will discuss climate change and solutions for humanity at the International Online Forum. April 22, 2023 Global Crisis. There is a Way Out. Streaming on YouTube

[martincrotty]

The other thing is that the older you get, the more you normalise things and don't see the absurdity that's required for it to continue, like our current civilisation with so much complexity and dependent on so many intricate moving parts just working away like normal, or an economic system focused on speculation that's already shown to be highly vulnerable to shocks and instability as it focuses on immaterial billions and trillions.

Kids grow up not seeing that that's just the real world, but with the curiousity of why it functions in such a way when it clearly isn't functioning for many.

[SerenEnfys]

This was really nice and I really appreciate the lack of fear-mongering. We owe it to the children. This is a great way to talk with kids and make them feel less ‘us vs older generations’, and it’s well thought out and encourages executive functioning thoughtfulness. Sorry to all the uneducated and ignorant out there too privileged (at the moment) to give a damn. This was good 👍🏻

[originofnoise]

"We gave birth to you to die suffering." All parents are so selfish to put children in this world, yet have a big carbon footprint at the same time.

[rob]

Watch the Tom Nelson pod casts and make up your own mind rather than just getting the state propaganda

[jhunt]

Things are being done. It takes time for certain solutions to arrive because they rely on technology. The IPCC have failed to predict the cost declines in solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles year after year since conception, because they didn't take Wright's law into account. The cost of renewables and electric cars are falling precipitously.

Yes government’s ought to do way more, but to say they are doing *nothing* is false.

The major thing that can be done right away is agricultural change. Why? Because it doesn't rely on any new technology. If people eat Vegan diets ideally or failing that very little animal products - we will see a dramatic impact. 18% of GHGs come from animal agriculture. If everyone were Vegan we'd reduce a land use the size of Africa and still be able to feed 2050s population freeing up land to re-grow forests and woodland. Furthermore most of the animal ag GHGs are from methane which is 28 times more harmful than CO2 to the environment, and methane effects last ~10 years, whereas CO2s lasts hundreds or even thousands of years. Diet change can cause rapid cooling and give us time to mass produce green technologies and green our economy.

Unfortunately, it's unpopular for the government to tell people what to eat and they even financially support animal farmers.