The climate crisis is even scarier from a child's perspective; six out of ten say they feel betrayed by their governments. And forty percent of young people worldwide are hesitant to have children.
Wonderful article and many points to ponder. Seems young people are much more aware of climate crisis than the older generation, and they are the ones that will live with the effects. My children are all grown and their children are all young adults and very aware of the crisis and acting either through voting or other ways to help bring our legislators to act.
I remember the war years when we took actions, not because of climate crisis, but because it was necessary since there was rationing and the focus was on supplying the troops. With the 50s the mindset changed and consumption became the goal. Now we are seeing the results.
Thanks again for this perspective on climate change.
Thank you Lilly, also for this long-term perspective. Our influence on the climate may have started much earlier, but it is really since the Second World War that we speeded up our destruction of the planet, and we are still accelerating. It is hard to believe we ruined the right living conditions of the planet within a lifetime
A superb piece & one that should be widely read & assimilated, especially by parents. Even more especially by lawmakers & leaders of every country! The hard truths are painful to contemplate. Childhood should be a time of carefree innocence & learning about the beautiful joys of life. Sadly, for today’s children, we’re giving them a legacy of our failures. We’ve failed to assure them of happy, secure futures & instead passed on a litany of terrifying problems to solve if they are to have reasonably livable existences on this planet.
We are at the most critical juncture in all of human history. Now is the time to pull out all the stops to turn around past mistakes. All eyes must be on leaders & countries & demands must be made to insist the climate goals are met without equivocation!
Greta Thunberg is undoubtedly the Joan of Arc for her time. She’s the catalyst for climate action who has spurred children & adults globally to awareness & action. It’s no wonder her personal confidence has gotten a boost. Accepting an important challenge & taking bold action is empowering. Let’s hope the youth of today can feel the power to pressure those in authority by demanding immediate innovative & earthshaking changes to give them the future they deserve! The time is now!
There's a lot to unpack in there and I will need to go back to some of the sources.
Thank you so much for putting this together. Great overview.
I can't say that I have had much experience in dealing with climate anxiety in children. So I don't think I can answer that question.
Do you think some parents might feel out of their depth discussion the climate crisis with their kids? If they are my age they might not have had proper (or any) climate crisis education in school. I remember the ozone layer becoming a topic and we all stopped using hairspray etc., but that's about it. I grew up without a car and we had a huge vegetable garden and some apple and pear trees as well. We also adopted/rescued random animals. That was about all the green living "education" I got. Having said that. If I had children of my own - a question I might yet be faced with again - I would feel kind of lost. Being a rolemodel - yes, voting for the right leaders - I can do that; but I might get stuck on explaining some of the facts to a child. I'll have to look into resources for parents or in my case aunts.
This article has opened so many doors for further reading. Thank you for that. It's such an important issue as those numbers truly are shocking. Very well written. I'll be passing it on to some friends.
Thanks for yet another very thoughtful and important article, Alexander. I definitely feel my country and the generations closest to mine are still kicking the 'climate can' down the road in favour of comfort with the status quo. It is definitely something my daughters recognise very well, and I am pleased to see them pursuing education and careers in sustainability and environmental justice. Children and young adults around the world face a daunting task to address our/my legacy of unsustainable and oftentimes reckless behaviours, but they give me hope and allow me to follow the saying on one of my favourite t-shirts - "Act like a proton and stay positive."
The next generation gives often gives hope for better times.
If we would say that 350 ppm atmospheric CO2 should have been the maximum, we talk about CO2 levels of the 1970s. We had a good life in that period, perhaps a bit less flying and less consumption. I wouldn't mind going back to that level to save the planet. We don't have to go back to the stone age to live on a healthy planet. Nor does it mean handing in your iPhone or abolishing the internet. The solutions for a new system are all available, we have the knowledge and the technology, we only need the right governance to get there. It makes it all the more frustrating that governments keep kicking the climate can down the road.
If you take out "climate" and look at it as "anxiety" and "insecurity" more generally, then I think we can find well-rooted solutions to the emotional undercurrent while ALSO addressing climate security (see, I didn't use "but" or "yet"!). We find solutions when we come from a place of strength and stability. And I believe we find this within ourselves, and that we can radiate that outward. That's what I try to model for my children. Are we without anxiety in our household? No, of course not. Are we teaching a solutions-focused mindset? I think so.
Wonderful article and many points to ponder. Seems young people are much more aware of climate crisis than the older generation, and they are the ones that will live with the effects. My children are all grown and their children are all young adults and very aware of the crisis and acting either through voting or other ways to help bring our legislators to act.
I remember the war years when we took actions, not because of climate crisis, but because it was necessary since there was rationing and the focus was on supplying the troops. With the 50s the mindset changed and consumption became the goal. Now we are seeing the results.
Thanks again for this perspective on climate change.
Thank you Lilly, also for this long-term perspective. Our influence on the climate may have started much earlier, but it is really since the Second World War that we speeded up our destruction of the planet, and we are still accelerating. It is hard to believe we ruined the right living conditions of the planet within a lifetime
A superb piece & one that should be widely read & assimilated, especially by parents. Even more especially by lawmakers & leaders of every country! The hard truths are painful to contemplate. Childhood should be a time of carefree innocence & learning about the beautiful joys of life. Sadly, for today’s children, we’re giving them a legacy of our failures. We’ve failed to assure them of happy, secure futures & instead passed on a litany of terrifying problems to solve if they are to have reasonably livable existences on this planet.
We are at the most critical juncture in all of human history. Now is the time to pull out all the stops to turn around past mistakes. All eyes must be on leaders & countries & demands must be made to insist the climate goals are met without equivocation!
Greta Thunberg is undoubtedly the Joan of Arc for her time. She’s the catalyst for climate action who has spurred children & adults globally to awareness & action. It’s no wonder her personal confidence has gotten a boost. Accepting an important challenge & taking bold action is empowering. Let’s hope the youth of today can feel the power to pressure those in authority by demanding immediate innovative & earthshaking changes to give them the future they deserve! The time is now!
Congratulations on an excellent article!
Thank you Lizzie
There's a lot to unpack in there and I will need to go back to some of the sources.
Thank you so much for putting this together. Great overview.
I can't say that I have had much experience in dealing with climate anxiety in children. So I don't think I can answer that question.
Do you think some parents might feel out of their depth discussion the climate crisis with their kids? If they are my age they might not have had proper (or any) climate crisis education in school. I remember the ozone layer becoming a topic and we all stopped using hairspray etc., but that's about it. I grew up without a car and we had a huge vegetable garden and some apple and pear trees as well. We also adopted/rescued random animals. That was about all the green living "education" I got. Having said that. If I had children of my own - a question I might yet be faced with again - I would feel kind of lost. Being a rolemodel - yes, voting for the right leaders - I can do that; but I might get stuck on explaining some of the facts to a child. I'll have to look into resources for parents or in my case aunts.
This article has opened so many doors for further reading. Thank you for that. It's such an important issue as those numbers truly are shocking. Very well written. I'll be passing it on to some friends.
Thank you for the comments and for sharing it to friends!
Wow Alexander, what an interesting read this morning . . . sending your newsletter on and will comment more later on 🌻👍📜
Thanks, Marian.
Thanks for yet another very thoughtful and important article, Alexander. I definitely feel my country and the generations closest to mine are still kicking the 'climate can' down the road in favour of comfort with the status quo. It is definitely something my daughters recognise very well, and I am pleased to see them pursuing education and careers in sustainability and environmental justice. Children and young adults around the world face a daunting task to address our/my legacy of unsustainable and oftentimes reckless behaviours, but they give me hope and allow me to follow the saying on one of my favourite t-shirts - "Act like a proton and stay positive."
I like that T-shirt text :-)
The next generation gives often gives hope for better times.
If we would say that 350 ppm atmospheric CO2 should have been the maximum, we talk about CO2 levels of the 1970s. We had a good life in that period, perhaps a bit less flying and less consumption. I wouldn't mind going back to that level to save the planet. We don't have to go back to the stone age to live on a healthy planet. Nor does it mean handing in your iPhone or abolishing the internet. The solutions for a new system are all available, we have the knowledge and the technology, we only need the right governance to get there. It makes it all the more frustrating that governments keep kicking the climate can down the road.
If you take out "climate" and look at it as "anxiety" and "insecurity" more generally, then I think we can find well-rooted solutions to the emotional undercurrent while ALSO addressing climate security (see, I didn't use "but" or "yet"!). We find solutions when we come from a place of strength and stability. And I believe we find this within ourselves, and that we can radiate that outward. That's what I try to model for my children. Are we without anxiety in our household? No, of course not. Are we teaching a solutions-focused mindset? I think so.
I also like a solutions-minded mindset.