Should we really be talking to our kids about climate change? Isn’t that too scary/depressing?
Climate change is a fact of life and something our kids will not be able to avoid dealing with, one way or another. The question is not whether we discuss it with our kids, but when and how. The aim isn’t to frighten children with this information, it’s to inform them and empower them to act (and to encourage you, the decision makers of the household, to act with them).
Climate change is a reality that both now, and in coming years, has the potential to affect many aspects of our lives – from food and water availability and price, to immigration, national security, species diversity, extreme weather events – the list goes on. It’s up to you how much information you want to share with your child and when. But we strongly believe that it isn’t harmful to educate your child about how to better care for our planet. Frame the conversation that way, if you are at all concerned.
The Tantrum That Saved The World is designed to start a conscious shift in behaviour that is family-wide. When your child asks for a pre-packaged snack when an apple is available, there’s an opportunity for you to discuss why the latter is preferable. When you start a worm farm or a compost with your child, you can explain why, and how your actions have a beneficial knock-on effect to the whole system. It is never too early to teach children about action and consequence. And the key to making a difference to the health of the planet is if every one of us is making conscious, deliberate choices to minimize the harm we do.