How children feel about climate change: worry, distress and climate anxiety

Climate change can make children and teenagers feel worried, angry, sad, frustrated, exhausted and hopeless about the future. They might feel pressure to solve the problem of climate change but powerless to do so.

Sometimes people use words like climate anxiety, eco-distress and climate distress to describe the challenging emotions children experience because of climate change.

Climate change and children: why support is important

Climate change is a big problem. Children need support to:

• feel heard, understood, less alone and safe
• understand and manage their emotions about climate change
• understand what other people are doing about climate change and what they can do
• feel a meaningful sense of purpose, empowerment and hope for the future
• figure out their values, beliefs and interests
• build their knowledge and skills.

Talking, learning and taking climate action together are the best ways to support your child in relation to climate change.

How to talk to children about climate change

Some children feel comfortable talking about climate change. Other children might not want to talk about it because they’re not sure what to say, they feel self-conscious talking about it, or they don’t want to worry you.

The way you talk to your child about climate change depends on their feelings and their age, skills and interests. You can adapt the tips below to your child’s situation.

How to talk

• Plan what you’ll say if climate change comes up in conversation. For example, your child might ask, ‘Why is it so hot?’ or ‘Why is that town underwater?’
• If the topic doesn’t come up naturally, choose a time and place when you can be one on one with your child, and you’re both calm and ready to talk. Talking while outside in nature can help your child feel connected to the environment.
• Adapt the conversation to your child’s age and abilities. For example, younger children might respond well to storytelling, toys or puppets. Older children might prefer real-world examples and more complex discussions.
• Connect climate change to your child’s interests and skills. For example, if they like robots, they might enjoy learning and talking about how technology helps scientists understand and act on climate change.
• If climate change comes up when either of you is distracted, stressed or in a rush, let your child know you want to talk about it with them and suggest another time to talk.

What to say

• Let your child know that climate change is important to you. For example, ‘I’ve been thinking a lot about climate change lately and what we can do about it’.
• Find out what your child already knows and thinks. For example, ‘What have you learned about climate change at school?’
• Ask about how your child feels. For example, ‘How do you feel when you see media reports about the floods?’

How to listen and respond

• Listen without interrupting, summarise your child’s words and feelings, and let your child know that their opinions are important to you.
• Validate your child’s feelings. For example, ‘It’s natural to feel worried – it’s a big problem. I’m worried about it too’.
• Share real-life examples of things that people are doing to protect the planet, like installing solar panels on homes and at schools.
• Share examples of how people working together has made a difference in the past. For example, you could talk about smallpox being eradicated through a global campaign.
• Encourage questions and try to answer them honestly in a way your child can understand. And if you don’t know an answer, suggest finding out together.
• Talk about climate activities you can do as a family. These might range from everyday family activities to community efforts.

Talking and learning with you can help your child understand and cope with media coverage of climate change and other distressing news. You can read more in our articles on disaster news and children 2-5 years, disaster news and children 6-11 years and disaster news and teenagers.

What is climate change: learning about it with children

When you and your child learn about what’s already being done and what can still be done about climate change, it can spark meaningful conversations. It can also:

• give your child a sense of control
• build their confidence
• help them feel more hopeful
• make it easier for them to talk about their thoughts and feelings.

Children learn best when they’re interested. Try using books, TV shows, toys, quizzes or hands-on activities to make learning fun. It’s also best to use reliable resources based on evidence, especially ones created for and by children.

Resources for children aged 6-11 years

• Books like Lift-the-flap looking after our planet by Katie Daynes, The magic school bus and the climate challenge by Joanna Cole, and Kids fight climate change: Act now to be a #2minutesuperhero by Martin Dorey
• Australian Psychological Society – Climate change activity sheet

Resources for teenagers aged 12-18 years

• Books like Climate change and how we’ll fix it by Alice Harman, Our house is on fire: Greta Thunberg’s call to save the planet by Jeanette Winter, and The boy who harnessed the wind: Creating currents of electricity and hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
• Websites like Stay Tuned To Our Planet (STTOP)
• Documentaries like Our Planet and ABC iview – Your Planet

Resources for you

• Books like Cranky uncle vs. climate change by Dr John Cook
• Parents for Climate
• Australian Psychological Society resources
• Psychology for a Safe Climate
• Climate Action Australia – Information
• UNICEF Australia – Parent and teacher resource hub: children and climate change

Resources for your family

The University of Melbourne’s Climate superpowers quiz can help you and your child explore how to care for the planet in ways that suit your strengths and interests.

Your child can feel inspired by young people taking action on climate change. You could talk about role models like Greta Thunberg and movements like School Strike 4 Climate, Australian Youth Climate Coalition and Seed Mob. Doing this can help your child see that they’re not alone in caring about the planet and that young people can make a difference.

Climate change activities to empower children

Your child can feel empowered, hopeful and motivated when you take positive actions together in your family and local community. Taking action together can:

• reassure your child that they’re not alone in caring for the planet
• ease any pressure your child feels to solve climate change on their own
• show your child that you care about their future.

Here are things to consider as you and your child choose climate change activities.

Activities with immediate impact

Your child might feel more hopeful and in control when they do something meaningful today, rather than waiting until they grow up. This can be as simple as turning off the lights when leaving a room, taking public transport or buying fewer things.

Activities that suit your child’s interests and skills

When climate change activities suit your child’s interests, it helps them feel competent and makes it fun to take action. For example, if your child enjoys gardening or playing outside, they might like planting or caring for a veggie garden with you. Or if your child enjoys writing, they might want to write an email about climate change to your MP.

Activities that range in scope

Climate change activities can range from sorting the recycling at home to fundraising or joining a community garden. For older children and teenagers, it can be empowering to try activities that might make a big difference, like going to a climate change rally.

Doing a range of activities can help your child feel that they’re making a difference in many ways.

You’re a powerful role model for your child, so it’s important for your child to see you taking action on your own – for example, making sustainable choices, speaking up or getting involved in your community.

Climate anxiety and eco-distress: supporting children’s wellbeing

Your child might have strong emotions about climate change, including climate anxiety and distress. You can support your child’s wellbeing by checking in regularly with how they’re feeling, letting them know that they’re not alone, and reminding them that many people around the world are trying to make a difference.

Here are other ways to support your child’s wellbeing:

• Encourage your child to express their emotions through physical activity, art and other types of play. This can release strong emotions and help your child feel joy and empowerment.
• Remind your child that taking care of themselves by having fun and getting plenty of rest is important. It helps your child stay strong. You might say, ‘Even the best leaders take breaks so they can keep making a difference’.
• Encourage your child to regularly do things that help them feel calm and positive. For example, playing outside or with pets, playing sport, hanging out with friends, reading or doing extracurricular activities.
• Guide your child through wellbeing exercises like mindfulness, grounding, helpful thinking, breathing and muscle relaxation. You could also do yoga classes together or try meditation apps like Smiling Mind.
• If your child is feeling overwhelmed by strong emotions, you can help your young child calm down or help your pre-teen or teenage child calm down.

If you think your child’s worries are interfering with their daily life, start by talking to their GP. The GP can help you find support for your child, which might include seeing a counsellor or psychologist. A school counsellor might also be able to help.