Educating for resilience: parent and teacher perceptions of children’s emotional needs in response to climate change

Abstract

Children are worried about climate change. Environmental education aims to increase knowledge and pro-environmental behavior but typically gives little attention to meeting children’s emotional needs. This is particularly important as direct and indirect impacts of climate change, including the Australian bushfires in 2019–20, become more salient. This study explored caretaker perceptions of children’s climate change emotions, and the needs and challenges around supporting children, through an online survey of Australian parents and teachers (n = 141). Parents and teachers similarly reported that children experience anxiety and express interest in talking about climate change. They described challenges that inhibit their ability to talk to the children, whilst also identifying positive experiences of doing so. We conclude that parents and teachers would benefit from resources to help them support their children’s environmental learning in a way that fosters emotional wellbeing and promotes hopefulness. We suggest principles that acknowledge feelings, emphasize solutions, and encourage action.

Keywords:

• Environmental education
• children
• climate change
• climate anxiety
• climate change hope
• ecoanxiety
• resilience
• Australia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cambry Baker

Cambry Baker is a student at the College of Wooster. Her interests lie in the development and implementation of experiential processes that transform individual and collective ecological grief into sustainable action through environmental education. Cambry's main research focus is on the role positive and negative climate change emotions play in cultivating youth climate resilience, efficacy, and engagement.

Susan Clayton

Susan Clayton is a professor of social psychology at the College of Wooster. Her research focuses on the human relationship with the natural world and the way in which that relationship is shaped by social interactions. Most recently she has been exploring experiences of climate anxiety.

Eshana Bragg

Eshana Bragg PhD is an ecopsychologist, university lecturer and professional trainer. As a director of Sustainable Futures Australia, her work in community engagement and education spans Aboriginal cultural awareness, deep nature connection, and the interpretation of technical sustainability solutions. As cofounder of The Joyality Project, she designs and implements nature based psychoeducation programs to inspire and empower change makers.