Climate Change
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Climate Change Supporting Children and Young People: A guide for professionals Developed by Educational & Child Psychologists Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea Educational Psychology Consultation Service Contents Page Introduction and context………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2 Psychological biases and barriers to engagement……………………………………………………………………………..3 Managing Environmental Anxiety and Uncertainty…………………………………………………………………………..8 Intergenerational Relationships and Anger…………………………………………………………………………………..…10 Priorities for Education…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...11 How to Talk with Children about Climate Change Impacts……………………………………………………………….13 Empowering Hope, Agency and Activism…………………………………………………………………………………………16 Climate Change: Supporting Children and Young People. A Primer for Professionals Introduction and Context This paper aims to help professionals consider issues arising when teaching or supporting children and young people (CYP) in the time of climate change. We use the term ‘climate change’ to refer to the climate crisis – the ecological collapse resulting from humans’ effects on the earth’s climate. An INSET ‘Children and Climate Change – Where do adults fit in?’ is available from the Educational Psychology service, which covers many of the issues discussed in this paper. Email [email protected] for further details. Recommendations for action and practice are indicated with an arrow throughout As Educational Psychologists, we recognise that climate change and its complex, interacting impacts are a valid and reasonable source of anxiety, particularly for younger people. The implications for mental health, wellbeing and CYP’s ability to thrive are widely recognised1,2 and need to be addressed proactively. Furthermore, if society is to move from a state of paralysis into empowered, hopeful action we recognise the role that education must play in a time of social media and ‘information overload’. CYP and adults need access to the facts around climate change, but we also need to understand the psychology of climate change in order to move into positive action. We recognise that issues of climate change are inseparable from issues of social justice. The countries most affected by climate change (the global south, Africa, Asia and small island nations) are largely those with the least historical emissions. Within countries, people living in communities of ethnic minority or with economic disadvantage are more likely to be exposed to the effects of climate change or pollution3. In addition to the increasingly prevalent direct impacts of climate change in the UK (e.g. flooding) we also acknowledge the detrimental link between pollution, concentration and memory4, particularly evident within cities. As inner London Educational Psychologists, we wish to promote awareness of the ways in which climate change exposes and exacerbates existing inequalities. We support the climate justice agenda, which focusses on the systemic changes needed to transition to a sustainable economy that everyone can benefit from. For further resources to understand climate change, including its causes, impacts, and measures of mitigation we suggest the following sources for professionals: Climate change primer – Massachusetts Institute of Technology: https://climateprimer.mit.edu/ United Nations Summary of the scientific findings: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/key-findings UNSECO (United Nations Scientific, Environmental and Cultural organisation) climate change starter’s guidebook – resource for professionals bringing climate change into the curriculum: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=400&nr=921&menu=1515 1 Association of Clinical Psychologists (2020). Practitioner psychologists and the trauma of climate change. An open letter demanding immediate and effective action. [accessed online 18.11.2020] https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdU6L3NM12ikT-34ZPlp1yv-6nHcM5aqhmid6nK- M3plZGu3A/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w= 2 Burke, S. E., Sanson, A. V., & Van Hoorn, J. (2018). The psychological effects of climate change on children. Current psychiatry reports, 20(5), 35. 3 e.g. Bravo, M. A., Anthopolos, R., Bell, M. L., & Miranda, M. L. (2016). Racial isolation and exposure to airborne particulate matter and ozone in understudied US populations: environmental justice applications of downscaled numerical model output. Environment international, 92, 247-255. 4 Powdthavee, N., & Oswald, A. J. (2020). Is there a link between air pollution and impaired memory? Evidence on 34,000 English citizens. Ecological Economics, 169, 106485. 2 WKC Educational Psychology Consultation Service January 2021 Climate Change: Supporting Children and Young People. A Primer for Professionals We suggest the following sources for CYP: National Geographic Kids – climate change: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/science/climate-change/ NASA Climate Kids: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/ BBC – climate change – a really simple guide: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment- 24021772 Psychological Biases and Barriers to Engagement The world has known about climate change for many years. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 and has been producing summaries of the climate science and recommendations for action ever since. However, only the recent behaviour change due to Covid-19 confinements has resulted in a temporary reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions (Le Quéré et al., 2020). It seems that science alone does not yet convince us to take the collective action necessary to mitigate the threat of climate change. A few different theories of psychology, mainly in the form of cognitive biases, offer barriers or explanation for climate inaction. These shortcuts in thinking evolved to ensure our ancestors’ survival by allowing them to think quickly and filter out unnecessary information to avert danger. However, when we act on assumptions and intuition in this ‘fast’ mode of thinking, we can struggle to make rational, balanced decisions based on a fair assessment of the information available. A selection of these biases is grouped below at different stages of climate engagement, defined in this paper as: 1. Understanding the problem 2. Perceiving it as a threat 3. Not ignoring it 4. Not feeling burnt out Many of these principles form the basis for Figure 1. Cognitive biases help us avoid danger but mean we suggestions in working with CYP and will be don't always think logically. referred to throughout the paper. For teaching CYP about the psychology of climate change, we suggest starting with Per Espen Stoknes 5 D’s model5, which summarises some of the main psychological defences, while presenting 5 more hopeful, activating psychologies. 5 Stoknes, P. E. (2017) TED talk on 5 defences model [online] https://www.ted.com/talks/per_espen_stoknes_how_to_transform_apocalypse_fatigue_into_action_on_global_warming [accessed on 18.11.2020] 3 WKC Educational Psychology Consultation Service January 2021 Climate Change: Supporting Children and Young People. A Primer for Professionals 1. Understanding the problem of climate change The scale and reach of the interacting causes and impacts of climate change make it complex, overwhelming and hard to fully grasp. It is an intangible ‘Hyperobject’ that ‘massively outscales us’6 . Many people perhaps have more salient things to think about, such as meeting a deadline, or how to pay the rent. Even if you do choose to engage with the topic, finding the right information is not straightforward when presented with so many different sources. We tend to seek out comforting news (optimism bias), or articles that agree with what we already believe (confirmation bias)7 . This can result in the ‘echo chamber’ phenomenon, with social media algorithms exposing us to attention grabbing news, even if it is fake. The combination of echo chambers and a mistrust of those outside the ‘chamber’, high uncertainty and complexity can breed conspiracy narratives. While Figure 2. Our ‘confirmation bias’ can result in conspiracy theories can offer a soothingly simple solution to a the 'echo chamber' phenomenon. complex problem, they are known to reduce intentions to act on climate8 . In an age where science is competing with more attention- grabbing articles, CYP would benefit from being taught: • the science and facts of climate change and human responses to it (see resources above). • the skills of checking facts and information sources, reasoning and critical thinking (see further suggestions below). 2. Threat perception Even those that understand climate change can still struggle to perceive it as an existential threat. That is because our brains have evolved to respond to threats that have the following features9: • Personal – a threat from other humans e.g. a pickpocket. Figure 3. Spotting fake news is more important than ever. • Abrupt – sudden changes e.g. a bomb. • Immoral – things that are indecent or repulsive e.g. violence against a person • Now – happening immediately or could happen soon e.g. losing your job. 6 Morton, T. (2013). Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology After the End of the World. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 7 Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking: Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. 8 Jolley, D. (2013). The social consequences of conspiracism: Exposure to conspiracy theories decreases intentions to engage in politics and to reduce one’s carbon footprint. American Psychologist, 66(4),