‘Eco-Anxiety’ Affects More Than Three Quarters of Children Under 12
‘Eco-anxiety’ affects more than three quarters of children under 12, a crisis that teachers say they are unable to cope with, new polling by Greenpeace has found
The Telegraph has the story.
New polling commissioned by Greenpeace found that teachers are unable to cope with the unprecedented number of pupils who report feeling worried about climate change.
The YouGov survey asked more than 600 children under 12 about their feelings towards global warming, finding that 78 percent were worried about the issue.
The firm also polled 505 primary school teachers and found that 70 percent did not have enough time in the school day to help pupils with concerns about the environment.
The research from Greenpeace also suggested 82 percent of teachers would find lesson plans and resources to support children with their worries useful.
To help teachers and parents discuss the climate crisis with children, the campaign group has produced guidelines written by Caroline Hickman, a psychotherapist and self-described “leading researcher into eco-anxiety and climate psychology”.
Ms Hickman advocates a ruthless approach to the problem, warning that parents who shelter their children from truths about climate change could “put them at a disadvantage”, and that trying to protect children in this way “may not be feasible or helpful”.
The National Education Union has also issued guidance on declaring a climate emergency in schools.
Written by a London secondary school teacher, it calls for climate change to be embedded throughout the curriculum to ensure future generations leave school “hyper-aware” of the crisis.
“This will empower young people to pressure governments and businesses to act and we hope many young people might be inspired to enter careers combating ecological degradation and global warming,” the guide states.
Eco-anxiety appears to increase as children age. A major global poll from 2021 found that half of young people believed that humanity was “doomed” as a result of climate change.
Co-ordinated by Bath University, the project surveyed 10,000 people aged 16-25 across 10 countries, finding that almost 60 percent felt very worried or extremely worried about the issue, with almost half (45 percent) saying these anxieties affected their daily lives.
The solution to a crisis of ‘eco-anxiety’ in children is to expose them to even more of it???
You can’t make this stuff up.
Worth reading in full.
See more here dailysceptic.org
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Header image: BBC
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