The stories we tell young people about climate change can be stories of opportunity.
Dr Hannah Ritchie is a Senior Researcher and the Head of Research at Our World in Data at University of Oxford. She focuses on the long-term development of food supply, agriculture, energy, and environment, and their compatibility with global development.
This week she posted an article on her Substack letter that cites depressing new research: more than half – 56% – of young people, aged 16-25 in 10 countries, said that “humanity is doomed” due to climate change.
"Three-quarters said that the 'future is frightening' due to climate change. And more than half thought they’d have fewer opportunities than their parents."
Why? In her view it is because of the stories we tell: "These feelings are not surprising. We’re hit with catastrophic headlines every hour."
"...As I outlined in an article in WIRED last year – Stop Telling Kids They’ll Die From Climate Change – we need to change this narrative. We need to stop putting that burden on our kids – not only because it’s cruel, but because it’s wrong and ineffective in helping us turn things around.
"We don’t need to pull the wool over their eyes. We don’t have to pretend that there is no climate problem. But we can and should focus on what we can do about it. Because we can do something about it. A lot.
"Importantly, it doesn’t have to come from a place of sacrifice. It can come from a place of opportunity. It’s not about cutting our lives back to the bare minimum to scrape by. It’s about using the changes that tackling climate change needs – abundant low-carbon energy, efficient transport networks, more climate-friendly diets, cleaner air, the list goes on – to build a better life for ourselves, others, and the other species we share this planet with."
Article: Young People Feel Like They Have No Future Due to Climate Change; We Need to Change the Narrative