Ms Bastian, what can parents do if they notice their child is anxious about climate change?
I find a fatalistic attitude towards the climate very dangerous. Children and young people want to be active; they want to make a difference. Parents can act as role models here: they can champion greater sustainability themselves, get involved in their own lives and take a close look at their personal carbon footprint. However, it is also important that parents speak honestly with their children and admit that living in a climate-friendly way can be a challenge in everyday life. Children and young people want to be taken seriously.
Only those who know and love nature will protect it.
How can we encourage children to care for the environment and nature?
Parents can certainly help their child to learn to appreciate nature and the environment – by taking them out into the countryside, to the mountains, to the lakes and to the meadows. After all, only those who know and love something will put a great deal of effort into protecting it.
Through the «Climate School» programme, you aim to make schools more climate-friendly. How can parents help with this?
Parents can simply ask their children's schools: What are you doing to address the UN's Sustainable Development Goals? Are you planning to install a solar panel system? Could you make the school grounds more biodiverse? This could be the start of an important process. I always advise parents: Keep at it – you're doing this for your children – and for all of us.
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Further information
You can find out more about the Myblueplanet Climate School here.
