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How to Talk to Your Kids about Climate Change: Turning Angst Into Action
Building grit and hope in the face of the climate emergency
With catastrophic global warming already baked into the climate system, today's children face a future entirely unlike that of their parents. Yet how can we maintain hope and make a difference in the face of overwhelming evidence of the climate crisis?
Help is at hand. Written by Harriet Shugarman - the Climate Mama and trusted advisor to parents - How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change provides tools and strategies for parents to explain the climate emergency to their children and galvanize positive action. Coverage includes:
The unvarnished realities of the climate emergency, where we are at, and how we got here
Strategies for talking to kids of different ages about the climate crisis, including advice from engaged parents on the ground
How to maintain our own hope and that of our children A list of practical actions families can take to tackle the climate change crisis
Ideas for helping children follow their passions in pursuit of a livable, just, and sustainable world.
A lifeline for parents who are feeling overwhelmed with fear and grief, this book provides both hope and practical ways to engage children in pursuit of a better world that is still possible.
With catastrophic global warming already baked into the climate system, today's children face a future entirely unlike that of their parents. Yet how can we maintain hope and make a difference in the face of overwhelming evidence of the climate crisis?
Help is at hand. Written by Harriet Shugarman - the Climate Mama and trusted advisor to parents - How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change provides tools and strategies for parents to explain the climate emergency to their children and galvanize positive action. Coverage includes:
The unvarnished realities of the climate emergency, where we are at, and how we got here
Strategies for talking to kids of different ages about the climate crisis, including advice from engaged parents on the ground
How to maintain our own hope and that of our children A list of practical actions families can take to tackle the climate change crisis
Ideas for helping children follow their passions in pursuit of a livable, just, and sustainable world.
A lifeline for parents who are feeling overwhelmed with fear and grief, this book provides both hope and practical ways to engage children in pursuit of a better world that is still possible.
208 pages, Paperback
Published May 5, 2020
6 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Harriet Shugarman
2 books4 followersThrilled to share that, "How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change, Turning Angst into Action" has been named as a finalist by Foreword Reviews as a 2020 Book of the Year nominee in the Family and Relationships (Adult Nonfiction) category! https://www.forewordreviews.com/award...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 21, 2020
I heard Harriet Shugarman speak at the 2019 Climate Reality training in Minneapolis, MN. She was an excellent speaker and I thought this book would be good, and it is. It covers all aspects of being a caring parent, a good parent, and an activist for the climate crisis. In the first part, she explains how parents worry and want the best for their children, and the tugs at the heart brought about by climate change. When will you tell your precious baby? She says nothing for the first 5 years. Then she covers the scientific information regarding our changing climate, which is an excellent section and worth of review. As the book progresses, the children from pre-school through college age are discussed and what to expect from various age levels. She felt her children thought her less "cool" when they were teens, but she tells how she handled that. Questions children might ask such as, "Is this the end of the world?" are mentioned. Possible answers are given. Lists of organizations, a book club guide, an index, and a bibliography are all found at the end of the book. Very helpful information. She evens explains how to pay the fine if arrested to get out of jail the same day.
August 8, 2021
I wanted to read How to Talk to Your Kids about Climate Change because I knew it would be informative and in language that I could understand. And it is informative as well as easy to follow. The Preface itself is very inspiring. Here it is as a direct quote:
"We must imagine the future we want, envisioning our hopes and dreams. We must envision a future where climate change is a chronic condition, one we have figured out how to live with, one that is manageable and allows our children to thrive, not just survive. Our children are watching us; their present and future is truly in our hands. Let’s talk honestly with them about this—about the endless opportunities, about the active hope.
Let’s begin by telling our children the truth."
This Preface sets the tone for the entire book, which provides a broad view of the entire issue of climate change from the viewpoint of the author and her research, as well as comments from parents. Shugarman herself has been involved in this serious issue for several years, starting her blog ClimateMama in 2009. She is also professor of Climate Change Policy and World Sustainability, and Chair of The Climate Reality Project, NYC Metro Chapter.
In the Introduction, the author tackles the issue of “Awakening to Our Climate Emergency,” plus concerns, solutions and some of her memorable blog posts. Reading the book, I was impressed with all her knowledge and passion about climate change. The book also tackles Science, Politics, Growth, and Justice in Chapter 2, explaining how these all impact and how we as adults (and our children) can tackle climate change. She does devote chapters to how we can “Turn from Angst to Action,” the subtitle, from pre-school through college and beyond, so the book is actually for all age groups.
This book is packed with so much important information that my review cannot do it justice. I have so many tabs on so many pages, that I will need to keep this in my bookcase as a reference book. I especially like Chapter 7: "Creating a Million Ripples: From Me to We.”
If you want help and inspiration in being the change you want to see, then this book is must reading. It is published by New Society Publishers in Canada, whose “mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision.” How to Talk to Your Kids about Climate Change is a soft-cover book with 167 pages and costs$17.99 new, well worth the reasonable price.
Author's Website: www.climatemama.com
"We must imagine the future we want, envisioning our hopes and dreams. We must envision a future where climate change is a chronic condition, one we have figured out how to live with, one that is manageable and allows our children to thrive, not just survive. Our children are watching us; their present and future is truly in our hands. Let’s talk honestly with them about this—about the endless opportunities, about the active hope.
Let’s begin by telling our children the truth."
This Preface sets the tone for the entire book, which provides a broad view of the entire issue of climate change from the viewpoint of the author and her research, as well as comments from parents. Shugarman herself has been involved in this serious issue for several years, starting her blog ClimateMama in 2009. She is also professor of Climate Change Policy and World Sustainability, and Chair of The Climate Reality Project, NYC Metro Chapter.
In the Introduction, the author tackles the issue of “Awakening to Our Climate Emergency,” plus concerns, solutions and some of her memorable blog posts. Reading the book, I was impressed with all her knowledge and passion about climate change. The book also tackles Science, Politics, Growth, and Justice in Chapter 2, explaining how these all impact and how we as adults (and our children) can tackle climate change. She does devote chapters to how we can “Turn from Angst to Action,” the subtitle, from pre-school through college and beyond, so the book is actually for all age groups.
This book is packed with so much important information that my review cannot do it justice. I have so many tabs on so many pages, that I will need to keep this in my bookcase as a reference book. I especially like Chapter 7: "Creating a Million Ripples: From Me to We.”
If you want help and inspiration in being the change you want to see, then this book is must reading. It is published by New Society Publishers in Canada, whose “mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision.” How to Talk to Your Kids about Climate Change is a soft-cover book with 167 pages and costs$17.99 new, well worth the reasonable price.
Author's Website: www.climatemama.com
December 27, 2020
This is an important book for all parents whose children are asking tough questions about climate change. Even though I consider myself reasonably well read on the science of this issue, I was not well equipped to discuss it with my children. My oldest is now 10, and has been asking specific questions for a few years about how bad climate change is, whether our species will survive it, why aren't the adults doing more to stop it. I think one of the saddest moments of my life was when he told me he wished he was my age, so he could have grown up when climate change wasn't so bad. This book helps you grapple with your own grief, get informed on the seriousness of the problem, and talk to your children about this issue in a way that is realistic and hopeful. It has suggestions for how to get involved in making change, and how to support your children if they want to get involved as well.
My only quibble with the book was that it clearly needed a more thorough copy-edit; I found a number of typos and a few things that probably could have been more clearly expressed.
My only quibble with the book was that it clearly needed a more thorough copy-edit; I found a number of typos and a few things that probably could have been more clearly expressed.
March 1, 2021
Written by climate advocate Harriet Shugarman, this book starts with a solid grounding in the current state and ongoing (worsening) situation in attempts to stem climate change and the potential catastrophic event that may come if little is done. The second half of the book deals with educating your kids about climate change, keeping in my the concerns of stress and frightened reactions of the child. As the child gets older and is ready for more they can also take an active role as well. They need to be ready because event with action, the world will continue to change. The reader should not worry about knowing lots of facts prior to discussions with the child. There are lots of ways to learn together.
January 1, 2022
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
~ Mother Theresa
~ Mother Theresa
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews