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Anxiety About Climate Change

Bryan Dibble

Teaching about the impacts of climate change, I've noticed an increase in anxiety among many students regarding the future.  In my CWP class one of the talking points is climate change.  Of course it's a lot of negative news when I ask kids to bring issues to talk about.  Looking at climate change world wide brings us right back to the question, "Are we going to be affected?"  We are being affected in Central Washington State, but not even close to as bad as other places.  Just the massive storms in the midwest and south this week is scary enough.  We're seeing some massive changes in climate hurting places like California, the northeast, Floria, and others. How do you address these fears in your classroom?  Are there any particular discussions or activities you've found effective in providing some hope to students?  

  • Great question! I'd love to know if anyone figures this one out. For me, I hum the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Floater (Too Much to Ask):

    They say times are hard, if you don't believe it
    You can just follow your nose
    It don't bother me—times are hard everywhere
    We'll just have to see how it goes

    With this, I return to the student's perspective that many people living right now are either in a climate disaster or their lives are so difficult that a climate disaster wouldn't make much difference. This does not provide hope to students, but it does provide perspective, which can be valuable in a different way. 

  • in reply to Drew Fortune

      Can't sing all the lyrics to that song out loud in class, but good one!  When you wrote, "...many people right now are in a climate disaster" that got me thinking about how some kids are going to school Monday after family and neighbors just got wrecked.  Some kids are not going to school this Monday.  Wonder how that conversation in class goes?  Or do they just ignore Climate Change and chalk it up as normal?  

  •  , I can't imagine how to comfort or address students in the aftermath of suffering a climate disaster.

    But, in general, I think that the OER lesson (several activities) about A Case for Climate Optimism is helpful to reframe climate issues into new perspectives and new hope for what we as individuals can do to promote climate education. 

  • in reply to Donnetta Elsasser

    Agreed. I do try to keep positive.  I really think and believe we humans will figure it out before it's too late.  Not before we see some major shifts unfortunately, but soon enough to right the ship.  You being a fellow Washingtonian know we have it pretty good in our region.