Nearly four in five children aged under 12 are worried about climate change leaving teachers struggling to tackle eco-anxiety in the classroom, research suggests.
A YouGov survey, commissioned by the campaign group, asked more than 600 primary-aged children about their feelings towards global warming, finding 78% are worried about the issue.
A separate poll of 505 teachers found that 70% of primary teachers interviewed do not have enough time in the school day to help pupils with concerns about the environment.
The Greenpeace findings also suggested 82% of teachers would find lesson plans and resources to support children with their worries useful.
To help both teachers and parents discuss the climate crisis with children, the green group has released a set of guides written by psychotherapist and leading eco-anxiety researcher by Dr Caroline Hickman.
Dr Hickman said that while parents naturally want to shelter children from scary truths, this “may not be feasible or helpful” and could even “put them at a disadvantage”.
“Homes torched by wildfires, flooded villages, people fleeing hurricanes – pictures of climate impacts are coming in thick and fast and our kids are watching,” she said.
“Our children will come of age during a climate crisis so building their emotional resilience is one way to prepare them.
“But we understand that this can be a challenge for parents and teachers, who already have a lot on their plate.”
Dr Hickman said the guides will give some simple tips on starting the conversation and striking the right balance between problems and solutions.
Areeba Hamid, Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director, said: “Children hear frightening information about our changing climate from many different sources.
“Helping them to make sense of it all, and emotionally preparing them for the big role climate change will play in their lives, can be a challenge for parents.
“The reality is that the climate crisis will be one of the major forces shaping the world they’ll grow up in, and it’s good to give them the tools they need to make sense of it.”
