ABSTRACT
As researchers and practitioners, we suggest climate change education for children may simultaneously prepare young audiences for what is to come and make considerable progress in bringing current decision makers together to take action now. We offer that children may represent a novel and effective pathway to overcoming these social barriers to collective action on climate change. Specifically, we suggest children may help adults set aside ideological biases and unite in a collective response to climate change through the process of intergenerational learning (IGL). In this chapter, we describe what we have been learning about how children engage with climate change, how that engagement translates into action, and how children can influence their parents’ engagement with climate change. Interspersed in this narrative, we also offer perspectives of researchers and teachers on what it is like to engage in climate change education and associated research. Changes in thinking and actions may not be smooth or immediate, but as history has shown, change can and will result from youth-based efforts. IGL research can highlight successes and uncover ways to ensure children are given the best chance to lead us into a future that overcomes challenges posed by climate change.
