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More young people are climate anxiety – an intense fear about the world’s environment. It makes sense - they are the generation that will be most affected by global warming.

In fact, they’re already seeing the effects. Severe weather changes are happening across the globe. From wildfires to floods to storms and tornadoes, extreme weather events are having a direct impact on how people live.

Spread climate awareness in your classroom

But how do you speak to students about the reality of global warming without making their climate anxiety worse? Discussing weather changes can be an opportunity to spread climate awareness in your classroom and empower students to be innovative and feel hopeful for the future. Here are some ideas:

1. Encourage climate curiosity

As with any conversations about society, it’s a good idea to start by engaging students with the topic. That means looking at stories from people who have been affected by extreme weather. Doing this helps students connect concepts with real life, and better understand why the topic is important.

You could find newspaper stories and watch videos from communities that are living with severe weather changes. Try to find accounts that detail what exactly the weather change is, and what the effects are. You could also highlight information about who is most at risk from weather changes and what the financial costs are. Look at the data from a local and (inter)national perspective, so students can grasp the scale of things.

Afterwards, ask students to think about times when an extreme weather event impacted them. What did they do? How did they feel? And can they think of a way to navigate that same weather if it happened every day?

Read more about putting climate change at the heart of education.

2. Integrate weather changes across all subjects

Integrating weather themes across different classes helps students to develop different ways of thinking about weather and what to consider when it comes to weather phenomena.

For example, you could conduct to reflect weather shifts in science classes. In maths, you could analyze weather patterns over time. In media classes, you could analyse different accounts of extreme weather events from people in different locations.

By integrating weather discussions in more classes, you emphasise how widespread weather changes are. At the same time, it’s a chance to give your students the tools and confidence they’ll need to cope with extreme weather.Ìý

3. Focus on social resilience

A big part of young people’s climate anxiety stems from feeling powerless amid environmental shifts. But teaching your students about social resilience can be a powerful way to combat this feeling of powerlessness.

Social resilience is the ability to deal with challenges, find solutions, and be adaptable. You can explain social resilience to students by sharing examples of businesses and individuals that are successfully responding to weather changes. For instance, there are people designing weather warning systems, planting trees, building flood prevention areas, and educating others about how to manage weather disruptions.

You could then invite students to invent technology or strategies that help alleviate the impact of extreme weather. The more creative, the better!

Learn more about building resilience in your students.

4. Role play different weather scenarios

Children learn best when they can link abstract ideas to something tangible. Role playing helps them literally live out scenarios and be more empathetic towards others. It also inspires them to explore topics more deeply.

You could tell students to role play as meteorologists, emergency responders or community members preparing for an extreme weather event. Ask them what their first steps are and what resources they need. You might ask students to work in teams or independently to manage situations. The goal is to have them imagine what weather changes bring, and what knowledge they already have, and what they’re missing, to stay safe.

Read more tips on teaching environmentalism.

5. Address misinformation

Talking about climate change can be tricky because there’s so much misinformation out there. It’s really important to help students understand what misinformation is, and how to recognise it.

Introduce the idea of media literacy, where students review the sources they get information from. Have them read climate reporting from various websites, and discuss what signs suggest that the source isn’t credible, and what suggests that it is. Similarly, you could look at conversation threads on social media platforms, and ask students why people may purposefully spread disinformation (deliberately false information).

Addressing misinformation ensures that your students learn about severe weather changes accurately, and don’t accidentally keep sharing dangerous narratives.

Find out more about teaching your students to recognise fake news.

‘A sense of hope and readiness’

Extreme weather is scary, and you don’t have to hide that when talking to your students. However, it is possible to give your students a greater sense of hope and readiness. They’ll not only be informed about weather changes, but better equipped to deal with the changes and support other people in doing the same too.

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