Our Planet x Young Children

“In every crisis, children are amongst the most vulnerable. The same is true for climate change.”

– Inga Menke, Carl-Friedrich Schleussner

We are supporting children and building our systems today with tomorrow in mind – a tomorrow with climate conditions that will be very different than they are today.

We have more questions than answers, and think now is the time to elevate the importance of the relationship between climate change and young children’s learning and development, presently and in the future.

We’re having the discussion about the impact of climate change on young children—emotional, cognitive, physical—and learning about what is being done – and what we can do – to mitigate this impact, in Vermont and beyond its borders.

Current Fellows

Naomi Alfini

VTAEYC Exchange Fellow

read Naomi's posts

OPEN

VTAEYC Exchange Fellow

Apply today

Resource Library

Scholarly Articles

Global climate change and children’s health
Adhoot, S., Pacheco, S. E., & The Council on Environmental Health (2015). Pediatrics, 136(5), e1468-e1484.
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-3233

A natural choice: Learning outdoors
Hansel, L. (2018). Young Children, 73(5).
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2018/natural-choice-learning-outdoors

Our proud heritage. Take it outside: A history of nature-based education
Prochner, L. (2021). Young Children, 76(3).
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/fall2021/take-it-outside

Wildfire smoke exposure under climate change: impact on respiratory health of affected communities
Reid, C. E. & Maestas, M. M. (2019). Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, 25(2), 179-187.
https://doi.org/10.1097/MCP.0000000000000552

Planting the seeds for nature-based learning: Impacts of a farm- and nature-based early childhood education program
Rymanowicz, K., Hetherington, C., & Larm, B. (2020). International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 8(1), 44-63.
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1280494

Reports

Unless we act now: The impact of climate change on children
November, 2015 – Unicef

News Articles

AG calls Global Warming Solutions Act constitutional; Scott admin still has reservations
December 3, 2020 – VTDigger.org

Humans waging ‘suicidal war’ on nature: UN chief Antonio Guterres
December 2, 2020 – BBC

How to prepare kids for the climate crisis? Cara Hoffman’s books might help
November 23, 2020 – Grist

The Dalai Lama offers a take on climate change: ‘Promote vegetarianism’
November 11, 2020 – NPR

Did Trump scare Americans into caring about climate change?
November 11, 2020 – Grist

Biden plan: ‘Pope Francis directed the global community to raise awareness about growing climate change crisis’
November 9, 2020 – CNSNews

Organizations fighting climate change: A quick guide
October 9, 2018 – Medium

Three scenarios for the future of climate change
October 5, 2020 – The New Yorker

Climate disruption is now locked in. The next moves will be crucial
September 22, 2020 – The New York Times

How to protect children from wildfire smoke
September 18, 2020 – The New York Times

Pope Francis: The pandemic has ‘given us a chance to develop new ways of living’
September 1, 2020 – America

A tale of two crises: COVID-19 and climate change
July 31, 2020 – DeseretNews

Scientists warn worse pandemics are on the way if we don’t protect nature
May 4, 2020 – World Economic Forum

Federal Appeals Court dismisses young people’s climate lawsuit
January 23, 2020 – 60 Minutes

How To Talk To Kids About Climate Change
October 24, 2019 – NPR

The Complete Guide to Divestment: Hitting the big banks and fossil fuel companies where it hurts
July 2, 2019 – Medium

Court of Appeals considers whether U.S. climate policy violates rights of young people (video replay)
June 4, 2019 – KQED

Children change their parents’ minds about climate change
May 6, 2019 – Scientific American

Why I joined the Sunrise Movement
March 8, 2019 – Medium

The four most effective things you can do about climate change, according to science
July 13, 2017 – Forbes

9 things you can do about climate change
January 23, 2017 – Forbes

Civilization’s last chance
May 11, 2008 – Los Angeles Times

Books

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, by Elizabeth Kolbert

Wild at Heart, by Alice Outwater

“…history shows we should not despair. We have solved many environmental problems in the past. We saved the whales, healed the ozone hole, and cleaned up our air and water. We stopped killing everything. When you see how far we’ve come, it seems like dealing with global warming is just the next step.”