Climate anxiety: False doomsday predictions traumatising kids
Mike speaks with Tim Blair, columnist for the Daily Telegraph, about his recent article criticising “doomy” teachers, academics, politicians, and the media for instilling climate anxiety in Australian schoolchildren with apocalyptic predictions that never come true—and for never apologizing when they don’t.
Tim recounts that about two decades ago, his friend’s young daughter was distressed after a climate talk at her Sydney school. A visiting academic warned students they might see their suburb of Hornsby flooded due to rising seas.
Despite Hornsby being 20 km inland and 190m above sea level, the girl was terrified for hours, fearing for her home and pets.
Many Australian children continue to experience similar climate anxiety due to alarming messages from educators, academics, politicians, and the media.
Download this podcast here