Talking climate with kids

There is a refreshing change from the environmental studies textbooks of yore that assigned children a to-do list of cautionary measures such as closing taps and switching off fans

“If every country around the world says NO to fossil fuels, we can defeat the climate change monster,” writes Bibek Bhattacharya in Our Beautiful World, which was picked as the Children’s Book of the Year (Ages 8+) at the Publishing Next Industry Awards last week.

Illustrated by Joanna Davala and published by Pratham Books, what makes this book special is that it does not talk down to young readers and tell them what they ought to do to fix the climate crisis. They are not the ones who brought the planet to its current state of ruin; their ancestors did. What we need right now is the willingness to take collective responsibility, and this is beautifully reflected in Mr Bhattacharya’s consistent use of the personal pronoun “we”.

This is a refreshing change from the environmental studies textbooks of yore that assigned children a to-do list of cautionary measures such as closing taps and switching off fans. A strong inner compass is important to keep us on track while setting out to achieve big goals but, in the context of the climate crisis, we need to adopt a civilisational perspective.

This book shows how agriculture, urbanisation, trade, and art have transformed human life and — in the bargain — also depleted the earth’s resources. Wanting more from the planet is not a new phenomenon but the industrial revolution ushered in an era of unchecked burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil to power machines entrusted with furthering human progress. If we continue, the sea level will rise, and “cities like Mumbai and Kolkata will be deserted”.

Given his background as a journalist and podcaster focusing on the climate crisis, Mr Bhattacharya is skilled at communicating facts without sugarcoating. Children need to see things as they are because they have to live with them. At the same time, he reminds them that “there is hope” because humans have “built technologies which can draw energy from the sun, wind and water”. If the world can stop burning fossil fuels by 2050, there will be no extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and we can save the planet from heating up further.

No crisis can be tackled if we give up on optimism, which is certainly a renewable resource as evident from environmental journalist Bahar Dutt’s new book for children — Planet Protectors: Stories of Green Heroes (2024) — illustrated by Pankaj Saikia and published by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). In this delightful book, two sisters Aranya and Prakriti learn about individuals who have made it their life’s mission to protect the planet.

Readers are introduced to Tulsi Gowda, a tribal elder and custodian of indigenous knowledge on trees, shrubs, and seeds; Afroz Shah, who organises beach cleanups; Biju Bhaskar, who teaches architects to build with mud and plant materials; Poonam Bir Kasturi, who trains people in home composting to reduce pressure on landfills; Vijay Jardhari, who started the Beej Bachao Andolan to save traditional varieties of seeds; Ritwick Dutta, who provides legal representation to communities that cannot defend themselves against polluting companies in court; Samarrth Khanna, who creates mini-forests in cities; and many other heroes.

Without being preachy, Ms Dutt lays out a number of paths that children can pursue when they grow up. Parents and teachers who are worried about the legacy that they are leaving behind can rest assured that future generations have it in them to craft a better future for the planet. Reading about these heroes can encourage them to tap into their own creativity and innovate.

Former journalist Bijal Vachharajani has teamed up with illustrator Rajiv Eipe to create a laugh-riot of a book called When Fairyland Lost its Magic (2023), published by HarperCollins. It retells popular fairytales in the context of the climate crisis. Rapunzel struggles to take care of long, flowing hair because of a water shortage. Snow White is renamed No White because all the snow has melted. Thankfully, her stepmother cannot poison her with an apple because early rain has damaged most of the apple harvest. Sleeping Beauty has insomnia; her therapist has diagnosed this as a case of climate anxiety.

As anyone dealing with a crisis knows, the best ally to have is a good sense of humour.