The Earth is currently undergoing a sixth global‐scale ecological crisis. The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report of 2021 highlighted a need to curb global heating at 1.5 degrees above the pre‐industrial baseline, and outlined a range of likely impacts of climate change on global societies should no action be taken, particularly in relation to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Despite this need, policy‐based action at a nation state level is lacking, with talks at COP25 failing to reach necessary agreements. In response to this, and as we approach COP26, a significant global youth movement has been activated, with children and young people taking it upon themselves to highlight a need for climate and environmental action, calling for others to follow. This paper follows the emotional journey of one of its co‐authors, 11‐year‐old environmental activist, Lucie. Through the innovative approach of co‐production with Lucie, in this paper we detail the role of emotion in one youth activist’s journey. From her initial reactions watching BBC’s Blue Planet II, to the multifaceted highs and lows that have followed as she strives for change, we illuminate the emotional implications such experiences may have on children and young people.
Research highlights that children across the UK access the outdoors less than previous generations, often at 6 levels below that prescribed by the United Nations as a basic level of access for prisoners. School staff and 7 parents are intrinsic partners in facilitating children's access to the outdoors and the associated learning 8 opportunities it presents. There exists however a complex set of relationships and perceptions governing the 9 dynamics of these relationships and the resultant access to opportunities presented by learning outdoors.
10This paper sought to explore these perceptions by examining data collected through a combination of 11 questionnaires and interviews with parents and teachers. The resultant data highlights a significant 12 disconnect in parent and teacher perceptions related to the purpose, aims and opportunities for learning 13 outdoors. The findings of this study offer implications for early childhood educators, parents and others 14 looking to promote the outdoors as a learning environment across the foundation stage.
We are the midst of a climate emergency requiring urgent climate action that is as yet unforthcoming both on the scale and at the speed needed. This article considers this current state of inaction and how we might understand the processes of attitudinal and behavioural change needed through the emotional framework of loss. These issues are further explored through the additional lens of the year 2020, a year of tumultuous social change created by the COVID�19 pandemic. The article draws parallels with and looks to learn from the ways in which the collective loss experienced as a result of COVID�19 may offer a sense of hope in the fight not just against climate change but for climate justice. The article argues that appropriate leadership that guides widespread climate action from all is best sought from those groups already facing the loss of climate change and therefore already engaged in climate-related social action and activism, including youth and Indigenous peoples.
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