Initiative ‘for the climate and biodiversity’ with children (and others too!)

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 Following the previous article "Dad, I'm afraid for my future" in  https://reflexionspourlaplanete.blogspot.com/2025/07/dad-im-scared-for-my-future.html

, my two sons, my wife and I carried out the reflection proposed in the previous article, by answering the questions described below.

Initiative ‘for the climate and biodiversity’ with children (and others too!):

To begin with, in order to be relevant, we have answered the following two questions (while informing ourselves in parallel). We must arrive at the responsibility of humans in this phenomenon (and therefore possible solutions, because this means that humans can act to correct what they have caused!):

1) Why is there global warming (change)?

2) What problems are created by climate change?

These first two questions lead to answering the following questions (to be dealt with in parallel, when ideas come, so as not to hold back and not to forget...).  To comfort ourselves, we will indeed list what we are already doing well .  And to reassure ourselves, we can also note that we are not alone!  

3) What are we already doing well?

4) We are not alone! What are others doing well?

To move forward, we will then think about other actions that we can take - without setting limits, not holding ourselves back, while agreeing not to succeed at everything the first time, to take care of ourselves and to see all of this as opportunities, nice things to achieve...

5) What more could we do? What could we do better?

We will list the actions necessary to try to participate in the resolution of climate or biodiversity problems (let's not limit our ambition! While being indulgent with ourselves, but above all turn these actions positively! Dare to imagine, create... and to do this break your habits, your prejudices... for the better!).

Secondly, it is possible to place these actions on a sheet with a horizontal axis "Impact" strong/weak and a vertical axis "easy or difficult to achieve". Or even identify what is the responsibility of individual or collective action, or even specify whether it affects the climate or biodiversity... and why not even make a small schedule.

>> to help you you can use:

• An almost obligatory step: calculate your carbon footprint! It's very well done, very fun and very instructive (to understand the issues and orders of magnitude in order to act individually but also collectively!), even for children:  see carbon footprint app: https://nosgestesclimat.fr/en : available in english, spanish and the calculations are valid for many countries!
  
  
  
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• There is another calculator that I haven't tried yet if needed:  https://www.myco2.com/calcul-empreinte-carbone-individuelle
• or some ideas here: https://bonpote.com/en/10-easy-actions-to-go-green/

Then... a chapter on “adaptation” is also useful, to prepare, to reassure oneself by default on daily life, the practical aspect.

6) How to suffer less from climate change? How to adapt?

And finally...

7) Take action! (and loop back/complete the reflection! because we learn as we go, new ideas come, our situation evolves...)

A little method: 

• The answers to the various questions above were not always addressed sequentially but often in parallel, one answer leading to an answer to another question. We carried out this process mainly on vacation in July 2025, in several times (on the train, during a quiet moment, or orally while walking for example...). Not forcing or rushing the children (and parents ;-) is important I think...

• Interest and emulation between children is quite easy. Sometimes it was even the children who asked for it. They created illustrations for a more playful and enjoyable side, which is also essential... Note that we didn't always think as a group of 4, but sometimes the sons separately. Individual or group reflections are both interesting for the process of reflection and appropriation.

• I strongly recommend that you read my article on  Some thoughts in bulk to move forward on the subject , see the following link: https://reflexionspourlaplanete.blogspot.com/2025/07/tools-and-elements-of-understanding-to.html

Here are the first results and some elements to help you, if you want to carry out the same process as a family (or even individually! without being parents or children). This is a first draft which is intended to be completed, adapted as soon as it seems useful! (sorry in french!)

1) Why is there global warming (change)?

2) What problems are created by climate change?

3) What are we already doing well?

For this question, Sacha and Côme worked separately (not so much because it was necessary here, but because they were not available together, but that's good too...)

4) We are not alone! What are others doing well?

Here we had plenty of examples! Thanks to neighbors, friends and family... but we did it orally while walking around... so we didn't write it down on paper (for now)

5) What more could we do? What could we do better?

Here we worked several times, separately and sometimes together (as is often the case in the different questions)

6) How to suffer less from climate change? How to adapt?

To enrich and complete!

>> Are you interested in this approach? Let us know! See contact details below for those who don't have them.

>> and besides, in our solutions there are actions with others (the most important!? and the nicest!?), even abroad! so we keep each other informed!! ;-)

NB: see also our first actions in the following article: https://reflexionspourlaplanete.blogspot.com/2025/08/actions-en-famille-pour-le-climat-et-la.html

Xavier

xavierbouvier@gmail.com