Creation Care Mom

These days, it doesn’t take much to see climate change in the news. Amplified by climate change induced warming in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Helene was one of the largest hurricanes in history. It’s immense size meant it shrank in size slowly and its fast speed meant it penetrated deeper into the USA than expected. Part of the reason for the crazy amount of damage is the fact that areas of Western North Carolina don’t expect to experience hurricane level winds and rain. People in those areas weren’t preparing by buying up weeks worth of bottled water and canned goods. But as we have seen, no where is safe from the effects of climate change. Even areas previously considered havens.

So let’s shift and think about the impact of such events on the kids in your life, whether your own, your neighbors, your grandkids, or your nieces and nephews. (I was inspired to write this after reading the four articles published by Inside Climate News. You can read their series here.) Almost everyone I know has a kid they care about somewhere.

Climate change is fundamentally altering the way our kids experience childhood. Activities that were once the norm, like playing at the playground, become inherently more risky due to climate events. Heat can make playgrounds unbearable and even dangerous. In Arizona, where the record for number of days above 100 toppled this summer, some playgrounds were so hot they could cause burns in seconds. Without shade, they were only usable in the early mornings. (I imagine before breakfast.) Where can kids go to play when the outdoors isn’t an option? Maybe they are lucky to have a mall nearby that has a play area. Or maybe they can visit one of the few remaining fast food joints that includes a play area. But most likely, they stay inside, cooped up with mom or dad and maybe siblings. Restless, using electronics to keep busy. We know from research that kids need outdoor play for so many developmental reasons including gross motor development, learning to evaluate risk, mental health and stress reduction, and problem solving, but climate change is reducing the available hours for outdoor play.

But maybe they aren’t kept inside because of the heat. Maybe instead, it’s because of the smoke. As fires burn more and more acres every year, many parents are forced to weigh the benefits of being outside with the risks of smoke exposure. Especially for kids with asthma and other lung disorders, smoke adversely impacts their ability to play like any other kid. Again, the alternatives for outdoor play are limited, and screen time may be used instead.

On the other extreme, what about flooding. Numerous play areas were impacted by Hurricane Helene, playgrounds at schools and in parks, but also beaches and empty lots. Are these places safe for play now? Not necessarily. Even after the floodwaters recede, contaminants like sewage, bacteria, and chemicals can be left behind. Debris of all kinds, including metal and glass shards are everywhere. Mold and all its related respiratory diseases increase in flooded areas. You can read more here. That being said. Kids in these areas aren’t going to have a safe place to play for some time.

And none of that includes the mental stress on the young mind of watching natural disasters happen again and again or the trauma of displacement, once or multiple times. We know kids thrive best in a stable home environment that includes not just stable housing, food access, and parenting, but also a stable “village”, other stable adults and institutions in their lives. Climate change and its resulting supercharged disasters are wrecking havoc on the stability of community that kids need. Even if the family returns home after a disaster, the community will have lost members and structure so the wound remains.

So what can we do?

The most important thing is to talk about climate change. Talk about it with your neighbors and churches. Talk about it with your community leaders. Talk about ways to adapt. Talk about resilience strategies. Talk about how to mitigate, lesson, your carbon emissions. Make it normal to have these conversations with everyone.

And after talking, then it’s time for action. Depending on where you live, help your community create action plans for fire or flooding or both. Use these plans to develop necessary infrastructure to adapt. Advocate for shade on playgrounds, either man made or trees planted, especially with schools. Look at what indoor play options are available in your city. Can you increase it? Are they affordable for everyone?

And of course, take personal action to reduce your own carbon emissions. Eat less meat. Drive fewer miles or buy an EV. Install solar with battery storage. Do what you can personally and advocate for changing the systems where you can.