The climate crisis poses multiple challenges to those who seek to support the wellbeing of children, young people and families. Both extreme weather events (e.g. bushfires, floods) that are becoming more frequent and ferocious, and more gradual changes (e.g shifts in rainfall patterns, rising temperatures) have profound impacts, both direct and indirect, on individuals, families and communities. Besides, awareness of the threat that climate change poses is a source of deep distress, especially for many young people. In this talk, I will discuss the nature of these impacts, and explore the strategies we can adopt to support children, young people and families in the face of these threats. Key messages include the importance of hope and agency for children and young people in the face of the challenges they will encounter, and our responsibilities both to seek to reduce the severity of climate change and to build resilience against its inevitable impacts.
Ann Sanson’s research career has principally focused on understanding the role of child, family and community characteristics in the social and emotional development and wellbeing of children, adolescents and young adults, particularly through large-scale longitudinal studies. She co-founded several major longitudinal studies in Australia (e.g. The Australian Temperament Project (ATP); Growing Up In Australia) and has been an advisor to national child longitudinal studies in several other countries.
Over the last decade, her work has focused on seeking to understand the impacts of climate change on children and young people, how they are responding to awareness of the threat it poses to their future lives, and how they can best be supported to cope effectively with the crisis – and the roles of health professionals in addressing this existential threat.
Ann is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. She has over 200 publications, and is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development. She is Co-founder and Co-chair of Developmental Scientists for Climate Action which aims to support researchers, educators, and practitioners concerned with the impacts of climate change on human development.
