Skip to main content
  • Individuals
    • Individuals
    • Business
    • Adviser
    • Financial Wellbeing
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Claims
    • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Search
  • AIA Australia
  • Health Insurance
    • Member Benefits
    • Member Login
    • Get a quote
    • Make a claim
  • Life Insurance
    • Life Cover
    • Total and Permanent Disablement
    • Crisis Recovery
    • Income Protection Core
    • Business Expenses
    • Make a claim
    • Medix
  • Retirement & Investment
    • Guaranteed Annuities
    • Investment Growth Bond
    • Unit Prices
  • AIA Vitality
    • Partners and Rewards
    • Already a member? Login
  • Content Hub
    • Move Well
    • Plan Well
    • Eat Well
    • Think Well
  • Help & Support
    • Making a Claim
    • Forms & Documents
    • Policyholder Information
    • Complaints process
    • Contact AIA
    • Customer feedback
    • COVID-19
AIA
  • Individuals
  • Business
  • Adviser
  • Financial Wellbeing
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Claims
  • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Health Insurance

    Health Insurance

    Cover that protects and rewards.

    • Member Benefits

      Learn more about the range of benefits available to AIA Health Insurance members.

    • Member Login

      Existing members login here to your online account.

    • Get a quote

      Ready to get started?

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

  • Life Insurance

    Life Insurance

    We’re here to help protect your family, your lifestyle and your future.

    For Individuals

    For Business

    • Life Cover

      Helps protect your loved ones if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness or pass away.

    • Total and Permanent Disablement

      A lump sum benefit if you can’t work due to injury or illness

    • Crisis Recovery

      Helps ease the financial burden should you suffer a traumatic event.

    • Income Protection Core

      Can provide you with a monthly income if you become disabled due to injury or illness.

    • Business Expenses

      May assist to pay expenses of your business if you cannot work due to injury or illness.

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Medix

      Personal Medical Case Management.

  • Retirement & Investment

    Retirement & Investment

    Plan for a more comfortable tomorrow.

    • Guaranteed Annuities

      Can provide you with a regular, guaranteed income stream throughout your retirement.

    • Investment Growth Bond

      Also known as an insurance bond, it offers a tax-effective way to invest for the future and is flexible enough to suit a wide range of needs.

    • Unit Prices

      Find unit prices for a range of superannuation and investment products.

  • AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a personalised, science-backed health and wellbeing program that supports you every day to make healthier lifestyle choices.

    • Partners and Rewards

      Learn more about our partners and rewards.

    • Already a member? Login

      Check your AIA Vitality Status and get access to the tools you need to help improve your health.

  • Content Hub

    Content Hub

    The AIA Vitality Content Hub is your go to for science-backed, health and wellbeing inspiration and advice.

    • Move Well

      Find your further when it comes to exercise and fitness.

    • Plan Well

      Tools and support for your future, because a good tomorrow starts today.

    • Eat Well

      Care for your body with food that makes you feel good.

    • Think Well

      Tools and information to help you cultivate a healthy frame of mind.

  • Help & Support

    Help & Support

    We strive to assist you for all your inquiries with high touch customer service.

    Contact AIA
    • Making a Claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Forms & Documents

      A selection of forms and other important product related documents.

    • Policyholder Information

      Useful information for policyholders.

    • Complaints process

      If you have a complaint, we'll do our best to resolve the situation.

    • Contact AIA

      How to get in contact with us.

    • Customer feedback

      Let us know how we're doing.

    • COVID-19

      How we are responding.

  • Search
  • Contact Us
    • Call Us

      Open: 8am to 6pm, AEST Mon - Fri

    • Find an adviser

Plan Well
Back to Top
  • {{title}}

    {{label}}
  • Growing up green: How to discuss climate change with your kids

    Tim Jarvis - 5 min read

    04 November 2021


    When we talk about the climate crisis, it’s impossible to ignore the role that our children will play in confronting the challenges of the future. About 26 per cent of the world’s population are age 15 or younger.

    Growing up green how to talk to children about climate change

    Several problems from over 250 years of burning fossil fuels and clearing land are starting to manifest themselves. There’s a lot of lag time associated with these actions, and our children – the ones who will become key decision makers and policymakers, the scientists and farmers – will have to inherit this. It’s a concerning topic, but it’s a discussion that needs to be had.

    Here are some ways we can ease the subject into the conversation

    1. Get your kids engaged with nature

    In my formative years growing up in Malaysia, my parents would let me roam during my free time. It turned me into someone who loved discovering the world, as well as developing my resilience, ability to problem solve and physical fitness. That inquisitive nature remained with me all through adulthood, and we’ve tried to nurture that same spirit in our kids, who are 10 and 12.

    We have camping holidays, weekend bushwalks and activities that generally take place in nature. Sometimes the kids complain when they have to pull weeds on the farm as part of The Forktree Project, but when you hear them talking positively to their friends about it, you realise that simply having that exposure to nature is a great influence on them.

    2. Look for teaching opportunities in daily life

    Sadly, it’s not difficult to find opportunities to talk with your kids about the impact of climate change on Australia.

    In 2009, we had the Black Saturday fires, followed by the terrible flooding in Brisbane in 2011. There was also the superstorm in South Australia in 2017 where all the power went out for two days. More recently, there was the devastating impact of the 2020 Black Summer fires. Even on the news now – there’s stories on climate change and extreme weather events all the time. If you want to have the conversation with your kids, use an example of something that crops up day to day that lets you broach the topic.

    One of the earliest signs of my kids showing an interest in environmental issues was on a trip across Western Australia. We passed road trains carrying lambs, and my then six-year-old said, “Dad, where are the lambs going?” I told him probably to be eaten, and he replied, “Well, I’m never eating them.” These little moments open the door to discussions that can broaden their understanding of nature – which will persist into their teens and adulthood. 

    3. Instil urgency, without scaring them

    In some ways, I don’t think discussing climate change with your kids is that different than with adults. You want to instil a sense of urgency in them, change their behaviour and get them to be part of the solution. At the same time, you don’t want to scare them. 

    When adults fear something, they often pretend it’s not there. Most will do the same thing and continue their lives as normal, justifying their inaction by deciding their role is too small to be significant and hoping somebody else will sort it all out. 

    The way to navigate this is by coming up with solutions. It’s easy to note that a problem exists, but then you must match it with an answer. For example, taking the school bus, cycling or walking to school, or having a diet richer in plant-based foods than other families – things like that are easy to bring up with your children. And as they get older, they’ll start to understand the numbers and the connection between the scale of what we’re facing and our behaviour.

    Being a role model is also important when broaching the topic of climate change (and anything else, really). You can’t impose behaviours on others you don’t match yourself. If I’m leading an expedition, I can’t send off the men and women I’m with to do all the dangerous stuff. I have to fall in just the same as them – otherwise, you lose respect very quickly. I see parenting as the same.

    4. Inspire them with action

    If your child is scared about melting ice, rising sea levels and increasing temperatures, you can use this as moment of empowerment. Show them the things they can do, like – growing native plants in the garden, using less electricity and having shorter showers. While the scale of the challenges we’re facing is vast, it’s reassuring to show your children that we are acting.

    That being said, don’t go too extreme – you need to find a balance that works for your family. If you frame caring for the environment as something that steals away your children’s fun, inevitably they’re going to resent it.

    It’s never too early to speak with your children about climate change – and it’s a lot easier than you might think. Get creative, approach the topic in a positive light and be proactive with solutions you can implement as a family.

    RELATED CONTENT

    Article 1: TIM JARVIS: WHY OUR CHILDREN SHOULD SPEND MORE TIME OUTDOORS
    Article 2: TIM JARVIS: HOW ‘GOING GREEN’ IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH
    Article 3: TIM JARVIS: HOW TO USE YOUR MONEY FOR GOOD


    Tim Jarvis

    AIA Ambassador Tim Jarvis is a world-renowned polar explorer, expedition leader and environmental scientist. With a focus on sustainability, Tim has more than 25 years’ worth of experience in his respective fields, and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to helping teams and individuals perform at their highest level. 

    Disclaimer:
    The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.

    Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    Sign up to receive a monthly email with links to all our latest articles on health and wellness information for a healthier, happier and longer life. 

    Health and Wellbeing Inspiration

    This inspirational content is brought to you by AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a science-backed program that helps you learn more about your health, offers ways to improve it and motivates you with rewards along the way.

    Contact AIA

    Choose your preferred way to receive information and support

    Contact AIA

    Choose your preferred way to receive information and support

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower disclosure

    Forms and documents library

    Target Market Determinations

    Explore AIA

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    OneLife

    About AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower disclosure

    Forms and documents library

    Target Market Determinations

    explore Aia

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    Retirement & investment

    Content Hub

    about AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment


    Copyright © 2021. AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Priority Protection and Priority Protection for Platform Investors products are issued by AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861, AFSL 230043). AIA Vitality, a personalised, science-backed program that supports members every day to make healthier choices, is available with eligible products issued by AIA Australia. AIA Health with AIA Vitality is issued by AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 32 611 323 034, a registered private health insurer governed by the Private Health Insurance Act 2007, Private Health Insurance Rules 2007 and the AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd Fund Rules. The information on this website is current as at 1 April 2021 and may be subject to change. It is general information only and is not intended in any way to be financial, legal, tax, health, medical, nutritional or other advice. You should consider your own personal circumstances and needs and view the relevant product documents, fact sheets, fund rules and terms and conditions before making a decision to acquire such products. If necessary you should obtain professional advice from a financial, tax, medical or health professional. Unless expressly stated, any views or expressions of opinion (including any video content) do not represent the opinion of AIA.
    Terms of Use | Privacy