How does global warming affect our children?  We so want to protect them from pain, and climate change is a painful topic.  We may not want to scare them by talking about it, and in fact we may not want to talk (or think) about it ourselves.

But glaciers are melting, islands are eroding, deserts are expanding, species are dying, climate-related disasters are more frequent, and weather patterns are changing and will continue to change until we get fossil fuel emissions under control.  To ignore this reality is to live in denial, which is not a good model for children about how to cope with the realities of life.

Many of our children already know about global warming, and are looking to us for answers.  They may not understand all of its implications, but they can understand that it is a serious problem that must be solved.

It is our children, grandchildren, and future generations who will feel the greatest impact of the lifestyle and public policy decisions that we make or allow others to make on our behalf today.

Let us listen to their voices, comfort and reassure them, and respond to this global challenge in ways that will allow them, with God’s help, to enjoy abundant life on a beautiful, diverse, and hospitable Planet Earth.