Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:07 pm on 5 October 2021.
First Minister, many people, including myself, are rightly concerned about the health of our planet and the mental health of our young people. I remember when people of my age in school were shown a documentary on Al Gore predicting a doomsday scenario unless radical changes were made, and the world as we know it would be over in 2006. I'm glad to stay we're still here. However, this is nothing compared to what children are now being shown on tv and social media. They are being far more politicised on the topic than my generation ever were. Whilst our children need to be aware of climate change and the climate crisis, we have a duty to ensure this is done in a sensitive way to protect their mental health. I want the next generation to be given a positive message on what steps we can take, and have a positive impact on protecting the environment. What we don't want to do is scare young people and make them feel helpless or resent the last generation. So, First Minister, do you think there is a better way we can educate the young children of Wales on climate change in a more sensitive way that does not have a negative impact on the mental health of young people, but works towards addressing the climate challenges we all face? Diolch, Llywydd.