>> >>PEGGY: THE IMPACT OF EXTENDING THE KYOTO PROTOCOLS TO REDUCE GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
IS A HOT TOPIC AT THE INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT. IT'S NO SECRET THAT MUCH OF
WHAT'S DECIDED WILL FALL ON THE SHOULDERS OF GENERATIONS TO COME.
HOW MUCH DO YOUNG PEOPLE CARE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE? HERE TO HELP ANSWER THAT QUESTION
IS RICHARD LOUV, AUTHOR OF THE BEST SELLER THE NATURE PRINCIPLE, AND LAST CHILD IN THE
WOODS. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
YOUR BOOKS FOCUS ON WHAT YOU HAVE CALLED YOUTH'S NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER.
>> >>RICHARD LOUV: IT'S NOT A KNOWN MEDICAL DIEING DIAGNOSIS, MAYBE IT SHOULD BE.
IT IS A WAY LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS CAME OUT, WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH LANGUAGE TO TALK ABOUT
WHAT'S HAPPENING, THIS GENERATIONAL GAP BETWEEN CHILDREN AND NATURE, MORE THAN EVER IN HISTORY,
CHILDREN ARE DISCONNECTED FROM THE NATURAL WORLD.
>> >>PEGGY: WHAT'S CAUSING THAT? >> >>RICHARD LOUV: THEY DON'T GO OUTSIDE MUCH.
THEY'RE ON VIDEO GAMES, OR THEY'RE ON COMPUTERS A LOT, IT'S MORE AND MORE OF A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
THAT THEY'RE FAMILIAR WITH. THEIR PARENTS ARE AFRAID OF STRANGERS, EVEN
THOUGH OUR PROFESSION AND JOURNALISM HAS GREATLY MAGNIFIED THE REALITY OF STRANGER DANGER.
SO THERE'S GREAT FEAR IN THE WORLD. ONE OF THOSE FEARS IS ACTUALLY THE FEAR OF
NATURE. AND THIS STARTS REAL EARLY WHEN WE START TELLING
KIDS THAT THE END IS NEAR, THAT IT'S ALL ABOUT RECYCLING, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE JOY OF NATURE,
IT'S ABOUT HOW WE'RE DESTROYING NATURE. LET ME MAKE CLEAR.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD STOP TELLING THE BAD NEWS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING TO NATURE.
BUT ECO PHOBIA IS A PHRASE THAT'S USED TO DESCRIBE CHILDREN WHO EARLY ON BEGIN TO HEAR
THAT MESSAGE THAT ASSOCIATING NATURE WITH DESTRUCTION.
THEY'LL CARRY WITH THAT WITH THEM THE REST OF THEIR LIVES INSTEAD OF ASSOCIATED THAT
WITH JOY, THEY'LL ASSOCIATE IT WITH FEAR LATER ON.
>> >>PEGGY: SOME WILL ARGUE BOY AND GIRL SCOUTS, STILL CAMPING, RECYCLING, AND UP CYCLING IS
A POSITIVE CONNECTION TO NATURE. DOESN'T THAT HELP?
>> >>RICHARD LOUV: YEAH, BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH. BOY SCOUTS ARE LOSEING MEMBERSHIP PRETTY DRAMATICALLY.
JUST THE STATISTICS I WON'T GO INTO ON THIS DISCONNECTION ARE QUITE TREMBLING.
>> >>PEGGY: HOW IS THIS NATURE DEFICIT SO TO SPEAK LINKED TO CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISM
ON AMONG YOUTH AND ADULTS? >> >>RICHARD LOUV: IT'S BEEN ASKED RECENTLY
AND IN SEVERAL ARTICLES WHERE THE YOUNG PEOPLE, WHY AREN'T THEY IN THE STREETS ALMOST ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE. I THINK THERE'S TWO REASONS.
ONE IS THE ECO PHOBIA CHILDREN ARE BEING RAISED DISCONNECTED FROM NATURE AND IN FACT FEARING
IT. THE SECOND REASON I THINK IS BECAUSE OF ENVIRONMENTALISM
AND JOURNALISMÊ LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. I SAT WITH SOME STUDENTS AT NEPAL UNIVERSITY
RECENTLY, THESE WERE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY STUDENTS. ONE OF THEM SAID HE HAD NO SENSE OF CONNECTION
TO THE BIG ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS. HE WENT TO THE MEETINGS AND THEY'RE ALL OLD.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE WORLD, 67 IS THE AVERAGE AGE, 64 IS
THE NEW AGE. >> >>PEGGY: LET ME TALK ABOUTÊ LET ME ASK
YOU ABOUT THAT. PREVIOUS GENERATIONS LET'S SAY IN THE 50S
THOSE KIDS DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE MUCH ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT OR WEREN'T TOLD ABOUT IT A
WHOLE LOT. IN THE 60S THEY TURNED THAT AROUND.
COULDN'T THESE KIDS ALSO TURN AROUND LIKE THAT?
>> >>RICHARD LOUV: THEY CAN, BUT THERE'S SOME BIG THINGS THAT CAN'T BE DONE JUST WITH Y
R RECYCLING. SOMETHING LARGE IS HAPPENING.
THAT GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT I SAT WITH, ONE OF THEM WAS THE YOUNG WOMAN, VERY HIP YOUNG
WOMAN I KNOW THAT BECAUSE SHE HAD TATTOOS, SHE SAID ALL MY LIFEÊ I'M 20 YEARS OLDÊ
ALL MY LIFE I'VE BEEN TOLD IT'S TOO LATE WHEN IT COMES TO NATURE.
NOW SHE'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES STUDENT WHO'S HANGING ON TO HER IDEALISM BY A THREAD,
BUT IN TRUTH, THE MESSAGE THAT SHE HAS MAINLY RECEIVEDÊ YOU AND I HAD SOME DECADES TO HAVE
AN AWLT RN T VIEW OF THE FUTURE, BUT SHE'S SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE PRIMARILY OLDER AND YOUNGER
THAN HER WHO ARE SAYING IT'S TOO LATE. >> >>PEGGY: THERE IS THAT ARGUMENT CLIMATE
CHANGES TOO BIG, IT'S NATURAL, WHAT KIND OF IMPACT CAN WE REALLY MAKE, CAN IT IMPACT CAN
A KID MAKE AN IMPACT? >> >>RICHARD LOUV: I KEEP THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S
LIKE TO BE A 14 YEAR OLD AROUND DL ADULTS WHO SAY IT'S TOO LATE.
WE'VE GOT TO BREAK THIS DOWN A LITTLE BIT. IN THE 60S IT WASN'T CLIMATE CHANGE.
IT WAS THE POLLUTION OF OUR RIVERS AND OUR RIVERS GOT CLEANER BECAUSE OF THAT COMMITMENT
AND EARTH DAY 1970. IT WAS THE THINGS THAT STILL GO ON.
WE DON'T HAVE TO AGREE ON CLIMATE CHANGE TO BE WORRIED ABOUT THE EFFECT OF POLLUTION ON
OUR HEALTH. TO BE WORRIED ABOUT THIS DISCONNECTION FROM
NATURE THAT WE SEE IN OUR KIDS AND IN OURSELVES THAT IMPOVERISHES OUR EXPERIENCES AS HUMAN
BEINGS, I SEE THIS ISSUE OF CHILDREN AND NATURE BRING LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES TOGETHER.
THERE'S A CAMPAIGN HERE IN SAN DIEGO, CHILDREN AND NATURE COLLABORATIVE, AND THEY WANT TO
TAKE ACTION ON THAT. THEY DON'T HAVE TO AGREE ON EVERYTHING, BUT
NOBODY WANTS TO BE IN THE LAST GENERATION WHERE IT'S CONSIDERED NORMAL AND EXPECTED
FOR KIDS TO JUST GO OUTSIDE AND EXPERIENCE NATURE.
>> >>PEGGY: WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET MORE OF THIS ON OUR WEBSITE KPBS.ORG.
BEST SELLING AUTHOR RICHARD LOUV. THANKS FOR JOINING US.