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Human brains aren鈥檛 so good at planning ahead. Because we have a , we often fail to make what some scientists call pro-social choices, choices that might help the world in the long run. This deficit applies to the future of the planet and the future inhabitants of the planet 鈥� specifically, today鈥檚 children.

鈥淎s a matter of fact, the future is now,鈥� states Diana Rauner, president of and co-chair with Antwanye Ford of the , a project of the Aspen Institute鈥檚  and .

鈥淎nd with both causes,鈥� she continues, 鈥淲e have a real chance to improve the future. Creating a shared vision of the future is itself a coping mechanism, and it’s pretty important.鈥�

To set the stage for this visioning process, the new  report presents data from a survey conducted in August by of 2,042 U.S. adults. Most notably, nearly three in four Americans feel they have a 鈥渕oral obligation鈥� to make the world a better place鈥� by addressing climate change. And yet only about half of parents say they have talked with their children about it. The survey also found that people of color are more climate conscious and more concerned for children. Anya Kamenetz, author of The Stolen Year, wrote the report.

鈥淭he survey confirms we are living in an age of great anxiety about the future,鈥� says Joe Waters, Capita鈥檚 co-founder and CEO. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 especially true among parents of very young children.鈥�

The depth of anxiety that families have about climate change stands out. Rauner observes, 鈥淲hen parents are anxious and frightened that they might not be able to protect their children from things like floods and wildfires, that鈥檚 where toxic stress comes in for the children.鈥�

The prospects may look grim, but the task force wouldn鈥檛 have taken on this challenge if there were no reason to be optimistic. Waters points to infant mortality as an example of a dire situation that humanity has made strides on. 鈥淲e can make progress on this too,鈥� he says.

The task force鈥檚 ambitious goal is to build a culture that values children and on prenatal to the earliest years, especially in vulnerable populations. Waters acknowledges that this is 鈥渉ard, multi-generational work that will require us to undo a lot of bad cultural habits we’ve developed, particularly since the dawn of the Industrial Age.鈥�

The task force is setting out to develop an Early Years Climate Action Plan that accomplishes three related objectives:

• Document the health impacts of climate change on very young children. As Rauner explains, 鈥淲e all know that environmental impacts are most sensitive in the first few years of life, so everything that happens 鈥� from air quality and heat and toxins to the mental health of the people who care for them 鈥� has outsize importance.鈥�
• Underscore the benefits of investing in child-friendly climate mitigation policies. This step involves making sure that as the pace of climate change accelerates, along with the response, mitigation and adaptation plans, thoroughly consider the lives of young children, their families and those who support them.
• Highlight places in the U.S. and around the world where good work is happening. Rauner calls this 鈥渓ifting up examples of brave spots where there are things that could be done on a much larger scale.鈥�

Elliot Haspel, senior fellow at Capita senior fellow and an adds, 鈥淚 think we need to be engaging trusted sources of information. Surveys regularly show that parents trust their health care providers above almost anyone else outside of their own family, with child care providers and teachers following close behind. So the more that we help these health and human service providers understand the intersection of early childhood development and climate change, the more they can be a conduit to families, and provide resources about how to talk about it in an honest yet hopeful, age-appropriate way.鈥�

鈥淓veryone at Start Early is particularly invested in this issue,鈥� Rauner says. 鈥淧ersonally, as well as professionally.鈥� The organization has co-developed sign-on letters and communications with the White House and with agencies around the rule making and administrative advocacy.

Waters envisions the task force as a hub for policymakers, philanthropists, researchers and others in a position to contribute to making the world a better place for our children. 鈥淭here is also clearly a role for the ordinary citizen who is concerned about their children’s future,鈥� he says. The report quotes a mother of an 11-year-old boy: 鈥淢y hope is as he grows and matures, he鈥檒l start caring about it. He鈥檒l bring it up to his peers and his teachers.鈥� A father of teenage daughters says, 鈥淚 want them to be really conscious and concerned and have it part of their lifestyle and even career choices.鈥�

鈥淩ather than seeing this as early childhood taking on climate,鈥� says Rauner, 鈥淚 see this as climate taking on early childhood.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 蜜桃影视. Learn more here.