Kids fear environmental decline, Earth becoming space dust

Kids fear Earth as space dust

It doesn't matter that their parents are busy at home helping to save the planet, elementary school kids are afraid Earth is doomed to worsening environmental conditions, water scarcity and that the planety eventually will become space dust in their lifetime. Where are they getting this stuff?

by Broderick Perkins
© 2008 DeadlineNews.Com


Unauthorized use of this story is a copyright violation -- a federal crime

Deadline Newsroom - As if kids don't have enough to worry about with homework, peer pressure and clueless parents.

Just as Atomic Age adults taught kids to always look over their shoulder for an end-of-days nuclear flash of light, today's earth conscious parents, apparently, are also scaring the bejeezus out of their children.

Six to 11 year old kids are so anxious about global warming and climate change more than half of them think Earth's days are numbered or what's left won't be a pretty picture. Ironically, 95 percent of them says parents are busy at home doing things to save the planet.

Habitat Heroes commissioned Opinion Research Corporation adults to query mostly elementary school kids about the condition of Terra and the questions alone probably kept them awake nights.

The survey said:

• One-in-three kids questioned fear Earth won't be here when they grow up. That has got to create some cognitive dissonance in the poor children. How can you grow up if there's no planet?

• More than one-in-two (56 percent) believe Earth will not be as good a place to live, despite the fact that 95 percent of them say parents or working to improve the planet by recycling, using rechargeable batteries and conserving water and electricity. That means kids are feeling hopeless, despite their parents' efforts.

• Fifty-percent of kids said hurricanes and tornadoes are the natural disasters that scare them the most.

• Twenty-eight percent fear polar bears, penguins and other animals will disappear from the planet.

• A quarter of all children polled were afraid that there is not enough drinking water for everyone on the planet.

Girls more worried than boys

• Sixty-seven percent of girls ages 9-11 versus 60 percent of boys that age worry Earth won't be as nice a place to live when they are grown up.

• Fifty-seven percent of girls ages 6-8 versus 43 percent of boys that age worry likewise.

Location, race play roles

• Fifty-nine percent of kids in metro areas are concerned that living conditions on Earth will deteriorate compared to 47 percent of non-metro kids.

• Seventy-five percent of black kids and 65 percent of Hispanic kids feel likewise.

• Water and air pollution concerns were voiced by black children, 34 percent; Hispanic children, 30 percent; white children 27 percent.

Earth to Habitat Heroes: Instead of nightmare-generating surveys? Tell kids Earth will be just fine with their help.

Read more about Global Warming in the Deadline Newsroom.

© 2008 DeadlineNews.Com

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Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist, parlayed 30 years of old-school journalism into a digital real estate news service, the San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group, including DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service and Web site, and the Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's news back shop. Perkins is also a National Real Estate Examiner. All the news that really hits home from three locations -- that's location, location, location!

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