“Cycling – exercise or trying to stop pollution”: methods to explore children's agency in health and climate change

Chadborn, N. H., Gavin, N. T., Springett, J. and Robinson, J. E. (2013) “Cycling – exercise or trying to stop pollution”: methods to explore children's agency in health and climate change. Local Environment, 18(3), pp. 271-288. (doi: 10.1080/13549839.2012.719017)

Abstract

The media have framed obesity and climate change as problems the next generation will inherit. The two issues have overlapping causative factors and temporalities, and share pre-emptive approaches, focusing on children. The aim of our study was to develop an approach to explore children's perceptions of the interconnectedness of health and climate that avoids creating anxiety or apathy. Drawing on research with 10- and 11-year-old children living in urban areas, we reflect on our development of methods devised to engage children to talk about issues linking climate change and health, specifically their opportunities to participate in activities such as cycling or walking to school. Children were variously given photographic prompts, asked to draw and write about their thoughts and feelings, draw maps of their route to school, and create posters. We found that these methods enabled children to actively engage with climate change issues, evidencing individual and collective agency both in group work and their understandings of the possibilities of their own present and future role in low carbon healthy lifestyles.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Robinson, Professor Jude
• Authors: Chadborn, N. H., Gavin, N. T., Springett, J., and Robinson, J. E.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences
• Journal Name: Local Environment
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1354-9839
• ISSN (Online): 1469-6711
• Published Online: 03 September 2012