7 Educational Videos on Climate Change for Kids

(Photo: Rappler YouTube Channel)

Other than reading articles, journals, and e-books, listening to podcasts, scrolling through climate-related photos and videos on Instagram on the climate change issue, we could also watch YouTube videos!

Many fun and creative YouTube channels are willing to explain and educate the basic concepts of climate change. The videos come in many forms such as hosted shows, animations, cartoons, and fueled with cool graphics that are the kind of videos that would attract kids and make them understand.

Here is a compiled list of some of the best available educational videos on climate change and global warming for kids on YouTube. Even if it’s specifically made for kids, teens and adults can watch it too, it’s more simple and more basic. All of them have an English subtitle available and sorted from the oldest to the newest.

1. What is Climate Change?

Channel: Archipelago Creative (190+ subscribers) | Published on: March 2, 2011
200,000+ views | 500+ likes | 50+ dislikes | Duration: 2min 37sec | Subtitled

Description: “Animation explaining climate change for children.”

Summary: This animation video by Archipelago Creative, a UK creative studio specializing in digital content, is explaining how vehicles and airplanes are emitting CO2 and responsible for the blanket of CO2 in the atmosphere. It also describes the effects, especially on the marine ecosystem. The video is suitable for kids, teens, and adults but some contents maybe not quite right or clear because it’s published 8 years ago. The duration is short in under 3 minutes.

2. Climate Science: What You Need To Know

Channel: It’s Okay To Be Smart (3,000,000+ subscribers) | Published on: December 8, 2014
900,000+ views | 20,000+ likes | 1,500+ dislikes | Duration: 6min 19sec | Subtitled

Description: “Scientists overwhelmingly agree that our climate is changing, Earth is getting warmer, sea levels are rising, and it’s primarily because of humans putting lots of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Whether you already trust in the science, you’re undecided, or you disagree with what all this, this video is for you!”

Summary: This informative explanation video by It’s Okay To Be Smart, a video series hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D., is trying to teach the science of climate change in 24 steps. The video is more science-based which is good for understanding rather than story-based from cartoons and animation. It may not be suitable for young kids because there are more difficult words or terms, more complicated concepts, and a lot of talking. It’s suitable for teens and adults. The duration is around 6 minutes and it’s not too short or too long to explain all 24 of them.

3. Global Warming | #aumsum

Channel: It’s AumSum Time (1,400,000+ subscribers) | Published on: May 28, 2015
4,500,000+ views | 21,000+ likes | 1,900+ dislikes | Duration: 6min 10sec | Subtitled

Description: “Global Warming. The thicker layer of greenhouse gases traps more heat. This results in an increase in the average temperature of the earth and the earth becomes hotter and hotter. This is called global warming. If we do not take steps to reduce global warming, it will lead to loss of human lives, plants, and animals. Steps to reduce global warming: Plant more trees. Reduce, reuse and recycle. Use less hot water. Turn off electronic devices when not in use. Spread awareness. Come on everybody, let us reduce global warming.”

Summary: Global warming is not the same as climate change. Even though back then, we use the term ‘global warming’ to describe what we now know as ‘climate change’. The process of global warming can be natural and unnatural, and that’s because of human activities. Such as how driving vehicles or working factories are contributing to the increase in Earth’s average temperature.

This cartoon animation by It’s AumSum Time, a science video creator channel, is telling it using a no-dialogue animation but still have music and sounds. It is suitable for kids, teens, and adults. In more or less 6 minutes, it’s not quite short but educative enough to explains the process of global warming in a fun way and also invite us to take possible steps to reduce global warming.

4. Bill Nye Explains Climate Change with Emoji

Channel: Mashable Watercooler (87,000+ subscribers) | Published on: June 23, 2015
260,000+ views | 1,400+ likes | 130+ dislikes | Duration: 1min 50sec | Subtitled

Description: “Bill Nye the Science Guy is back to explain climate change using a language everyone can understand — emoji. It’s climatology emojified!”

Summary: This under 2 minutes explanation video by Mashable Watercooler video channel is hosted by Bill Nye the Science Guy. It explains climate change but with emoji. About how transportation and humans population contribute to the increase of CO2, CO2 concentration in the atmosphere over the years, and renewable energy from wind and solar. It’s suitable for kids, teens, and adults. It’s very short so maybe it’s not enough for a full understanding.

5. Climate change (according to a kid)

Channel: Rappler (500,000+ subscribers) | Published on: September 29, 2015
500,000+ views | 3,700+ likes | 190+ dislikes | Duration: 2min 11sec | Subtitled

Description: “Don’t get climate change? Watch an animation explaining the phenomenon as a 12-year-old would.”

Summary: Scientists, politicians, and climate action advocates have already explained the definition and concept of climate change and why are we as humans highly accountable for it. But some of us may didn’t fully understand it because of the jargon and specific knowledge often used in the topic.

This educational animation video by Rappler, a Manila-based online news platform and social news network, are trying to communicate it as a young kid would. It is suitable for kids, teens, or even adults to grasp the basic concept of how Earth’s climate changes over time, the cause and the effects, and what can we do about it most simply. And short too, it just under 3 minutes.

6. Climate Change: Crash Course Kids #41.2

Channel: Crash Course Kids (360,000+ subscribers) | Published on: January 22, 2016
300,000+ views | 1,800+ likes | 170+ dislikes | Duration: 3min 40sec | Subtitled

Description: “How does climate change? And what happens to environments and ecosystems when it does? In this episode of Crash Course Kids, Sabrina shows us the effects that climate change can have and how one small change in an ecosystem can throw everything off.”

Summary: Before we learn about how climate change, first, we must know what is climate and how is it different from weather. And then we could learn how might a change in climate affect the ecosystem that we live in. Also, what it has to do with the gases in the atmosphere.

This explanation video by Crash Course Kids, a bi-weekly show from the producers of Crash Course on all about grade school science, will explain that through its host Sabrina and some animation. More on the adaptation ability of living things such as plants and animals with their ecosystem. It is suitable for kids with a 5th-grade science or above, teens, and adults. It’s less than 4 minutes.

7. Global Warming For Kids | Effects Explained

Channel: Homeschool Pop (200,000+ subscribers) | Published on: February 9, 2017
190,000+ views | 1,000+ likes | 170+ dislikes | Duration: 8min 52sec | Subtitled

Description: “Global warming and its effects are explained for kids in this video. We talk about the basics of the sun, greenhouse gases, the effects of fossil fuels on the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, and practical tips for how kids can help the environment! These tips to help against global warming are: saving electricity, recycling and helping plant trees!”

Summary: This learning video by Homeschool Pop, an interactive elementary learning video creator channel, will explain the basics of global warming and its effects and the available actions for kids to do to help tackle the issue. It’s suitable for kids, teens, and adults. The length is quite long for around 9 minutes.

Last updated: December 16, 2019

References:
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