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This is Scientific American 60-second Science, I'm Adam Levy¹.

这里是科学美国人——60秒科学系列，我是亚当·利维。

Avoiding the worst effects of climate change will require action. But it's hard to take action when you don't even know there's a problem. Around the world, only half of adults understand that humans are causing climate change through activities that produce greenhouse gases.

要想避免气候变化产生的最坏影响，就要采取行动。但当你甚至都不知道存在问题时，是很难采取行动的。在世界范围内，只有一半成年人理解人类正在通过产生温室气体的活动导致气候变化。

But the picture is different for kids. Previous work has shown that children are more engaged and more knowledgeable² than adults are about climate change. The question is, can this be harnessed to make a difference?

但对孩子来说，情况就不同了。此前的研究表明，就气候变化来说，儿童比成年人的参与度更高，了解得也更多。问题是，能否利用这一点来改变现状？

"We had come across this idea that kids are capable of influencing their parents. And when we say influence, we really mean just teaching them."

“我们突然想到孩子有能力影响他们的父母。我们说的影响，实际上就是教育他们。”

Danielle Lawson, a social scientist at NC State University.

北卡罗来纳州立大学的社会科学家丹妮尔·劳森说到。

"That's what we set out to really investigate: Can we design things in such a way that kids are able to teach their parents about climate change? And because of the fact that it's someone's child speaking to them instead of just an adult on the street or a different climate communicator, a parent's willing and able to listen to their children."

“这就是我们开始真正研究的问题：我们能否设计出一种让孩子能够向父母传授气候变化知识的方式？因为这是某人的孩子在和他们说话，而不是街上的成年人或与众不同的气候交流者，所以家长愿意也能够倾听孩子说的话。”

To test the idea, Lawson set up a wildlife-based climate course for kids. This approach was based on previous courses, but the team added a twist: involving the parents. First, parents were invited to come along to an event that formed a part of the course. And that's not all.

为了验证这个想法，劳森为孩子们开设了一个以野生动物为基础的气候课程。这种方法以此前的课程为基础，但是该团队增加了一个变化：让家长参与进来。首先，家长受邀参加课程的一项活动。这还不是全部。

"So we also had students interview their parents. And this interview never mentioned climate change specifically, but it had questions like: How have you seen the weather change over the last 5 to 10 years? Do you believe the sea level is rising? How do you think that could impact our communities?"

“我们还让学生去采访他们的父母。这个采访没有明确提到气候变化，但会涉及以下问题：你如何看待过去5到10年的天气变化？你相信海平面正在上升吗？你认为这会对我们的社会产生何种影响？”

The study showed that the course did indeed increase concern about climate change, not just among the kids, but their parents too. And there were some surprising findings in the results.

研究表明，该课程确实提高了人们对气候变化的关切：不仅是孩子，他们的父母也是如此。研究结果中还有一些令人惊讶的发现。

"This process of children teaching their parents, it really was most effective among those parents who were previously³ the least concerned about climate change. So that was conservatives⁴ and fathers. And then what was also really exciting was that the treatment was particularly effective if the child that was doing the teaching was a daughter."

“孩子教育父母的过程，对那些以前最不关心气候变化的父母来说确实是最有效的。这些人是保守派和父亲们。另一件令人兴奋的事是，如果教育者是女孩，那这种教育尤其有效。”

The study is in the journal Nature Climate Change.

这项研究发表在《自然·气候变化》期刊上。

These findings come at a time when more kids are becoming climate activists—and Lawson says that her study shows just how persuasive⁵ young people's voices can be.

这些结果公布时，有越来越多的孩子成为气候活动家，劳森说，她的研究表明，年轻人的声音能多么有说服力。

"Kids are really powerful. They are having an impact, they are taking over the news, they're not letting us not talk about the issue. It makes me really excited to see how much of an impact kids can have. And I think kids can just have the power to bring us together in a way that we haven't seen yet when it comes to climate change."

“孩子们真的很强大。他们正在产生影响，占领新闻，他们不让我们避开这个问题。这使我非常期待看到孩子们能有多大影响力。我认为在气候变化方面，孩子们有能力以一种前所未见的方式将我们团结起来。”

Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Adam Levy.

谢谢大家收听科学美国人——60秒科学。我是亚当· 利维。