During the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, a group of children delved into the topic of climate change, recognizing the growing urgency of this global issue and viewing children as the guardians of the planet’s future. This was done through an interactive workshop titled “Superheroes,” led by author and sustainability expert Nahla Nabil, who aimed to convey the complexities of climate change in a simple and engaging manner. She highlighted that global warming has resulted in rising temperatures over the past 200 years due to increasing human activity, clarifying that global warming is distinct from the broader concept of climate change.
Nabil explained to the young participants that human consumption of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, contributing to the temperature rise. She illustrated how Earth provides air for breathing, water for drinking, and spaces for playing, but noted that lately, the planet seems to be struggling with the increasing heat.
To make learning more engaging, she incorporated a fun game involving dice and superhero characters—similar to the classic game of Chutes and Ladders—where the characters moved along a path that illustrated actions affecting the climate either positively or negatively. For instance, a character advancing towards a positive action could move two steps forward, while landing on a negative action required stepping back one or two spaces. Examples included leaving lights on at home (a negative action) versus eating vegetables (a positive action).
Nahla Nabil stated, “The goal of the ‘Superheroes’ workshop is to engage children aged 8 to 12, educating them about the dangers of negative behaviors impacting our planet and contributing to global warming, especially since they hold the future in their hands.” She added that through the workshop, children discover how their daily activities and choices affect the environment and learn to make better decisions for a more sustainable future in a fun and relatable way.