Last week, an international climate change report found that the only way to avoid the worst impacts of climate change is for the world to act quickly and dramatically to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions. And like dozens of other climate reporters around the world, I wrote about it. 

But I’ll admit – it wasn’t my favorite assignment.  

Mostly that’s because I don’t love United Nations reports, as important as they are. They tend to be long and laden with a brutal combo of scientific and diplomatic jargon. And this one was actually a report about a report (or multiple reports), a reality that can make the person writing yet another one feel like a character in the movie “Office Space.” 

I even groaned about it at dinner that night. And then I saw my sixth grader’s face light up.  

“The IPCC?” she asked excitedly. (That’s the acronym for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.)  

I confirmed, warily. This seemed strange.

“That’s so cool,” she gushed. “Can you tell me about nitrous oxide? I know a lot more about methane.”

Wasn’t expecting that one.

We talked about heat-trapping gases. And I quickly realized that I was, thanks to the “Synthesis Report for the Sixth Assessment Report,” a new tween celebrity.   

This started to make more sense at her parent-teacher conference. Her teacher had started a climate change unit for the class, a way to combine science, math, politics, and social issues. The wall was covered with sticky notes where students had asked questions and shared concerns about climate change; they would soon be developing their own solutions and ideas for addressing it.   

“The kids are so into it,” the teacher told me.

We often hear about children being anxious because of climate change. But as I learned (from my new, trendy status) they are also deeply curious about it. As with many things, that curiosity brings with it excitement and joy. And especially for those of us who might forget how cool it is to have an international report from hundreds of scientists about the most important environmental issue of our time, the interest from kids also brings a huge amount of hope.