The School of Social Sciences at Thames International College hosted a guest lecture by Ishwar K. Dahal on the topic “Understanding Climate Change through the Eyes of Nepali Urban Children.” This event was hosted on August 7, 2026 which focuses on understanding how children in urban Nepal perceive, experience, and interpret the issue of climate change in their everyday lives.
The guest lecture provided an engaging opportunity for students and faculty members to learn about research while reflecting on the relationship between children, climate change, media, and society. Their imaginations are largely shaped by global narratives—rising sea levels, melting ice, and increasing global temperatures, rather than by local ecological challenges. The finding of this paper was that children's awareness was shaped by globalized representations of climate change rather than by their local environmental realities.
The discussions also showcased drawings of children representing climate change where their emotions such as sadness, fear, and grief toward the plight of polar animals and the melting of Arctic ice were seen. Although such empathy shows a strong moral awareness, it also suggests a distance from local ecological issues. This reflects that children's awareness of climate change is influenced mainly by school, peers, family, and digital media.
Participants responded positively to the discussion, especially appreciating the fact about involving children's perspective and voices around this topic. The discussion also generated several questions and critical reflections. Participants were curious about the process and method and particular research method and locations were chosen and why these choices might have redirected its findings. The conversation pushed people to think deeper on the gaps in Nepal's local education system and textbooks- whether the existing educational content and approaches remain relevant to the environmental realities in the local context of children experiencing these today.
One of the participants said “ It was a really informative session. I got back to my childhood days through the question, if climate change understanding is only limited to global issues in textbooks? Also, thank you for taking insights from children into the catastrophic problem we are all facing right now. Children's knowledge about global issues like global warming reflects the quality of the education system. I am glad I got to join the session.”
About the speaker
Ishwar K. Dahal is a researcher and lecturer with a background in media and communication. At Thames International College, School of Social Sciences, he teaches undergraduate courses for Journalism and Mass Communication guiding students in both critical inquiry and practical application. He brings several years of professional experience in media, having contributed to magazines, daily newspapers, and online platforms.
If you are interested in reading the paper, please follow the link:
https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/litstud/article/view/91750/69792
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