The Children’s Word of the Year has caused a heated debate on GB News between former Brexit Party MEP Belinda de Lucy and Laura Johnson from Just Stop Oil.
A survey by Oxford University Press of more than 5,000 children across the UK found a total of 33 per cent of children said climate change was their word of the year for 2023.
The word war came second with 31 per cent, while coronation came third with 24 per cent.
Speaking about this on GB News Belinda De Lucy said: "I'm afraid the purpose of schools has been shifting over the last 10 years. There's been a lot of teaching children what to think, not how to think.
Former Brexit Party MEP Belinda De Lucy isn't happy with the children's word of the year
GB News
"The fact that it's six-year-olds, a classroom full of six-year-olds to 14-year-olds, have come up with climate change as their word of the year, that's not coming from them.
"That's words put in the mouth by adults. What's worse is that poll after poll has been done on the mental wellbeing of our young and last year showed that this climate catastrophizing and alarmism being brought into schools is harming the mental health of our young.
"What a reflection on the deterioration of our classroom teaching that 10 years ago the favourite word of the year for six to 14-year-olds was Minion from the Minion films."
"It's not healthy climate change that's being talked about, like in the 1990s when they spoke about the ozone layer, recycling and not putting plastics in the sea to save animals.
A survey by Oxford University Press of more than 5,000 children across the UK found a total of 33 per cent of children said climate change was their word of the year for 2023
GETTY
"All that stuff is fine. It's not bad at all. It's extremism. It's alarmism."
Laura Johnson from Just Stop Oil responded: "We've had 10 years of government in inaction, yes, it's scary, but it's the truth. It's common sense parenting.
"The world we are living in currently has floods, fires, droughts, and extreme storms already impacting our food systems. If governments had acted then, then it wouldn't be the case.
"Eco Anxiety is a real issue and it's based on real facts. The secretary general of the United Nations has now said we've entered the age of global boiling.
Laura Johnson argued that children "should be scared"
GBNews
"It's not climate change anymore. It's it's a climate crisis. And at least when my son grows up, he will know that I tried with every fiber of my being to fight for his future."
De Lucy hit back by saying: "This is crazy. If the UK was to sink into the sea, it would have absolutely no impact on climate change.
"It's countries like India and China and poorer countries where actually realistically climate change is not going to be at their top priority.
"The fact of the matter is, that the UK is doing a huge amount already and children should be filled with hope and excitement to study scientific ways of producing clean energy.
"Not terrified and have their nerves shredded by these extremists that throw soup on paintings and destroy their cause by being aggressive and stopping working class people from getting to work. I'm sorry, but there's no place in the classroom for climate alarmism."
The Just Stop Oil campaigner responded: "The thing is they should be scared and worried. I'm terrified. I've got an 8 year old and I'm terrified.
"You're right, the children should not have to deal with this. This is not the future and the planet that they should inherit.
"But unfortunately, because of corporate greed, and government inaction, they will."