FIRST ON FOX: Parental watchdog group American Parents Coalition is sounding the alarm about a left-wing climate advocacy group that they warn could be coming for your kids.
In a new report, published via APC's parental notification system called "The Lookout," the parental rights watchdog alleges climate advocacy group Our Children's Trust (OCT) is "emotionally manipulating" children to advance its climate agenda.
Besides OCT's lawsuits that entail youth plaintiffs, APC pointed to curriculum materials the climate advocacy group promotes, which the watchdog said are "aimed at indoctrinating kids into a particular set of beliefs about the environment." APC also cited OCT's promotion of social media posts and research studies that talk about children's "climate-related stress."
"Our Children's Trust should not be 'trusted' by parents," APC Executive Director Alleigh Marré said. "The left's obsession with undermining parental authority and targeting young minds has now entered the climate movement."
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In May, on behalf of 22 young people, several of whom were minors at the time of filing, OCT filed Lighthiser v. Trump to challenge the president's executive orders related to the fossil fuel industry and peeling back Biden-era green energy mandates. APC says the suit utilizes a narrative of climate hysteria, arguing, "Plaintiffs were born into and now live in a destabilized climate system…" and "Every additional ton of GHG pollution and increment of heat Defendants cause will cause Olivia [a child plaintiff] more harm."
Meanwhile, in addition to using children to help file its climate change-related lawsuits, OCT also pushes educator resources and course materials to schools that perpetuate the idea of climate-related stress and anxiety in young people.
For example, APC pointed to course materials that included a brainstorming session for students, which the watchdog group said implies parents are not offering adequate protection for children. The classroom exercise asked students: "What might make youth different from other people in the eyes of a court?" Sample answers provided to students included, "Youth generally will outlive older generations and so will have to live with the consequences of adults' present-day actions," and "Youth are often dependent upon adults for protection of their physical, mental and social well-being."
APC also pointed to OCT's use of social media and research to promote the idea that their child-driven climate lawsuits are necessary.
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"Climate anxiety is real and it's impacting children's mental health," an Instagram post highlighted by APC states.
"Children are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to their physical, developmental and socio-economic characteristics," another Instagram post highlighted by APC says.
"No organization should be focused on stoking anxiety and fear among kids in an effort to persuade them to join lawsuits that are activist and political in nature," Marré said. "The bombardment from Our Children's Trust and other activist groups pushing climate alarmism and hysteria are having devastating impacts to children's mental health. Exposing children to this kind of extremist mentality is not productive and leads to manipulation rather than education."
Marré also complained that this stifles children's ability to think for themselves.
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However, OCT vigorously disagreed with the assertions made by Marré and APC.
"Our Children's Trust, a group founded by mothers, equips young people with the education and tools to understand the world they know they are inheriting-and to participate in civic life in a meaningful, lawful way," OCT said in a statement to Fox News Digital when they were reached for comment. "While the APC did not allow us to review its report in advance of its release, we can confidently say its conclusions represented to us by Fox News are false. We do not manipulate young people. Youth come to us already deeply aware of how climate change is impacting their lives and futures. They pursue legal action because the political branches of government are harming their fundamental rights to life, safety, and health."
The statement from OCT went on to argue that the assertion that "climate anxiety among youth is somehow manufactured" is "out of touch" and "insulting to the millions of children facing record-breaking wildfires, floods, and extreme heat."
"It's telling that this group purporting to represent parents would rather discredit youth voices than address the real climate harms children are living through," OCT's statement concluded. "Our work is grounded in science, constitutional and children's rights, and civic engagement-not fearmongering-and is supported by pediatricians, parents, teachers, and faith leaders across the country. Young people don't need to be manipulated to care about the planet. They are already living the consequences."
