MAY 07 2025

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The Cool.org parallel online universe in the school system makes clever use of films, videos and kids’ picture books to get an emotional response. Cool seems particularly concerned about rural resistance to giant turbines and thousands of kilometres of new transmission lines across paddocks and bush.

So teachers use a Cool template to show kids films with nice images and cute music where farmers rhapsodise about wind farms. Farmer Dimity Taylor runs sheep near Goulburn on NSW’s southern tablelands. A neighbour’s turbine is 1.2km from her farmhouse. She’s asked whether she’d prefer “cheaper, safer renewables” or “polluting fossil fuels and expensive, dangerous nuclear later on?” She answers, predictably, “Renewables, right now!”

For Part 1 and Part 11 of this series follow these links

She’s asked about “the giant, quiet neighbour [wind turbine] that is just ticking away and how it helps the community thrive”. She gushes, “I love living next door. It’s brought heaps of great stuff into the community. They fund all sorts of things, like the local pony club … that have really helped just invigorate the community.

 “Yeah, yeah, [I have] three little kids. I love that we get to live right next door to this great infrastructure, and they get to feel like we’re kind of part of this exciting transition, and we can see action on climate change right here next door.”

Do she mind looking at the wind turbines?

“They’re so beautiful, like they’re really majestic. On a sunset, they are just magnificent, like they reflect the colours of the sun, they’re just so gorgeous … In actual fact, it probably helps my mental health. Being able to see that we are doing something to transition to renewable energy economy and away from a fossil fuel economy.  Yeah, it has been shown to be the cheapest form of new energy that you can roll out.”

Dimity is not paid to host a turbine, but gets “a little bit of money” from transit of an underground cable. She imagines that her town is already feeling impacts of climate change, because it’s had fires, floods and droughts, so the community cash from wind farms has been handy. Instead of spending money on repairs after disasters, she thinks it’s better to have wind farm investments “to help eradicate the problem in the first place. I think that’s better use of funds.”

Tellingly, no-one tries to calculate for the benefit of classroom audiences just how many local floods and droughts have been averted by the turbines.

Dimity’s advice on new wind projects: “Oh, welcome it. But get involved. Communicate with the companies that are coming and really think about how you can maximize the benefits for your community.”

Another Cool-recommended “Good Neighbours” film features Simon and Susan Tickner, “food, fibre and wind farmers” on broad acres at Horsham in Victoria’s Wimmera. In the background of the shot is the Murra Warra Wind Farm, now with 99 turbines.

Interviewer: Transitioning our energy system to renewables? Pronto or taking ages?

Simon: Oh, pronto please. We don’t have time to stuff around.

Simon concedes that in early years developers had done “really, really poor” consultations with locals, who felt towers were being pushed on them. But liaison had improved dramatically. “Farming is helping keep the world fed and healthy, and with renewables and transmission we’re doing a similar thing. Come on, good!”

It’s unclear if Cool has any actual empathy with the farm sector. Cool gives Australia’s world-leading farm productivity a heavily negative emphasis. Cool’s “lesson” on Environmental Impacts of Agriculture starts by blaming farmers for 13% of national CO2 emissions. Cool laments land clearing, pesticides, chemical fertilisers, water pollution, soil degradation, erosion and salting. And Cool especially deplores what it regards as farmers’ over-use of water:

Water for the Environment: Farms use a lot of this [water] for their plants and animals, which means there’s not so much left for the environment. This is compounded when there are extreme weather events like droughts, and farmers need more of this stuff for their animals and crops, which leaves even less for nature.

It’s hard to know what Cool is advocating here, other than farmers’ bankruptcy.Another of Cool’s persuasive tools (three lessons, for primary kids and parents) is “Amy’s Balancing Act”, a picture book by ANU academic Dr Bjorn Sturmberg. It’s a fable about balancing Australia’s electricity grid, “for younger kids [and] perfect for starting conversations about energy and its impact on the climate.” Sturmberg modelled cute little Amy on Audrey Zibelman, former chief executive of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). The book was launched at Federal Parliament in 2022 with hearty endorsements from Climate Minister Chris Bowen, the Teals and the Liberals’ Bridget Archer (who, by the way, has just lost her seat), symbolising the uni-party approach to net zero fantasies.

Sturmberg said he was preparing the next generations “with the attitudes and knowledge to thrive and create a better world.” Bowen told kids in the audience, “We need to use clean sources of energy for you, because this is about making sure the planet’s clean for you when you grow up.” Cool’s lesson template for the book includes,

“Clyde [an old draughthorse] reminds me of fossil fuel power plants, the way they cause some pollution. Even though Clyde is good at delivering the mail, and fossil fuel power plants are useful for producing power, do you think it’s worth all that dust and pollution and tearing up the soil? How do you think you would feel living in that kind of world?”

In the book-inspired “Role-play activity information” for class, Group One roles are the good guys. Professor Sunny, the solar energy expert, provides ‘facts’ about the supposed decreasing cost of solar electricity, and how it can be stored for nights and cloudy days [via $10,000 batteries].

Engineer Mr Windy’s job is to “clarify misconceptions about wind turbines and wild life” [like mincing eagles]. Dr Factual, the climate scientist, “presents clear evidence of human-caused climate change” [based on self-fulfilling computer models].

Group 2 are Cool’s villains, namely

♦ Mr Coaly the coal miner, claiming renewables are unreliable, and spreading false information about wind turbines’ unreliability.

♦ Ms Guzzle the petrol-station owner, who insists electric cars are too pricey for most families, and “exaggerates the fire risks of solar panels on rooftops” [I thought the main fire risk is from batteries].

♦ Dr Skeptic the “climate change denier” argues that climate change is natural and not caused by humans [the sceptic case in fact is that human-caused warming will not be catastrophic as claimed, and CO2 is greening the planet and helping feed rising populations]. Denier Dr Skeptic also claims that wind and solar are more harmful to the environment than fossil fuels, which I’d heartily agree with.

While we are to believe that farmers rejoice at Minister Chris Bowen’s windfarm rollout, Cool is conscious that in schools, teachers’ doom-crying can paralyse kids emotionally and sap their value as green campaigners. To counter the psychological traumas of doomism, Cool recommends that teachers alert climate-despairing students to Kids Helpline, Headspace, Beyond Blue Youth, even Lifeline. As Cool concedes, apocalyptic factoids can leave schoolkids quaking:

 “You are not alone if you find this difficult to read; this is genuinely scary stuff. That’s why it is important to take some time to look after yourself when absorbing information like this; take a break and have a friendly chat with someone, watch something silly or give your pet a cuddle. And then remind yourself it is not up to you and you alone to fix this problem. People all over the world are already working hard to meet the challenges of climate change and to limit its impacts on people, the environment and the future [except in China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Vietnam, much of Africa and now Trump’s USA]. And then think about the things we can do – we can all do something!”

The Cool unit “Talking about Climate Change” warns,

Climate change can induce feelings of sadness, worry, anxiety and grief among many of us, particularly among those young people who have already experienced the effects of climate change, for example, through bushfires or floods. [Claiming local bushfires and floods are caused by the 1deg of warming in the past century is the main propaganda line of Tim Flannery’s Climate Council]. When discussing climate change with students, it is important to create a safe and positive classroom environment that encourages participation and cooperation without pressuring those who may not feel comfortable sharing their thoughts or feelings. Remember, just because a student in your class may have lived through an event linked to climate change [Cool means a bushfire, drought or flood, as per Dorothea Mackellar’s “My Country”], it is not their responsibility to educate the rest of the class about it.

Cool coaches kids on “ways to tell grown-ups what’s important to us. You don’t need to be a scientist to care about our planet! Try saying things like:

“I feel worried/hopeful/excited about. [fill in blank]..I’m trying to help by [insert]…This matters to me because. ]insert]..When you share your own story, it can inspire others to care too!”Social scientists have recommended not to overdo the doom at school. So Cool says teachers should make kids imagine they can personally tackle global warming. They can turn off lights, ride bikes and go easy on the air-conditioning: “When introducing a topic like climate change, it is important to maintain a position of hope.”

The “Cool.org Hope Framework”,  based on “Hope Theory” is

to use when discussing challenging issues to ensure psychological safety for teachers and students…Be sure to consider the age and ability of your learners, the suitability of your resources, and the broader networks that can help…It’s the ideal guide for the Take Action stages of our resources when we need to support our learners to step up and have choices in how they can best help the situation. 

In my interpretation, no matter how traumatised kids get, Cool would like to continue pointing them towards green activism.

Other Cool demands on kids – which few adults themselves adopt – are

Do you really need it? – Think carefully about all your purchases, and where possible, choose the greenest option.

Cut your energy use –Wear a jumper instead of increasing the heat in winter, and in summer only use the air conditioner when the fan isn’t cutting it. Switch to electricity from renewables – “Try gently encouraging your family to make the switch”.

Eliminate unnecessary emissions. This might include everything from clothes to electronics to gadgets to furniture.

Embrace veggies – why not try a day or two a week of meat-free meals?

Get involved – send a letter to a politician or join a group like Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

Be inspiring and spread the word – You never know who you’re going to inspire, so let the people around you know what you’ve been doing to tackle climate change, and let them know that reducing greenhouse gas emissions will also build healthier communities, spur economic innovation and create new jobs.

The rest of my Cool research found such a welter of nonsense I’ll just stack some highlights under headings.

EARTH DAY: April 22’s Earth Day sent Cool’s educators into raptures:

Celebrate Earth Day 2025 with the global rallying cry: OUR POWER, OUR PLANET. This year’s mission challenges everyone—educators, students, and entire communities—to embrace renewable energy solutions and help triple worldwide clean electricity by 2030 [I’m sure this will influence Xi Jinping]. Take part in Earth Action Day by pledging on social media, planning local events, or integrating eco-focused lessons into your curriculum. Each small step—whether you educate, advocate, or mobilize—advances us toward a healthier, more sustainable future.

Cool exhorted kids, “Now, the fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more apparent every day.”

I suspect even Cool realises that the WWF Australia’s lights-off “Earth Hour” has had its day, given householders’ new fear of blackouts. My search of Cool totted up 259 past Earth Hour lessons, including one called “Earth Hour – Action Stations!” where kids create advertisements in the form of a video, infographic, image, poem or story. “The advertisement should explain about how climate change is affecting your favourite food or farming region of Australia.”

FIRST NATIONS: Cool gives the cause of so-called First Nations a good workout, buttressed by the topic’s status as one of three cross-curricula priorities. High-school kids at Year 7-8 (12-13), get a double whammy of First Nations plus Sustainability – two of the three priorities. This lesson takes the form, “Impacts of Extreme Weather Events on First Nations Australians” – notwithstanding that 80% of Aboriginal-identifiers live in suburbia.

Kids are none-the-less required to investigate why First Nations are “among the most heavily impacted by climate change” (compared with whom?) and impacted by “associated extreme weather events”, which the IPCC says are generally not increasing. Somehow kids are to find and discuss “current strategies to reduce the impact of climate change on First Nations Australians.” As Cool says, “We listen and learn from First Nations peoples as they lead the way with their knowledge and aspirations for future generations.”

ENERGY CHOICES: In Cool’s frequent explanations of energy sources, the writers are quite dismissive of issues like wind turbines killing bats, eagles and other raptors, which in other contexts would have teachers hyper-ventilating to the kids. In one lesson Cool explains mildly:

Wind [turbine] impact: No emissions during operation. However, manufacturing, transportation, and installation carry some environmental costs. There’s also potential harm to bird and bat populations if not properly sited.

To get that straight, turbines only kill birds if badly sited, and then they’re only “potentially” minced.

In contrast, coal, which is now having a global renaissance, is the epitome of planetary evil.

Impact: Significant greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants like sulfur dioxide. Mining practices, especially mountaintop removal have large ecological impacts [I thought that was for Queensland wind farms?].

The script includes a picture of a coal-power complex emitting opaque orange pollution – perhaps dating from the era of William Blake’s ‘dark satanic mills.’ I doubt any human could survive there five minutes. Given the minimal pollution from the new-generation High Efficiency/Low Emissions (HELE coal-fired plants), this illustration does not seem totally ethical. Cool’s wind turbine pic, by contrast, is a symphony of blue and white.

For 10-12yos, there’s the lesson, How Do Energy Sources Work and How Are They Misunderstood?

“Students will explore how renewable energy can be locally owned, and benefit people and the planet. As nominated members of the town council of Energyville, they will work in groups to choose the best energy source for this new town and develop a fact-checking guide to assist the mayor in making a reliable and informed decision.”

Cool’s Solar Power Fact Sheet says solar creates “almost no pollution” although some might be [my emphasis] created in making and transporting the panels. The bulk of them are from China, assisted by slave labour, but Cool doesn’t mention that, nor mention when the used panels and their toxic additives are due for landfill. The screed finishes on a triumphant note: “On top of that, if you could capture it all, the amount of energy received from the sun in one hour could power the entire world for a year.” These Cool authors are not very sophisticated.

Not one Australian in a thousand can explain this country’s mish-mash of renewables subsidies and official fatwas against gas stoves and non-electric cars. But Cool educators breezily expect young teens in class to understand “Australia’s clean energy policies” –including the Electric Vehicles Incentives; the Emissions Reduction Fund; the “National Energy Productivity Plan” (whatever that is or was), and Feed-in Tariffs from roof-top solar (which are now an official embarrassment as the grid destabilises). Oh yes, and kids must also get on top of something called “The First Nations Clean Energy Statement”. One Cool lesson rhapsodises,

 Australia is charging ahead in the clean energy race! Discover how government policies drive change, boosting renewables, cutting emissions and empowering communities. Who knew saving the planet could come with perks?

My project to keep track of Cool’s work in schools had to end somewhere, so I’ll sign off while my faculties and sanity are still intact. I’ve chatted to some kids about climate and they dispense Cool’s memes like they’re badly-programmed robots. Australia, what have you become? 

Tony’s latest book from Connor Court is Anthem of the Unwoke – Yep! The other lot’s gone bonkers. $A34.95