> And also: how exactly do I explain to my children that the world they're growing-up in is in a dire state and soon may not even be able to support anything like a normal life for them? Ideas anyone?

They'll think it's normal, which is the real tragedy, but that's been happening for generations already. Your idea of normal is not as rich as your ancestors'. Wasn't North America abundant with wildlife when the Europeans arrived?

Tangential xkcd: https://xkcd.com/1321/