Climate Change and Education

"It’s not just thinking about what they need to do to reduce their impact on the environment but also thinking about what they need to do to adapt to a changing climate."

"The only way to prevent the dread and guilt from taking over is by taking action. For all our kids, it’s time we prioritize their future and help ensure they can thrive in a changing climate."

"I think these topics become difficult when people don't respond to them. We need to move beyond inhibiting power structures and bring more voices to the table."

"Students need to feel 2 things: Relevance that what they are learning actually has meaning in their lives and they need to feel agency. We want people that are advocates for change — that can only take place through environments that are learning by doing environments that teach you how ecosystems are shaped by the world."

"We can and should do more at this intersection, whether it’s by ensuring child care programs have clean and efficient air-conditioning and air-filtration systems that run on renewable energy, by offering age-appropriate climate education for young children and their families or by establishing public policies (such as Wales’ Well-Being of Future Generations Act) that account for climate change impacts on children."

"The time is really right for education to mobilize and start taking climate action.”

"Extreme weather is going to increasingly impact and disrupt learning. That is something that school leaders and administrators are going to have to grapple with and start to better plan for."
 

"Increased investment can help decarbonize our schools, lower annual energy and operations costs, improve health, safety and learning outcomes and provide opportunities for students to develop the skills needed to advance a sustainable future. Additionally, this investment will create living labs for environmental sustainability, clean energy and climate solutions."