By: Musa Abu Hadeed, Nisreen Kassem & Nayla Abi Antoun
August 24, 2024
We began writing this article on a summer night, the hottest in decades. Why has the climate become so extreme? Summer feels like scenes from a Mad Max movie, and winter is as bitterly cold as it was in The Day After Tomorrow! Despite numerous international conferences and summits, substantial progress to reverse climate change remains elusive.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change unequivocally attributes recent warming to human activities, underscoring the urgent need for action (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2020). We believe education at the school level is a formidable weapon in this global battle. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change mandates educational campaigns, recognizing that environmental literacy empowers individuals to confront pressing environmental issues (NAAEE, nd.). However, effective climate change education isn’t just about changing textbooks or adding new subjects; it requires a comprehensive, school-wide transformation. This approach involves integrating climate topics across curricula and extracurricular activities, while engaging all stakeholders–from administrators and teachers to students and parents–to empower the next generation to be changemakers.
Critical aspects of this collaboration include:
- School-Wide Commitment: Climate change education ought to be reflected in the school’s mission statement, core values, and policies, demonstrating an explicit commitment to conservation and setting up a platform where all members involved are called upon to adopt environmentally friendly practices.
- Professional Development: Ongoing teacher training and professional development in climate change education are crucial, equipping educators with the necessary knowledge, skills and resources to effectively integrate climate issues into their curriculum.
- Community Partnerships: Schools must engage local environmental groups, scientists, and business people to provide learners with hands-on experiences that connect classroom theory to real-world issues and diverse perspectives.
- Parental Involvement: Parents can be engaged in climate change education by giving them specific training, resources, and chances to help their children learn at home or within the community. This enhances a supportive learning environment beyond the physical boundaries of classrooms and school premises.
- Shifting School Culture & Celebrating Success: Leaders can transform the school environment to promote all stakeholders’ commitment to environmental stewardship. Recognize and celebrate teachers’ and students’ contributions to sustainability, reinforcing positive initiatives and motivating continued progress toward a greener future.
When asked about climate change solutions, the son of one of the authors suggested abandoning Earth for a new planet. This alarming perspective reflects the gravity of our situation. We’re trapped in an escalating feedback loop of environmental degradation. However, education offers a beacon of hope. By empowering the next generation with knowledge and skills, we can break this cycle and create sustainable solutions for our only home.
Integrating Environmental Education across the Curriculum
Subject Integration
Integrating environmental themes across all subjects through interdisciplinary, theme-based learning is crucial, recognizing that the issue of climate change extends beyond science. Further, it is crucial to support the students and teachers with the necessary materials, such as books, documentaries, previous experiences, and interactive activities that encourage the teaching and learning process of environmental topics (NAAEE, nd.).
Some examples of the integration of environmental education into subjects:
- Teach a water cycle lesson in a science class that includes discussions about water pollution, water conservation, and the effect of human activities on water resources.
- In a mathematics class focused on statistics, use statistical examples of pollution data to foster numeracy skills and environmental awareness.
- Bring a discussion about environmental policies into a social studies class, and then have students engage in analysis of the policies’ effects on humans and society.
- Explore themes of environmental stewardship in literature, using narratives about ecological destruction. Have students continue that exploration in their own written responses to the narratives.
- History lessons can include information about past environmental changes.
Project-Based Learning (PBL)
This powerful tool stimulates students to be passionate and empowered changemakers and promotes a sense of agency. Using scientific methods, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, students can research real-world environmental problems, develop solutions, and present their work to their classmates, teachers, or relevant stakeholders.
Some examples of PBL activities:
- Challenge students to conduct a climate change solution campaign that addresses an environmental problem at the school or in the community. They are responsible for researching the issues, identifying solutions, and creating implementation plans.
- Have students collect and analyze local weather data from a set period of time and relate the findings to climate change.
- Assign a renewable energy project in which students design a small-scale renewable energy solution for their school or community.
Hands-On Activities
Outdoor activities such as field trips or citizen science projects increase the interaction and connection between students and nature. Teachers select different activities to foster a sense of appreciation and a desire to protect their environment.
Some examples of hands-on activities:
- Plant trees in or around the school to learn about carbon sequestration.
- Hold a recycling workshop to teach students how to recycle and reuse upcycled materials.
- Conduct a water conservation experiment to demonstrate the effects of water scarcity and explore ways to conserve water.
STEM Education
Schools can create engaging and impactful learning experiences to teach students about climate change through interdisciplinary projects incorporating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The table shows some examples of STEM activities arranged by grade level:
| Age Group | Activity | Explanation–Students Do the Following: |
| Kindergarten to Grade 2 | Weather Observations | Keep a weather diary, noting daily weather patterns and learning about local climate. |
| Recycling Sorting Game | Sort items into compost, recycling, and trash. | |
| Grades 3 to 5 | Solar Oven Challenge | Build solar ovens from pizza boxes to learn about solar energy and its potential as a renewable resource. |
| Ecosystem Diorama | Create a diorama of different ecosystems and discuss how climate change affects the diverse ecosystems. | |
| Grades 6 to 8 | Wind Turbine | Design and build wind turbines and measure their efficiency. |
| Water Quality Testing | Collect water samples from local streams or ponds and conduct basic chemical tests to assess water quality and explore the impact of pollution. | |
| Grades 9 to 12 | Sustainable City Design Competition | Work in teams to design a model city incorporating renewable energy sources, sustainable transportation options, and green building practices. |
| Climate Advocacy Campaigns | Research and present persuasive arguments about climate change solutions, targeting local policymakers or businesses. |
Conclusion
The harsh reality of climate change calls for the need to act, a call that goes out not just to governments, but all humanity. Education will help us generate informed leaders who can come up with action and lead us through the environmental challenges we face. When students are provided with the ability to recognize the need to champion sustainability — including the knowledge and skills (not forgetting values) — we can find hope in not turning back from this point of environmental degradation but building a different future for us and our offspring.
This series will explore how schools can translate these ideas into real-world action. The next pieces will explore how a school’s innovative teaching approaches can foster eco-awareness, inspire students to be changemakers within their locality, and equip all learners for a changing world. It will show how emphasizing climate change education nurtures an environmentally aware citizenry while supporting a sustainable future through emboldened students and a robust education system.
Join us in Part 2 as we explore the power of education to shape a more sustainable future.
References
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2021). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. https://www.ipcc.ch/
North American Association for Environmental Education. (n.d.). What is environmental education?. https://naaee.org/
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. (2020). Global Biodiversity Outlook 5. https://cbd.int/gbo5
United Nations (n.d.). Education is critical to addressing climate change. United Nations. Retrieved June 14, 2024, from https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/climate-solutions/education-key-addressing-climate-change
World Health Organization. (2021). Ambient (outdoor) air pollution. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-%28outdoor%29-air-quality-and-health