A Push for Teaching Climate Studies in Classrooms Nationwide
- NPG
- December 18, 2020
- NPG Commentary
- 4 Comments
December 28, 2020
A Push for Teaching Climate Studies in Classrooms Nationwide
Should Climate Change Be Taught in U.S. Schools?
Two former U.S. education secretaries recently penned a letter to President-Elect Joe Biden to encourage teaching climate change to the more than 50 million children enrolled in U.S. public schools. John King and Arne Duncan, both former top education officials, wrote the statement, which was also backed by former members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and multiple climate activists, education specialists, and teacher union representatives.
Appealing to Biden’s vow to address climate change, this letter “urges Biden to not overlook the department of education in this quest, suggesting emissions could be cut from sources such as school buses as well as encouraging the uptake of climate-themed lessons.”
The article, published by The Guardian, shares why this call to action is essential, nationally, stating: “In the U.S.’s decentralized education system, individual school districts, or schools themselves, decide upon classroom curriculum rather than the federal government. But King said federal investment to provide more science teachers, shift school buildings to renewable energy or supply locally grown food would help spur climate discussions in schools.”
Also discussed in the article are the many U.S. states that have signed up to teach the next generation science standards, a set of guidelines on what students should know about science or close equivalents. Even with the states that have signed on – there are still many students not being taught about climate change. “An NPR poll from last year found that while the teaching of climate is still not widespread, an overwhelming majority of both teachers and parents agree that it should be a standard feature of classroom learning.”
While it is clear that there is still quite a way to go before climate issues will be in all American classrooms, NPG backs these critical efforts to bring climate education to students nationwide. NPG has long been an advocate of reaching students while they are in the classroom to discuss the environment and population issues. Each year we offer (and distribute) our popular Teacher’s Packet to educators from coast to coast. Filled with up-to-date-information, these packets serve to engage young minds and facilitate conversations with both their teacher and classmates alike.
To see our Student Fact Sheet, which provides quick facts to reference, click here.
To read more about the environment and other population issues, please see our Forum paper series, notably:
Climate Change, Migration and National Security, by Edwin S. Rubenstein
The True Environmental Disaster – The Silence on Our Growing Overpopulation, by Michael G. Hanauer
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Ed Funston
Why is it so difficult for the world’s population to rationally conclude that as the earths resources are limited,
population increase must cease; otherwise the time will come when parents will literally fight their own children for food.
Nelson Chick
Why bother, there is nothing that can be done about it as long as humanity is allowed to swell by billions more?! We have forsaken our children’s future by having too many of them.
Patrick Galasso
Climate change is
the Trojan Horse.
Daniel Cring
We should be teaching Anthropology in the classrooms which includes Human Ecology.