Integrated climate, environment lesson must in each school

A teacher taking a class in Finland

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Following the recent announcement from the Ministers of Education and Ministers responsible for addressing climate change of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) regarding the role of climate education, Kathleen Rogers, President of EARTHDAY.ORG, said:

“EARTHDAY.ORG believes every school in the world must have integrated, assessed climate and environmental education with a strong civic engagement component. Through our formal campaign, we have been fighting for stepped up ambition for climate and environmental education to adequately combat the climate crisis from all perspectives. With the proper tools, knowledge, and attitudes, the next generation will develop into informed and engaged environmental stewards, capable of tackling climate demands. 

We welcome the various commitments from the Ministers of Education and Ministers responsible for addressing climate change of Parties to the UNFCCC to integrate climate education into formal education systems as well as collaborate with diverse stakeholders. As one of the few official statements on climate education, this is a positive first step to ensure climate education moves quickly from a ‘nice-to-have’ into a core subject for school curricula world-wide. We look forward to the details of the timeline for implementation and plans for financial commitments. All of these specifics must be included in each country’s Nationally Determined Contributions.

Every system on Earth is connected. As a result of climate education, students will have the skills to enter a growing green workforce and the know-how to advocate for policies and practices that will keep them healthy, safe and prosperous. EARTHDAY.ORG and our partners will continue to work to ensure climate education is included in every country’s Nationally Determined Contributions. Failure to do so will result in failure to address climate change.”

For more information on EARTHDAY.ORG’s Climate Literacy Campaign, please visit: https://www.earthday.org/campaign/climate-environmental-literacy/