This summer has been hot. No matter where you live in the United States, chances are you were desperately moving from air-conditioned room to air-conditioned room, scrambling to the pool or licking popsicles to stay cool.
And it’s not limited to the United States. Around the world this year, the month of June was the hottest in 140 years. And preliminary data show that July 2019 was the hottest month on Earth -- ever. This is not a blip. It’s part of a trend. The last five years were the hottest years on record. Climate change is making heat waves longer, hotter and more frequent.
Heat is hazardous, and, especially for the elderly and most vulnerable, deadly. In Europe in 2003, 70,000 people died in the worst heat wave the continent ever experienced. Some call them the first victims of global climate change. Cities fare worse, as well, due to the urban heat island effect that can create temperature differentials of nearly 20 degrees. (Check out these maps of large eastern U.S. cities.)
Climate change is making heat waves longer, hotter and more frequent. Heat waves like the one we experienced last week should serve as a warning to all of us. If we don’t want to continue to melt into the sidewalks every summer, we must make drastic changes beyond just recycling, saving energy and reducing consumption. These are all noble goals, but we need systemic changes, and a big part of that is education.
While parents are in favor of climate education, most teachers currently are not prepared to lead that discussion. A recent study showed that 84% of parents with children under the age of 18 think that their kids should learn about climate change in school. The same study surveyed teachers from all disciplines and found that 55% of teachers do not study climate change with their students.
Science teachers are overall more likely to take on this challenge. Seventy-five percent of public-school science teachers teach climate change thanks to the Next Generation Science Standards and related efforts. However, they still face serious struggles like cultural clashes, as well as a lack of factual knowledge, training, and professional-development opportunities. Only 10% of science teachers have ever taken a course largely about climate change, even though more than two-thirds are interested in taking a professional-development course in the subject.
Teaching climate science makes a difference. Not only can it help kids understand our planet and inform their waste habits and lifestyle, but it also helps them make sense of events like the one we just experienced.
Leigh Peake, who leads the Gulf of Maine Research Institute's (GMRI) efforts to engage students and teachers in explorations of changing ecosystems using authentic climate data from NASA and NOAA, explained “Climate change affects all of us — and today’s students need to understand the science of climate change more than any generation before them. Our job is to empower them with the climate knowledge and skills that will allow them to thrive in a warmer future.”
Teaching climate change can inspire lively conversations about our climate that ripple beyond the classroom. Climate-change education makes students more likely to challenge their parents’ ideas about the climate, often prompting older generations to carefully consider their minds and habits.
Extending a great climate education to students requires more than just making sure that teachers are comfortable and supported in the topic. There has to be an explicit focus on ensuring that this education reaches all children, especially those from low-income backgrounds, girls and children of color. Climate scientist Juan Declet-Barreto pointed out that low-income communities and communities of color in metropolitan areas are most affected by incidents like heat waves because they might not be able to seek healthcare needed in these conditions, afford an air conditioner, or live in energy-efficient housing. If we want local solutions and equity in climate change, we have to make sure that impacted communities are producing our next generation of climate scientists. Laura Branch, a science teacher at Ernest Righetti High School in Santa Maria, California, underscored this exact point when she explained, “Incorporating climate science into teaching is extremely important for students and our planet. Why? Students are our next generation. They are our future. They must work to solve climate issues to heal the Earth and live sustainably so there is a habitable Earth for their children.” Her students have interviewed elders to see how the environment and climate has changed in their agricultural town.
Children engaged in climate education.
Gulf of Maine Research InstituteRight now, there is a dearth of diversity in the climate science profession, as in many other STEM fields. And as I wrote in a recent column, we are missing out on incredible opportunities for new discoveries and innovative solutions when we limit who is introduced to STEM at a young age and who gets the chance to pursue a career in these sectors.
It is easy to assume that the point is moot. Climate change is here, and heat waves will be an unwelcome, routine part of our summers. But in the years to come, we’re going to need drastic technological and other advances from future scientists and innovators who may very well be in grade school today. Any child learning science, technology, engineering, or math now could become the adult who develops the life-sustaining feats of engineering that help those impacted most by climate change (before too long: all of us) to survive.
Armed with STEM skills, knowledge, and agency, some children – like Greta Thunberg and the 21 kids in the Youth v. Gov lawsuit – are already pressuring governments to stand up for future generations.
If we want to be able to take the heat, we have to invest in STEM education for all, champion robust and action-oriented climate-science curricula in all schools, and support the teachers in this arena. A high-quality curriculum on climate change will give kids the information and tools needed to become their own climate heroes -- and save our planet and us, in turn. It is never going to be 70 degrees all summer, but we can work toward a season that is less dangerous for the most vulnerable among us. We have a responsibility to our children to step up and invest in STEM, and our future, now.
