A call to make “climate change” a school curriculum to prepare children to deal with its consequences in the future

Weather of Arabia - The effects of climate change have become visible and felt all over the world, starting with extreme heat waves in summer, floods and devastating storms that have become more frequent. This raises concerns about the ability of future generations to adapt from these conditions, which requires concerted global action before it is too late. too late.

That is why the United Nations calls for climate education to become mandatory in schools to better prepare children to deal with global warming and its consequences in the future, as many believe that putting climate change materials in school curricula will help young people to better deal with the reality of global warming, both practically and psychologically. .

Last year, a global study revealed that climate anxiety affects the daily lives of nearly half of young people, and the research, conducted by the University of Bath, was based on surveys of 10,000 young people in 10 countries, and 75% of participants said they believe that “the future is scary.” " .

Increasing calls for climate education

International bodies are calling for climate change to be taught in schools as an official part of the curriculum, and the United Nations says this should be in all schools by 2025.

A UNESCO study analyzed education plans in nearly 50 countries and found that more than half of them do not refer to climate change, and only 19% make reference to biodiversity.

The American Research Center "Brookings" shows that more environmental awareness in schools will evolve into changes in behavior, while reducing energy consumption and waste disposal, and says that this will have a greater impact on the attempt to reach net zero carbon by 2050 than investing in renewable energy such as Wind and solar turbines.

What countries are interested in teaching climate change?

Although the signatories to the 2015 Paris Agreement agreed to improve education about climate change, very few countries have put this commitment into practice.

Cambodia has incorporated climate change into a new and expanded upper secondary school geoscience curriculum introduced in 2020. In addition to students learning key approaches and technologies, 15 pilot schools have been assigned to work on projects such as tree planting and climate-smart agriculture.

Some other countries are moving in a similar direction. Argentina 's parliament approved a national law on inclusive environmental education in 2021 that requires environmental education to be taught in schools at all age levels. Prior to that, environmental issues were taught in subjects such as technology and social sciences.

Topics related to climate change are taught in UK primary and secondary schools, and the UK government has promised to deliver "global-leading education on climate change" by 2023.

Slow progress in climate change education

A report by the International Education Consortium that represents millions of teachers around the world says many countries are neglecting commitments to provide education in the area of climate change, and the study says that of the 95 countries that have made new or updated contributions as part of their commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement, 24% mentioned Only educating young people specifically, and says that none of them advocate compulsory climate change education (CCE) as part of their national climate strategy.

The report noted that Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Argentina have taken concrete steps to include climate studies in their education systems.

Are we witnessing a shift in curricula to make climate change a primary school curriculum, so that tomorrow's generation will be ready to deal with the effects of climate change without being surprised!

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