That’s Jeff Grant on his email “Science on!” Writes and signs. That says something about his commitment to the subject matter taught to Illinois high school students. Lately, that dedication has meant teaching a subject that makes some teachers uncomfortable: the science of climate change.
As an avid reader of scientific journals and books, and someone who spends time outdoors, he has a clear understanding of how rising temperatures are affecting the planet.
“It has been like this for the last decade, the impact of which I have personally seen,” he said, citing changes in aquatic, forest and plain ecosystems. As a result, it has begun to “bake” our changing climate into its classrooms.
Research from Yale University suggests that their approach would be widely welcomed. Three-quarters of adults in the US say they want schools to teach about the causes, consequences and possible solutions to global warming.
“Today’s students are tomorrow’s consumers, workers and voters, and they will face many challenges due to the disruptions caused by climate change,” said Glenn Branch, deputy director of the nonprofit. National Center for Science Education (NCSE). And to tackle the challenges, he said they would need “at least a basic understanding of climate change and its impacts and solutions.”
What students learn depends on where they live
NCSE is one of many bodies working to ensure that accurate climate information is delivered to students across the country. But the decentralized nature of the American education system means that curriculum decisions are made at the local school district level. And with their number exceeding 13,000 across the country, this amounts to a huge variation.
In some states, teachers may consider the Next Generation Science Standards for instructional guidance on climate change. But they’re not mandatory and Grant says they don’t go far enough.
“Not every state has this as part of their curriculum,” he said, adding that even if they do, they don’t offer lesson plans. “It’s up to teachers or school districts to develop those things or find things to help make that presentation to kids.”
And that’s a problem, given that many teachers have never learned about climate change themselves. They face enormous amounts of potential resources, as well as competing interests from powerful groups trying to carry their own agendas into the classrooms.
Fossil fuel companies in orbit
Branch says that “there have been systematic efforts to provide teachers with misinformation about climate change in the hopes that they will associate it with their students,” with the material coming from “very strongly ideologically driven” climate change denial think tanks, such as the Heartland Institute, as well as the fossil fuel industry.
Groups such as the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB), a privatized state agency, are active in many states across the US. And always with an educational hand. “That stuff is less obvious,” Branch said. “But it may still have a distorting effect.”
In the case of OERB, the content includes a series of illustrated books in which the protagonist “Petro Pete” praises human dependence on fossil fuels. The agency also offers workshops and courses that provide insight into the oil and gas industry. Teachers who sign up are rewarded with professional development credits, scholarships, and classroom field trips.
Melissa Lau, who teaches science in her native Oklahoma, says such offerings deter teachers who don’t know enough about climate change to teach it.
“It’s very tempting in a lot of ways. If a teacher is like, ‘This sounds legit…’ I mean, there’s nothing wrong with science. It just gives the impression of ‘look how good the fossil fuel industry is.’ It reduces the impact.”
The OERB did not respond to DW’s request for more information.
Making the climate conducive for students and teachers
Lau says classing climate change in Oklahoma is further complicated by the fact that farming – which is responsible for about 12% of global emissions – and fossil fuels, are among the state’s dominant industries.
“A lot of times it’s like, ‘You know, my dad is just trying to make a living, we’re trying to support our family, keep a roof over our heads.’ It gets personal.” In Lau’s case, having family members in both industries has helped her address “sticky” topics with her students. “I think it gives them comfort.”
This doesn’t apply to all teachers in the state, especially not when the White House administration has been so vocal in climate change denial. But Lau, like fellow teacher Jeff Grant in Illinois, is determined to keep highlighting the importance of the subject to students and colleagues.
Both are involved in creating and disseminating resources as they can. In Grant’s case, that meant organizing a one-day conference for hundreds of teachers to learn about climate science. Lau says it would be difficult to pull off a similar event in “highly conservative” Oklahoma.
“In the current political climate, many teachers are feeling more censored than ever,” he said. “I think right now they would feel like this would put them on some kind of list.”
After nearly three decades in her job, she’s willing to speak up for those who are just starting out, because she says the climate crisis needs to be talked about and depoliticized.
“This is not about denigrating individual human beings. This is not a morality issue. This is not an identity issue. This is our greatest existential humanitarian crisis.” And this, she says, is also an opportunity to tell her students that although humans are the cause of many things that happen to our planet, they can also be the solution.
It’s a message that resonates with Jeff Grant, who is planning another teaching conference called HOPE (How Our Planet Is Evolving) for next year. They already expect a higher turnout than last year.
“I think most teachers are in the same boat,” he said. “We’re all trying to help kids navigate the world better.”
Edited by: Jennifer Collins
This article is taken from an episode DW Environment Podcast, Living Planet.
this is part of the story 89 percent projectAn initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.