Misinformation about climate change is on the rise as climate education remains sporadic in school curricula across the country, according to a recently released study by a nonprofit organization that tracks digital information.
Minnesota is one of the most enthusiastic states in the nation to require climate education in academic standards, but advocates say more can be done to encourage school districts to incorporate the guidelines into their curriculum and for lawmakers to further update them. are doing.
Over the past five years, misinformation about climate change has shifted from outright denial to attacks on climate scientists to attempts to undermine solutions to a worsening climate, according to a report by the Center to Combat Digital Hate. Evolved. Meanwhile, the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) has found that educators want to teach climate education but lack the resources.
NAAEE surveyed more than 700 educators and 100 administrators and found that climate education is sporadic and districts are not making the topic a priority. Despite the willingness of educators, school districts across the country are unable to provide the resources or clear mandates to implement formal climate change curricula.
Daniel Hefferan, regional education coordinator for Minnesota-based Climate Generation, said the NAAEE study found that Minnesota is a leader in climate education, along with California and Oregon. Although not all states require climate change in academic standards, many states only require climate change to be taught in science. In contrast, in Minnesota, climate education requirements appear across multiple subjects, including social studies and language arts, she said.
Minnesota officially adopted climate change into its science education standards in 2019 after the Minnesota Department of Education formed a 26-member task force of educators and community members to develop updated guidelines. did.
Hefferan said many local governments in Minnesota have plans to mitigate and adapt to climate change, helping educators teach climate change to students in these areas. .
“Minnesota is definitely doing a lot on paper and in terms of policies and things that support climate change education,” she said. “And knowing that their school district or state supports climate change education through policy and legislation gives educators a lot more confidence.”
But the growing pains still remain.
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There are many resources and lesson plans for climate change education available to teachers, but if school districts have not yet developed a formal climate change curriculum, the responsibility falls on teachers who are already pressed for time, Hefferan said. he said. Think about how you want to incorporate the subject matter. Unifying curriculum planning could help solve the problem, she said.
“We can see that the resources are available, but for some reason, there are still some glitches in bringing them in,” she said. “It would be extremely helpful if teachers could incorporate these resources into the formal curriculum they provide each year.”
Minnesota is a national leader in climate education, but Climate Generation is working to expand on these guidelines.
House File 2297 would require school districts and charter schools across Minnesota to add climate justice education to their curriculum. That includes educating students not only about the effects of climate change, but also about the inequalities caused by climate change and the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.
“The less fortunate among us are bearing the brunt of it, and in many cases it is those who are experiencing the greatest impact who did not cause this incident. It’s the people,” said DFL Congressman Larry Craft, who lives in St. Louis Park. Bill in the House of Representatives. “That’s the justice aspect.”
Mr. Craft knew about this effort before he became a member of Congress, so he agreed to pass the bill when it was introduced by young climate activists from Climate Generation. Kraft, who previously ran a nonprofit organization for five years that supported young people advocating for climate change policies, said education is a key component in developing solutions to the problem.
“We're living through it, as you can see from the non-winter we've just experienced, and from last summer's terrible atmospheric conditions caused by the Canadian wildfires, which are certainly being exacerbated by climate change. ” he said. “It's important to understand what's going on. You need to understand to deal with it.”
Craft said the bill won't move forward this session, in part because of concerns that imposing additional requirements on schools is premature after last year's overcrowded legislative session, which featured a large education package. Ta. But he said he would continue to work with youth activists and environmental groups to pass the bill.
“I've been following their lead on this one, and I'm excited to continue working with them to understand how we can get this and similar things across the finish line. ” he said.