As geographers and geography teachers we are uniquely positioned to be able to talk about climate with our students from a spatial perspective. Being able to look at what is happening where is something that geography has always been focused on. Now, with our rapidly changing climate, we are increasingly looking at the physical manifestations of climate change and the effects these changes are having on people. The rise of environmental justice reflects these changes as geographers are noting the disproportionate impacts that it is having on some communities compared to others.
In geography education there are a number of ways that we can approach teaching climate. Understanding past and current trends to help predict future patterns, looking at who is being affected and how, trying to figure out what is being done where, there are almost endless ways that a geographic perspective can be used to study climate. Our students are interested in it. The Keystone Education Group (Anderson, 2022) has noted that the number of students pursuing a degree in a field related to environmental science has seen a drastic uptick in recent years. University geography departments are responding by offering more tracks related to sustainability and the environment. Primary and secondary teachers can use topics on the environment to connect geography to the students’ interests and use the inquiry process to help teach students the processes of asking questions, collecting, organizing, and analyzing geographic data to start developing action plans to be able to do something about it.
-Kyle Tredinnick – Geographic Educators of Nebraska
The purpose of this curated toolkit, with a focus on Climate Change, is to provide educators with reliable resources for their own learning, for their students’ learning and beyond.
Young people across the planet are concerned about the future of their planet. Stories in the news and on social media have increased awareness of the gravity of the state of the planet. Younger generations understand that addressing climate change is going to shape their future – where they live, how they work, quality of life and so much more. Climate education needs to prepare them to make educated decisions, support smart legislation and live to protect the planet on which they live.
By integrating climate education into various subjects, students can learn the interconnectedness of processes that impact the environment. These lessons do not have to be complicated either — with the help of training workshops, educators can develop interactive plans for younger learners. – Earthday.org, “Climate Education Takes Root,” 2024
Young people recognize that climate change is going to shape their futures—where they live, the work they will do, and their quality of life. They need climate education in order to develop green skills, adapt to the harsh reality of a warming world, and understand how to combat climate change. But they need to learn the basics of climate change before they can do anything about it.
In the U.S., more than 86 percent of teachers and 84 percent of parents support climate change education in schools. Progress is being made in some states, but on the whole students are not learning enough about climate science quickly enough to give them the knowledge and tools they will need to cope with the impacts of climate change. – Columbia Climate School State of the Planet, “Climate Education in the U.S.: Where It Stands, and Why It Matters,” 2023
Education is a critical agent in addressing the issue of climate change… Education can encourage people to change their attitudes and behavior; it also helps them to make informed decisions. In the classroom, young people can be taught the impact of global warming and learn how to adapt to climate change. Education empowers all people, but especially motivates the young to take action. Knowing the facts helps eliminate the fear of an issue which is frequently colored by doom and gloom in the public arena. In this context, UNICEF has tapped into the minds and imaginations of children around the world to capture what it means to be a child growing up in the age of rapid climate change. – United Nations Climate Action, “Education is key to addressing climate change,” 2023
Academic commentary – Lisa Tabor, University of Northern Iowa
Climate change impacts the world at every scale, making geographic education crucial for understanding and responding to these challenges. Geography’s spatial perspective, combined with human-environment interaction, cultural understanding, and sustainability, positions geography at the forefront of climate change education. Community-driven projects, like those of the Yurok Tribe and Arctic communities, demonstrate the importance of indigenous perspectives in climate resilience. The National Strategy for the Arctic Region emphasizes the integration of indigenous knowledge in ecosystem conservation and climate adaptation. Globally, issues like ocean warming and fisheries management highlight the need for regional and ecosystem-level strategies, with the Pew Charitable Trust advocating for adaptive approaches.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 13 on climate action, stress the urgency of addressing climate change, noting significant gaps in education. Geography educators play a vital role in improving climate change education and linking global economic, social, and environmental systems. Gender equality, central to the SDGs, is also critical in climate discussions, with UN Women emphasizing the need to recognize and address the unequal care burden on women and girls amid the climate crisis.
Finally, using the geographic lens to study climate change is an imperative both in the short-term as well as in the long-term. Today’s four-year-old preschoolers understand about the habitat of polar bears being endangered. The future is theirs. How we educate them and those students who are older is critical to building what John Holdren calls “durable climate policy,” policy development that takes decades of work, should not be interrupted, and which allows for enough flexibility to respond to evolving events and knowledge. (Holdren comments in Ulmer, et al.) Climate change education from the geographic perspective is a PreK-lifelong education goal. Read full Academic commentary.
-Jody Smothers-Marcello, Independent Academic Consultant
NCGE has carefully curated selection of materials to enhance your climate literacy and teaching, from foundational principles to the latest data and emotionally supportive resources. These tools are designed to empower educators at all levels to confidently teach the complexities of climate change.
All resources listed here are accessible for members from their membership dashboard
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