There is much talk about the controversy surrounding climate education. There are people for and against it. However, when it comes to climate change and schools one of the most pressing issues is displacement and destruction caused by natural disasters and climate change. Due to school closings and time out of school, students are experiencing detrimental learning loss. According to an article published by the World Bank Group a 10 year old in 2024 will experience on average 3 times more floods, 5 times more droughts, and 36 times more heat waves during their lifetime than someone who grew up in 1970. This is a huge and extremely detrimental statistic especially when it comes to schooling and education.
Hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, the list goes on. All of these natural disasters are prominent and destroy the schools that students hope to attend. Because of this, there is a lack of knowledge among young people. Today there are many of them that want to do something about climate change, however they often are lacking the skills and knowledge solely based on the fact that their schooling is impaired due to resources and funding. In the United States alone, The Caldor fire wiped out Walt Tyler Elementary School in 2021. With the loss of this school it left teachers, administrators and staff all without jobs. It also left struggling parents and students attempting to patch up the education.
In Covington, Tennessee, Crestview Elementary and Middle Schools were among the places in the path of most destruction from a strong tornado. The tornado “obliterated both schools.” It left virtually nothing for the teachers and students. With the loss of these schools the community feels a void and struggles for normalcy within the educational sector.
The destruction of schools brings a threat to learning loss or lack of attendance in schools. This phenomenon is becoming all too common in our world and will continue in the coming years. Schools and countries that are underdeveloped and struggle with school funding will be among the ones that struggle the most. This will also be true for those countries that are more impacted by natural disasters due to climate change. For example, New Delhi, India saw a great number of schools closed because of smog. This dangerous air condition was and is caused by the burning of crop residue. Every year schools are shut down because of the extreme health risks, pushing students even further behind and negatively impacting their education. Health risks due to these climate change issues do not destroy the school but it does take away the learning environment.
With each year that passes more and more schools are shut down because of climate change related disasters. We all need to be aware of this issue and find a way to support students and schools so they are able to have a beneficial and fulfilling education.
I'd imagine that this issue is even worse in poorer countries in the global south where going to school in a dangerous drought or heatwave could even be deadly for the students there. It's important that climate issues be handled equitably.
ReplyDeleteWow, Olivia, this is such a simple and important and concerning idea, but even though for years I have been working on bringing climate change education to schools, I have not until your post, started to think about impacts on the school day. Thanks for the idea and I am going to run with it!
ReplyDeleteWith the effects of climate change becoming more and more impactful, it is a necessity that we start the education about climate change in high schools. Making more people aware and understand climate change is a great to create change.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an important blog, post and topic. I believe that Andrew makes a great point when thinking about poor countries. People are losing education, hospitals, and their lives! All due to climate change and will not go away unless ‘we’ do something about it.
ReplyDeleteIt’s heartbreaking to see how climate disasters are stealing education from so many kids. We need to protect schools as much as the planet both are our future.
ReplyDeleteIt scares me to think about how much more frightening the world is now compared to when I was just 10 years old, while these issues were still present the severity has increased extremely. Having a nephew who is a preteen and knowing that he will experience a disproportionate amount of disaster is heartbreaking. Even more so the fact some children are already being restricted from receiving an education due to the climate crisis.
ReplyDeleteI think climate education is huge and I have personally enjoyed our class for this very reason. More students should be exposed to these topics, especially learning about the risks.
ReplyDeleteThe terrible effects of climate change on education are a crucial and frequently disregarded side effect that your post brings to light. The worrisome facts you provided regarding the rise in natural catastrophes and how they affect schools highlight how urgent it is to address this problem.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an overlooked consequence of climate change. I never thought about the long-term consequences of natural disasters causing learning gaps for students.
ReplyDeleteAs a future educator, this post was very sad and scary to read. Climate change plays a large role in the classroom and directly impacts students. Natural disasters and heat/freeze warnings all prevent students from attending schools, making it harder to close learning gaps.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about how climate change has affects on schools, where people can't go to schools in certain areas, because the environment is so bad. With this people are not able to get the education that they DESERVE. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
ReplyDeleteI had never considered how climate change could affect learning and classroom. It is practically beyond conception all the attendant consequences to climate change. It affects so much on so many levels and it appears.
ReplyDeleteThis is nuts. To think that these teachers have to graft to try and find a new source of income is so sad. I can only imagine the stress losing schools puts on them and the parents who have to drive out of town for their kid to go to school. I would think they would transfer, right? Or do they just go without school until the new one is rebuilt? How do the schools standing handle the mass of students entering? This is a very interesting topic, and it has so many routes.
ReplyDeleteWhenever the topic of extreme weather destruction is brought up, we often think about people losing their homes and jobs, but I feel that not as much thought is put into how many students of all ages especially young children are missing out on the most crucial time for learning and development.
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