Dear people, we’ve had a sweet few years and built a movement sweeping across North America to bring quality climate change and climate justice education to our children and youth, building their interdisciplinary capacity to understand the climate crisis and build solutions. Five states — California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey and New York — now mandate climate change education. This movement has given me hope because the impact of education ripples out for generations. Climate change and justice education is a critical solution to the crisis.
We are soon to lose the ground we have traveled by the Trump administration’s actions. Public education is under attack and in real peril. Climate change science resources on government websites have gone dark. Federally funded organizations are taking down curricular offerings that are grounded in justice and equity out of fear. The very vocabulary of the single most important challenge of our time is being banned.
Big Oil has been influencing under-resourced educators and infiltrating schools in the U.S. for decades and a recent report from Canada paints a stark picture of the depth and deliberate nature of the manipulation. In Oklahoma, the oil and gas industry has even found a way to extract value out of underfunded schools by filling the void in training and curriculum development with industry propaganda. Science lessons, developed by the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board are pro fossil fuel extraction propaganda and omit any references to climate change or toxic water and air pollution.
It takes some effort these days to not fall into despair. I love learning about all the small acts of disruption and sabotage. I love that the climate change education folks have gathered together to say ‘hell no.’ We are proud to be in partnership with CLEAN and ISKME who are moving curriculum and resources taken down from government and government funded websites to the OER Commons, a public digital library of open educational resources. (Sign up here for a series of webinars on the future of Climate Literacy).
It’s never too late to make sure that our movement of climate education for all isn’t stopped and ensure that our young people get the quality climate change education they deserve. Education Unions are fighting back, community based climate justice education organizations are fighting back. Communities across the country continue to fight for justice in our school systems. Our youth continue to organize for the Climate Justice Education Bill here in Minnesota. There are many ways to engage in good trouble. The future is in our hands and hearts. Will you join us?
Susan Phillips
Executive Director
