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New York may soon join a growing number of states seeking to incorporate climate change into school lesson plans.
Reading, Writing, Math … and Climate Change? – The New York Times
The New York Times
<a href="https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/nyregion/nyc-climate-change-education.html">link</a>
Third graders at Public School 103 in the north Bronx sat on a rug last month while their teacher, Kristy Neumeister, led a book discussion.
The book, “Rain School,” is about children who live in a rural region of Chad, a country in central Africa. Every year, their school must be rebuilt because storms wash it away.
“And what’s causing all these rains and storms and floods?” asked Ms. Neumeister.
“Carbon,” said Aiden, a serious-looking 8-year-old.
Ms. Neumeister was one of 39 elementary school teachers from across the city who participated in a four-day training session in the summer called “Integrating Climate Education in N.Y.C. Public Schools.” Its goal was to make the teachers familiar with the topic, so they can work climate change into their lesson plans.
The summer workshop could be just the beginning. Last year, New Jersey, the first state to mandate climate change lessons, introduced them in its public schools. Several similar bills are being considered in New York, one of which proposes to teach climate change across all grades and subject matters and has the support of over 115 educators and nonprofits like the National Wildlife Federation.
“Climate change is not a future threat; it’s a present reality,” said State Senator James Sanders Jr., a Democrat who represents sections of southeast Queens like the Rockaways that are vulnerable to sea level rise and flooding. He is a sponsor of another bill that would include the topic in science classes.
Climate Change in New York City
Snakes, Spores and Sewage: “The Hole,” a flood-prone neighborhood on the border of Brooklyn and Queens, has a colorful history but an uncertain future because of climate change.
Living With Flooding: As climate change causes sea levels to rise, high tide floods are likely to inundate more coastal neighborhoods across New York City.
Anti-Pollution Law: Mayor Eric Adams has released proposed guidelines for Local Law 97, trailblazing climate legislation that limits fossil fuel emissions from large buildings. Not everyone is happy with it.
N.Y.C.’s Climate Chief: Rohit T. Aggarwala oversees a slowly sinking metropolis surrounded by water, paved over natural resources, with over eight million residents and little tree canopy. He remains a pragmatist, undaunted by existential dread.
While New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and California are actively incorporating climate change into curriculums, other states including Texas, Virginia and Florida have resisted, said Glenn Branch, the deputy director of the National Center for Science Education. Reasons include community opposition in more conservative states and outdated science standards, he said.
Even in regions that embrace climate change education, there is some pushback. In Connecticut, State Representative John Piscopo, a Republican, wants to amend standards to include more questioning of whether man-made greenhouse gases are the main source of global warming.
“The current policy ties the science teacher’s hands of challenging hypotheses and theory, which is the very basis of science,” Mr. Piscopo said. “This amounts to indoctrination of our youth instead of fostering the vibrant debate and individual learning that they deserve.”
(Numerous studies have found that an overwhelming majority of scientists focused on the Earth’s climate agree that the planet is warming and that humans are the primary cause, as does nearly 60 percent of the general population of the United States.)
New York City, the country’s largest school system, is getting a head start on a possible curriculum mandate with its efforts to compost lunches, decarbonize school buildings and prepare older students for careers in the clean energy sector. In February, the Department of Education will co-host a larger climate change training session, along with the United Federation of Teachers, for up to 500 educators at all grade levels.
The more outreach, the better, said Oren Pizmony-Levy, the director of the Center for Sustainable Futures at Columbia University’s Teachers College, a sponsor of the summer workshop along with Columbia and the city school system….
