Getting climate action on the education agenda – Winnipeg Free Press

Opinion

Last school year, a student of mine asked me a question that lingered in my mind long after the lesson was over: “So, how do you advocate for climate action as an adult?”

This is a question that many of us ponder, but honestly, I don't think most of us know how to answer.

As adults who care about the well-being of children and the environment on which we all depend, it is vital that we can answer this question. One place that needs such action-oriented responses is our education system.

Education can be a strategy to capture carbon and reduce emissions. According to a 2020 research study, effective climate education can reduce carbon emissions comparable to the impact of basic mitigation efforts, such as adopting rooftop solar panels or using electric vehicles. Schoolyards in Manitoba, often barren fields of bluegrass and dandelions in Kentucky, are valuable study sites for carbon sequestration through the (re)introduction of tallgrass prairie species, pollinator and food gardens, and reforestation.

It is important that we make education a visible player in climate action and signal to young people that climate action is valuable and possible. A recent 2023 study found that 73 percent of young people believe the future of climate change is dire, and 64 percent believe our government is not doing enough to prevent climate catastrophe. The education system needs leadership to develop strategic climate action plans and accelerate this work – and we must answer the call to the Manitoba education system, school boards and department heads.

In Manitoba communities, we are seeing firsthand the effects of a changing climate, from frequent and widespread wildfires and smog, severe droughts, floods and extreme heat waves to shifting agricultural patterns and ecological disruption.

As the pillars of our communities, our schools cannot remain passive in the face of these challenges.

Only three of the 380 school boards across Canada have climate action plans. Climate action plans are taking shape in Manitoba school districts. The Winnipeg school division has a proposal to develop an environmental committee and policy. Seven Oaks School District has hired a full-time Climate Action Teacher Team Leader. These are laudable steps taken by motivated and concerned leaders, and we need to see this action on a large scale across the province to restore the once nationally recognized leadership in environment and education.

Fortunately, there are important resources available to all school districts in Manitoba to help continue this work. Lakehead University has released a report to support the development of climate action planning. The Climate Caucus has released a handbook full of resources for school administrators.

These resources provide a roadmap for our response to the climate emergency and the development of goals consistent with international agreements. These responses could take the form of cost-effective, deep-energy retrofitting of schools to reduce emissions. They may also take the form of turning 30 percent of schoolyards into eco-cultural restoration sites as educational projects. Identifying and removing barriers to engaging students in this action-oriented learning and increasing support for teacher champions is an achievable policy goal for school districts.