Embedded Files
EDUCATION FOR CLIMATE ACTION - THREE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AND CLIMATE RESILIENT SCHOOLS DURING COP26
In August 2021, a group of nongovernmental and governmental leaders within the Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools Community* convened in a collective elevation project to address the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCCS) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). The intention of this project has been to come up with strategies for how to collectively elevate the importance of the IPCC’s AR6 Report and the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), to K12 educational leaders.
To view the Collective Elevation Position Statement, visit: Education for Climate Action - Three Recommendations for Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools During COP26 (PDF)
To view the full details of this project, visit: IPCC & COP26 2021 - Collective Elevation for K-12 Educators Project Overview.
*Organizations under this umbrella term are from these movements: Environmental Literacy, Environmental Sustainability Education (ESE), Education for Sustainability (EfS), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Climate Literacy, Climate Action, Solutionary Teaching and Learning, Humane Education, Green Schools, etc.
IPCC AR6 FOR EDUCATORS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS
The rest of this page serves as a landing page for Educational Leaders to understand what the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report is, and what the responsibility and opportunity of educational leaders is for taking action. The resources here were put together by a collaboration of Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools thought leaders in California.
Educational Leaders: check out introduction below or jump straight to the full Overview and Summary of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report for Educational Leaders, and/or Top Ten Actions that Educational leaders can take to respond to the IPCC report.
Teachers and Students: While this page and the above documents are intended specifically for educational leaders, tools that can be used by teachers and students is the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Overview and Summary and the COP26 Educator Toolkit (put together by the COP26 U.S. Education Delegation). It is highly recommended that use of this resources in the classroom or with youth groups be paired with Trauma Informed Practices, for example Nature Connection Time Activities.
The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Offers A Teachable Moment
The IPCC Report is undisputed by all 195 countries in the United Nations, and by the scientific community
In early August 2021, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the first installment of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), also known as the “Physical Science Basis” (or Working Group I). The key findings are stark:
First, global warming is unequivocally (100% certain) caused by humans
Second, the impacts of the Climate Crisis are already here, and are disproportionately impacting low-income, black, indigenous, and communities of color
Third, temperatures have already increased by 1.09°C since 1880, and will continue to the 1.5°C mark in the next twenty years due to emissions from past decades
Despite the serious implications of these findings, the K-12 education sector has a great opportunity to be a part of the most important teachable moment humanity has ever experienced: surviving and thriving in the climate era.
When taken all together, the teachable moment from these first key findings is about recognizing that humans cannot escape the circular cause and effect laws of nature. However, there is one more critical key finding: If humans act urgently, temperatures could peak at that 1.5°C mark and then decline, helping to stabilize the planet and life on it. The teachable moment from this last point, is that every country, every sector, and every human - must take part in a transformational paradigm shift towards an environmentally sustainable and socially just existence. And those who are currently in decision making roles, or hold power in economic, social, cultural, political, and educational systems have the core responsibility to take action now.
An Effective Paradigm Shift Requires All Hands on Deck!
Effective paradigm shifts require engaging all different levers for change, including policy, behavior, and mindset. The K-12 education sector has a hand in all three of those levers of change, with the highest amount of leverage on cultural mindset shifts. David Orr, Professor of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College paints a clear picture of the obligation that schools have to mitigate this crisis: “The planetary emergency unfolding around us is, first and foremost a crisis of thought, values, perception, ideas and judgment. In other words, it is a crisis of mind, which makes it a crisis of those institutions which purport to improve minds.”
In the past few decades, educational leaders have risen to many challenges. For example, initiatives at the federal, state, and local level seek to address the significant inequalities we face in the K-12 education system in regards to academic outcomes, Additionally, leaders have begun to address the epidemic of trauma in schools, transforming schools into "trauma-informed" environments. Most recently educational leaders have responded to the COVID-19 crisis, which has been a complete overhaul of every aspect of daily life for school communities. The IPCC report calls on educational leaders to now do the same for the climate crisis in order to protect those most vulnerable to climate impacts, our children and youth.
Similar to COVID-19, in order to protect and nurture children and youth during the climate crisis, conventional K-12 schooling needs to be reimagined in order to prevent learning loss and manage risk. Mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis is a core responsibility of school leaders, and communities must put a plan in place that reimagines every single aspect of schools through a lens of sustainability and climate resiliency from campus facilities and operations, to curriculum, to community engagement and overall school culture.
What Educational Leaders Can do to Get Started
It is so important that educational leaders see themselves as part of the climate leadership landscape, so that we can build a base of educational leaders who can speak more fluently about the climate crisis, and take actionable steps to help their school communities both mitigate and adapt in the climate era. Utilize the resources below to get started:
1) Check out the full IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Summary and Overview for Educational Leaders, and consider the following reflection question: What am I doing to support my school community to respond to the key findings in this report?
2) Then check out the Top Ten Actions that Educational leaders can take right now, begin implementing one or more in your school community. The list (also embedded in the previous document) ranges from simple to complex, and is organized according to the Framework for Whole-School Sustainable and Climate Resiliency.
3) Stay tuned in to news around how the climate crisis is impacting education, and how different policy makers and thought leaders are making recommendations for how to take action. Great resources that serve as a starting point are:
Hechinger Report: Climate Change is Sabotaging Education for America's Students, and it's Only Going to Get Worse, and nine-part series: Climate Change: Are We Ready?
U.S. Department of Education's Climate Adaptation Plan - This plan, released September 2021, demonstrates how the federal government has elevated the prioritization of preparing schools to be climate ready.
Aspen Institute's K12 Climate Action Plan: This plan, released September 2021, outlines the needs and opportunities for the education sector to take action on climate change.
4) Broadcast the message to other Educational Leaders - here are some additional tools for raising awareness:
EdSurge Blog - Aug 26, 2021: Climate Change is the Ultimate Teachable Moment
Green Schools National Network - Sep 2, 2021: Sixth IPCC Report Offers National Leaders an Opportunity to Lead Humanities Most Important Teachable Moment
5) Explore Five Scenarios: Secondary and Post-Secondary Teachers should explore the IPCC AR6 Five Scenarios with Students, and complete a suggested solutionary activity. Consider how to help students in your community elevate their concerns and participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP 26) taking place on Nov 1-12: Learn More and Participate in the Action Climate Empowerment Delegation.
Disclaimer: The content, views, information, or opinions expressed on this site and in these resources are solely those of the individuals involved in developing the resources. They do not necessarily represent the current or past employers of those individuals.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse