Climate Change is Already Disrupting Life for Students in American Public Schools (…and it is only going to get worse)
Climate change is reshaping the landscape of public education in the United States, driving negative academic outcomes for children.
In an interview earlier this year, Professor Fernando Reimers, the Ford Foundation Professor of the Practice of International Education at Harvard, emphasizes the interconnectedness of factors affecting student learning, highlighting climate change as a significant challenge.
Dr. Reimers is an advocate for equipping students with skills to thrive in the 21st century. He focuses on climate change alongside other global issues like democracy, poverty, and AI-induced job disruptions.
Dr. Reimers stresses the importance of climate literacy that informs students about scientific consensus and fosters hope and agency. He advocates for embedding climate education within a broader educational strategy that encompasses research, student education, outreach, and sustainable campus operations.
Such a philosophical approach to learning in the context of climate change underscores the…
