There has been much fuss recently about the 'removal' of climate change from the English national curriculum, and the evils that will result. I have already touched on this in respect of geography teaching, and feel likely [Add heavy heart sound effect about here] to do so again. Some commentators, losing what sense they ever had, have called for Climate Change Education (I blame UNESCO), naively thinking that a syllabus of sorts could sensibly be dreamed up and somehow effectively taught. Hardly. Anyway, climate change is a symptom of a wider problem – that of how humans are living on the Earth. It's this we need to consider with young people, not just climate change.
I've been reminded by all this of the UNESCO UK report in 2010 which said:
There was concern that this strong focus on climate change obscured the broader focus of both sustainability and ESD. Resisting the reification of something such as climate change education that might rival ESD, was seen as important, as was seeking to ensure that where climate change was a legitimate learning focus, within formal programmes of study, for example, its purpose was to help learners gain plural perspectives on the scientific and other issues, appreciate their possible implications, and think about what their own intellectual and practical responses might be.
Of course, if we are to take recent surveys seriously, there is no need for any of this. A 2011 Defra poll showed that 44% of respondents said that they understood climate change "a lot" or "a fair amount", so all most youngsters have to do is to ask two passing random average adults: much easier than asking about sex and drugs (or rock 'n' roll), I'd say. Personally, I couldn't take these numbers seriously. "Risible" was my politest word. But that's self-report for you: the deluded trying to convince the gullible.
Anyone who thinks that there is widespread understanding of climate change at any depth, or thinks that it can easily be taught in schools, might well read the science & technology section of last week's Economist [ A sensitive matter ]. Before doing do, they should ask themselves questions like these:
- What do I understand by climate sensitivity?
- What range of values are currently suggested for climate sensitivity?
- Why is there such a range?
- What are the implications of this in terms of policy and action?
Until you have answers to these questions, some care advocating climate change education would seem a good idea.
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