The Stone Soup Leadership Institute Announces its 2023 Progress Report on The State of Climate Education in U.S., Europe & South Asia

BOSTON, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The next generation deserves quality climate educational tools and programming to prepare them for the future – to offset the impacts of the climate crisis. We must follow the pathways set by our global leaders and act with the urgency of now to affect change.

Progress Report: Climate Education in the U.S. 

• New Jersey and Connecticut are the first states to legislate a mandate requiring schools to teach climate education. 
• Hawaii passed legislation in 2013 requiring schools to offer courses in sustainability to all public-school students.
• Arizona, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington are pursuing legislation. 
• The National Center for Science Education rated 20 states a C+ or lower with Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia—receiving an F. report 

Progress Report: Climate Education Leaders in Europe and Asia

Today, Portugal has the best track record in Europe with other leaders: Spain, Finland, Greece and South Asia.

PORTUGAL: Portugal's Political Constitution includes a provision (Article 66) that ensures the right to a healthy environment and ecologically balanced human lives.¹ Educational initiatives include:

• The Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050.²
• The National Strategy for Citizenship Education (2017).³
• The Framework of Environmental Education for Sustainability (2018).⁴
• The National Environmental Education Strategy (2020).⁵

SPAIN: The Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO) is implementing a national climate change curriculum in public primary and secondary school. Spain's role as the host of COP25 prompted the creation of additional public climate change education programs, including PAEAS.

FINLAND: Finnish Upper Secondary teachers facilitate planning and integration of climate change education into their teaching practices⁶; recent curriculum document expands multidisciplinary approach of climate change education to include language studies, natural sciences, philosophy, and ethics.⁷

GREECE: Climate and Environmental Education (EE) Policy

• 83% climate change is the greatest challenge faced by humanity in the 21st century.
• 88% believe that climate change has a direct impact on their daily lives of Greeks (EU average 77%)
• 95% advocate for educational initiatives and raising awareness with children as a solution.

SOUTH ASIA: In a regional U-Report poll on South Asian countries by UNICEF, it was found:

• 65% learned about climate change in school.
• 64% do not understand climate change and are unable to explain it.⁸
• 78% reported climate change had affected their education.

What's Next?

Survey results of 36 European countries on climate education by Eramus, School Education Gateway (2020):

• The responsibility of climate education lies with schools.
• 70% respondents stated that the current school curriculum doesn't address climate education
• 66% of teachers lack of expertise or training.
• 51%: shortage of climate education resources.
• Only 29% felt climate education is already adequately covered in the school curriculum.

What's required of us?

It's time to demand more access to climate education tools and programs, and higher quality resources to serve this pressing need of our global communities that need them most. We must follow these new pathways set forth by our climate leaders and act with the urgency of NOW.

About The Institute

For 25 years The Institute has been a leader developing climate education and sustainable workforce development tools, trainings, and initiatives (Case Studies). The Institute's Stone Soup Climate Education Curriculum is based on the real-life 100 stories in the book, Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes.

Stone Soup Leadership Institute • www.stonesoupleadership.org

Contact:
Jim ONeill
(617) 299-6185
[email protected] 

SOURCE Stone Soup Leadership Institute