The impacts of climate change are happening now, and many students are concerned about what the future will hold. Climate change threatens to disrupt learning, cause physical and emotional harm to young people and their families, and widen inequities in schools.

With playgrounds that reach 150 degrees and “heat days” that force schools to close, it’s no surprise that 75% of teens have moderate to extreme climate anxiety. Young people have the right to thrive on a healthy planet, and adults have a responsibility to preserve this right. Explore how school systems are essential to advancing generational justice and enabling future generations to thrive in a changing climate.

In 2021, over a million K-12 students missed school because of extreme weather events—and yet their schools are largely silent on the realities of climate change. This can change if we activate the next generation of climate leaders while we transform their schools with electric buses, renewable energy, and sustainable lunchrooms.

The results of a new survey from the Aspen Institute suggest that concerns for children could unify and inspire more Americans to confront the climate crisis. But for many parents and caregivers, talking about climate change with children — especially if they themselves are anxious about it — is a challenge. We’ll offer strategies for how adults can be thinking and talking about climate.

The Education Sector Can Drive Impact — with Innovation, Urgency, and Leadership. "Education Leaders Driving Climate Action" is part of the convening called Education and Climate Action, held at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on October 27, 2022.

“Everybody will have a role to play in making a difference,” said Laura Schifter, senior fellow at the Aspen Institute. But much of what’s needed – resources, time, capacity – are already in short supply in schools. To help address those barriers, The Aspen Institute created an action plan for K-12 schools that examines the policy changes and resources schools need, and the actions they can take to address what’s to come.

New Jersey’s Chatham High School is helping students find a solution to climate change incorporating it across all their classes. The new state-mandated curriculum aims to prepare the future generation to be a part of the solution and make a difference. NBC’s Anne Thompson reports in this week’s Sunday Spotlight.

In the first month of the 2021-2022 school year, wildfires, hot days, and flooding disrupted school for over 1 million students, and yet the education sector has largely stayed on the sidelines of the climate fight. This session explores the opportunity for policymakers, school leaders, philanthropy and more to catalyze action and help the sector advance climate solutions.