The Case for Teaching Environmental Justice in Schools

Kimi Waite, Word in Black

Students need to know how pollution and racism collide in their communities — and what they can do about it.

Children are the future, and that means solutions to global climate change must start in public schools. More specifically, as a longtime public school educator, a professor, and an author of two books on teaching climate change and environmental justice, I believe we need to instill a passion for, and a sense of urgency about, environmental justice.

As the Trump Administration continues its anti-DEI agenda, environmental rollbacks, and attacks on science, teaching environmental justice will equip students with the necessary tools to resist and push back against the root causes of the climate crisis. Teaching environmental justice is needed so students can reclaim erased narratives, collect their own counterdata, and take action in their communities. 

New York’s New Standards Show What’s Possible

New York’s Board of Regents, which oversees the New York State Education Department, recently moved to adopt instructional requirements in climate change for all K-12 public school students. The new requirements will mandate instruction on the causes and impacts of climate change, as well as solutions.

School districts will have flexibility in how this is done, and climate change instruction can be woven into existing subject areas, such as art, social studies, math, science, or physical education, or taught as a standalone class. This instruction should also emphasize environmental justice. 

You Can’t Teach Climate Without Teaching Justice

Climate change disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, which means you can’t teach about the climate crisis without also teaching about justice and equity. This means that climate change instruction needs to be taught across all subject areas so students can understand the root causes of the climate crisis, such as systemic racism. Teaching students to be data detectives can help them understand these root causes. 

Word in Black has more.

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