Missouri schools play crucial role in climate change mitigation.
by Dr. Brittany Whitley, Ph.D., Missouri LSEN Staff
Climate change and extreme weather significantly impact communities and businesses across Missouri. Approaches to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change typically center around energy and technology solutions, including reducing emissions (e.g., moving toward clean and renewable energies) and improving food, water and land management.
While the importances of these strategies is undeniable, climate policy discussions frequently exclude (or at least gloss over) the role of our educational system in responding to climate change.
Each year, around 900,000 students are educated in Missouri’s public preschools, elementary, middle, and high schools; more than 200,000 attend public two- and four-year colleges and universities in Missouri. In addition to teaching science and equipping students with the necessary skills to fill “green” jobs, our schools depend on sustainable food, energy, and transportation solutions to continue to provide their students with a safe and healthy learning environment.
Contributing to, affected by climate change.
Public schools consume significant amounts of energy for electricity, ventilation, heating, and cooling. In fact, energy costs are typically one of the largest expenditures by public schools, second only to salaries. In some cases, schools have shortened days or taken days off to mitigate high energy costs.
School buildings in low-income communities tend to be older and less energy efficient than those in higher income areas. This increases overall costs and can make it more difficult for students to learn in these environments (e.g., poor air quality, uncomfortable temperatures). According to the US Department of Energy, improving energy efficiency in school buildings can significantly reduce energy costs while providing a better environment for students to learn in.
Many students also rely on transportation to and from school on buses that primarily run on diesel fuel. The EPA offers several incentives to modernize school bus fleets to reduce emissions, including grants to replace or retrofit old buses with high emissions.
Finally, procuring school meals- which can be a major source of nutrition for students dependent on free and reduced price lunch — and the associated food waste can have high environmental costs. Local options tend to be more expensive and difficult to access, especially when local agriculture is disrupted by severe weather events.
Equitable learning benefits.
Science standards in most states, including Missouri, include understanding climate and the role of human activity in climate change. In addition to teaching the specific concepts related to climate change, STEM programs can equip students with critical thinking and creative problem solving skills that can allow them to better apply science to a range of societal and environmental problems.
Unfortunately, Missouri schools have a shortage of high school STEM teachers. One approach to increase the teaching workforce and increase subject expertise in these areas is to bring in new teachers through an alternative certification pathway called the visiting scholars program. Nonprofits and community organizations can also organize after school STEM experiences to supplement in-school learning.
Taking steps toward “green skills.”
Career development programs from elementary school through college can equip the future and current workforce with “green skills.”
Workforce development remains a central priority in Missouri. Career/workforce readiness begins during early education and continues until a student enters the job market. Internships and other real world learning opportunities (e.g., through Kauffman Foundation partners) allow students to gain work experience while developing “market value assets” that can increase job placement and college enrollment.
Additionally, Missouri recently passed legislation that would require the state to create statewide standards for the career and technical education certificate to better match educational resources with current workforce needs. In addition to filling jobs currently available, this can also ensure that students are prepared for a changing workforce (e.g., improving solar infrastructure, sustainable architecture and engineering).
