Climate Change Education: A Call to Action

By Esther Gray Vice Principal at The Ferrers School 

In July 2023, I began the Climate Wise Schools leadership programme with CAPE which was unlike any other CPD I had experienced before. It was a pilot designed for school leaders looking to implement climate change education (CCE) in their school settings. I joined with some anxiety as a complete novice in the discipline of CCE. As neither a geographer nor science teacher by trade, I went in knowing that my starting point was likely to be significantly behind some of the other delegates. I had no idea at that point that the course would totally transform my outlook.

The first face-to-face session in July was an eye-opener. With the help of Dr Emma Fieldhouse from Future We Want, we began learning about the science of climate change and working towards carbon literacy accreditation. We looked at some terrifying facts about greenhouse gases, global warming and the carbon footprint of various everyday household items. We bravely compared our own carbon footprints and, bit by bit, I began to feel the enormity of the climate emergency we are facing. 

It was a relief, then, to hear about the concept of eco-anxiety and learn that fear and trepidation are normal reactions to the distressing realities of climate change. An inspirational video from Dr Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise, as part of the asynchronous learning materials, also helped me to understand the impact this can have on young people and their mental health. As a parent, I was left asking myself about the kind of world my young children will be growing up in; as an educator, I felt the enormous weight of getting this right and being a lone voice in my school setting. We were then introduced to the concept of constructive hope which involves not only the belief in a better future, but also a desire to actively engage in creating that version of the future. It was at this point I understood the importance of climate action; understanding on its own is simply not enough when the stakes are so high.

Although I felt quite overwhelmed by my initial response to this existential crisis, I was made to feel welcome and amongst friends from the start. Course leaders, Heena Dave and Professor Leigh Hoath, created a sense of psychological safety from day one. Through a process of collective sensemaking, we felt comfortable to explore misconceptions and ask difficult questions. All participants came to the programme with different starting points, and our individual contexts were privileged throughout. As an English teacher, I poured over the glossary, retreating to my place of safety by savouring words and their meanings. Some were familiar – like carbon emissions and climate resilience - but I had never really thought about these concepts with enough time or care to really understand their significance. The words really mattered to me throughout the course and made me feel by the end that I could articulate a vision for action.

Taking part in the pilot impacted my personal life as much as my professional. Now I am a climate-conscious person, I am running my household and lifestyle differently and constantly looking for ways to reduce my carbon footprint. I have switched my energy to a green tariff; I am buying cosmetics that are more sustainable and kinder to the planet; I am wasting less food and growing my own salad and vegetables in the garden. I am doing this because I feel passionately about the power of education to change lives and want to be a role model for students I teach and influence. In their study, Laing et al. (2022) stressed that teachers and leaders should be conscious of their responsibilities as role models and their ability to influence students’ pro-environmental behaviours. In schools, we need to show we care for the planet through our actions not our words; we need to live and breathe these experiences before asking young people to do the same. 

Though some people think individual actions can seem futile given the magnitude of the task, I believe that education has its part to play. Children and young people will need to live their lives differently and that begins with education. I feel hopeful because the next generation will help to design solutions for the future; those engineers and scientists are pupils in our schools right now, needing the guidance and support to realise the power and agency they will hold. There is a moral imperative to provide this support and guidance; to educate young people about green careers and healthier lifestyles that are all possible in this better version of the future.

The Climate Wise Schools leadership programme took me on a profound learning journey. After covering the foundations of climate literacy and becoming officially carbon literate, we covered modules on implementation, curriculum and assessment, learning beyond the classroom and citizen science. We learned about the importance of partnerships as well as being aware of greenwashing and the importance of developing criticality without being cynical. As a result, I have the skills, as well as access to an evidence base, to take my next steps as a leader in a school and within a wider organisation. It was a steep learning curve in a six-month period, but I am ready to find my place and commit to climate action in both my personal and professional life.

I recognise that I cannot do this work on my own. My early steps are about engaging with people who have pre-requisite knowledge and an interest in climate change education: the geography teachers, the science leads, the estates management teams who have to publish their carbon emission reduction through the SECR. Tapping into the motivation of these champions of climate change is vital. Wickenberg (2013) calls these people souls of fire but Grissom et al. (2022) stress that these people cannot implement Climate Change Education on their own; they need the support of senior school and trust leaders who recognise CCE as a strategic priority. 

Staff training is crucial. I know that without the knowledge and training I have been gifted on this course, I would not have been easy to convince as a school leader either. I would have said that there were more pressing needs, more urgent demands, but what can be more important than the climate emergency? As Cathie Paine, CEO of REAch2 Academy Trust said “we all have a role in tackling the single most important issue facing humanity”. 

Knowing how stubborn I would have been six months ago, I recognise the importance of the ‘slow burn’ and building a team of people over time – a team of ambassadors and leaders in schools who will come together and start to mobilise the work that is so desperately needed. While I am trepidatious that the first move we make could be the wrong one, I now understand that making a start is important. The work we covered on implementation has helped me understand the power of building networks, having conversations and exploring the evidence-base. All this invisible work is building the foundations for my next steps.

I am quietly getting on with this work in the ‘explore’ and ‘prepare’ stages of implementation. I couldn’t have got to this point without tapping into the knowledge and expertise of my CAPE coach and CFO at HEART Academies Trust, Paul Edmond. He helped me put my plan together and understand how to mobilise others through collaborative partnerships. I have also been supported by my leadership coach, Shonogh Pilgrim, CEO of Whole Education, who has encouraged me to find my voice and anchor myself to what really matters. Through being coached, I have come to better understand the notion of positive deviance – uncommon behaviour that is norm-defying yet socially desirable - and that is what it feels like leading CCE at times. I have been prodding and pushing, sometimes provoking, but it is all part of the design of my work. 

Leading CCE is never going to be easy but Brene Brown reminds us that we must be bold and embrace “the messy middle” where “all the tension creates goodness and learning”. In schools, we can do this through collaborating with brilliant organisations like CAPE, Earthwatch, Learning Through Landscapes and The Royal Horticultural Society. They have the expertise and connections to support schools in getting things moving, one step at a time. 

In terms of my professional learning, I have never come across anything that matters as much before. Gilford and Nilsson (2014) said that “although the environment is the cornerstone of human existence, many people do not exhibit either the awareness of the behaviours to protect it”. Schools are in a unique position to address this gap in both knowledge and behaviours, so what are we waiting for? 

You can download the CAPE’s 2024 report here: Implementing Climate Change Education in Schools: Constrictive Hope in Action

References

Brown, B. Rising Strong. (2015) Vermilion. 

Gifford, R., Nilsson, A. (2014) Personal and social factors that Influence pro-environmental concern and behaviours; a review. Int. J. Psychol. 49, 147 – 157.

Grissom, J., Egalite, A. and Lindsay, C. (2021). How Principals Affect Students and

Schools A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research Commissioned by the

Wallace Foundation [online] Available at:

https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/How-Principa

ls-Affect-Students-and-Schools.pdf.

Laing, M., Chen, Q. and Zhou, Y. (2022). The Influence of Various Role Models on Children’s Pro-environmental Behaviours. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873078.

Wickenberg, P. 2013. “‘Souls of Fire’, Change Agents and Social Norms.” In Social

and Legal Norms: Towards a Socio-Legal Understanding of Normativity, edited by M.

Baier, 209–230. Abingdon: Routledge.