IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 262 

Supporting the teaching of climate change in schools. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 28, 2023 

Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mr. FROST, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. NADLER, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. SCHRIER, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. TONKO, and Ms. WILLIAMS of 

Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the teaching of climate change in schools. 

Whereas, to respond meaningfully to our rapidly changing climate, youth must be educated about the causes, ongoing 

effects, and current and potential solutions for the changing climate; 

Whereas confronting the challenges of a changing climate requires bipartisan effort focused on educating and empowering future generations; 

Whereas the impacts of climate-related disasters threaten the 

physical and mental safety of students by keeping them 

out of school, damaging infrastructure, and exacerbating 

Adverse Childhood Experiences; 


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•HRES 262 IH 

Whereas, in 2021, the National Association of School Psychologists passed a resolution declaring that climate 

change negatively impacts the mental health of youth and 

asserting that climate education is a key factor in supporting student agency, self-efficacy, and resilience; 

Whereas climate change disproportionately affects the fundamental rights of children to a climate system capable of 

sustaining human life, and which is preservative of fundamental rights, including the rights to life, liberty, property, and education; 

Whereas failing to provide climate education to all students 

in our Nation worsens an existing education gap and limits career opportunities, exacerbating the impact of environmental pollution, redlining, and sacrifice zones; 

Whereas K–12 climate education has widespread support, 

and according to a recent National Public Radio survey, 

84 percent of parents with children under 18 years of age 

and 86 percent of teachers in the United States support 

climate education; 

Whereas, according to a 2021 national Yale Climate Communications survey, teaching about global warming is 1 of 

3 most supported climate policy solutions, with 77 percent of respondents in support; 

Whereas research suggests that implementing climate education at a national scale can reduce emissions at the 

same magnitude as solar panels and electric vehicles; 

Whereas investments in high school vocational trade and job 

training programs are critical in preparing the next generation to quickly engage in the estimated 9,000,000 renewable energy, clean infrastructure, and environmental 

restoration jobs by 2032; 


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•HRES 262 IH 

Whereas, according to the Department of Energy 2022 Employment Report Fact Sheet, ‘‘renewable energy added 

the most new jobs in the electricity generation sector 

from 2020 to 2021’’; 

Whereas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 of 

the 3 fastest growing jobs are in the renewable energy 

sector, and these job openings are outpacing the number 

of workers qualified to fill them; and 

Whereas, in order to deploy climate solutions at the necessary 

pace according to the best available science, the United 

States must engage the education sector at the local educational agency, State, and Federal levels: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the integration, funding, and im3 plementation of interdisciplinary, solution-based cli4 mate education curriculum into K–12 schools in the 

5 States, the District of Columbia, indigenous commu6 nities, and territories and possessions of the United 

7 States; 

8 (2) encourages the Department of Education to 

9 work alongside States and local educational agencies 

10 to define and implement comprehensive and inter11 disciplinary climate education standards, according 

12 to the best available science; 

13 (3) calls on the Department of Education to 

14 support research that measures the impacts of cli15 mate education on student behavior; 


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•HRES 262 IH 

1 (4) affirms that climate education should be 

2 compatible with various learning styles in order to 

3 provide equitable access to all students; 

4 (5) encourages local and regional school boards 

5 to implement place-based, solution-oriented, and de6 velopmentally appropriate climate education in all 

7 grade levels and multiple subject areas; 

8 (6) encourages those who develop climate edu9 cation curricula to address climate-induced trauma, 

10 acknowledging the growing impact of climate change 

11 on youths’ mental health; 

12 (7) commits to taking immediate action to ad13 vance climate education in the United States by pro14 viding funding and support for teacher education, 

15 professional development, and the creation of best 

16 practices for national climate education curricula 

17 and teaching standards; 

18 (8) encourages the incorporation of climate 

19 change education as a critical component of the Na20 tional Climate Action Plan as a quantifiable means 

21 of emissions reduction and as an essential leverage 

22 point for scaling climate solutions and promoting re23 silience in local communities; 

24 (9) calls for the formation of an Office of Cli25 mate Literacy and Career Development and a CliVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:47 Mar 29, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR262.IH HR262

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•HRES 262 IH 

1 mate Education Task Force in the Department of 

2 Education in order to support local educational 

3 agencies in implementing climate education and cre4 ating vocational programs to educate and prepare 

5 students for renewable energy, transportation, and 

6 regenerative agricultural careers; 

7 (10) supports the efforts of States and school 

8 boards to require climate education in curricular 

9 guidelines and affirms the rights of parents to advo10 cate for the well-being of their children and the plan11 et; and 

12 (11) encourages policymakers, States, local edu13 cational agencies, and schools to work with students, 

14 teachers, and climate scientists when developing and 

15 implementing climate education programs to reflect 

16 the voices of young people and educators. 

Æ 


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