Supporting the teaching of climate change in schools.

Subjects: Education


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 262 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






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;
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;
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
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the integration, funding, and implementation 
        of interdisciplinary, solution-based climate education 
        curriculum into K-12 schools in the States, the District of 
        Columbia, indigenous communities, and territories and 
        possessions of the United States;
            (2) encourages the Department of Education to work 
        alongside States and local educational agencies to define and 
        implement comprehensive and interdisciplinary climate education 
        standards, according to the best available science;
            (3) calls on the Department of Education to support 
        research that measures the impacts of climate education on 
        student behavior;
            (4) affirms that climate education should be compatible 
        with various learning styles in order to provide equitable 
        access to all students;
            (5) encourages local and regional school boards to 
        implement place-based, solution-oriented, and developmentally 
        appropriate climate education in all grade levels and multiple 
        subject areas;
            (6) encourages those who develop climate education 
        curricula to address climate-induced trauma, acknowledging the 
        growing impact of climate change on youths' mental health;
            (7) commits to taking immediate action to advance climate 
        education in the United States by providing funding and support 
        for teacher education, professional development, and the 
        creation of best practices for national climate education 
        curricula and teaching standards;
            (8) encourages the incorporation of climate change 
        education as a critical component of the National Climate 
        Action Plan as a quantifiable means of emissions reduction and 
        as an essential leverage point for scaling climate solutions 
        and promoting resilience in local communities;
            (9) calls for the formation of an Office of Climate 
        Literacy and Career Development and a Climate Education Task 
        Force in the Department of Education in order to support local 
        educational agencies in implementing climate education and 
        creating vocational programs to educate and prepare students 
        for renewable energy, transportation, and regenerative 
        agricultural careers;
            (10) supports the efforts of States and school boards to 
        require climate education in curricular guidelines and affirms 
        the rights of parents to advocate for the well-being of their 
        children and the planet; and
            (11) encourages policymakers, States, local educational 
        agencies, and schools to work with students, teachers, and 
        climate scientists when developing and implementing climate 
        education programs to reflect the voices of young people and 
        educators.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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