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. BLU-
MENAUER, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. DAVIS of Illi-
nois, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. NADLER, Mr. PA-
NETTA, 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 cli-
mate, youth must be educated about the causes, ongoing 
effects, and current and potential solutions for the chang-
ing climate; 
Whereas confronting the challenges of a changing climate re-
quires bipartisan effort focused on educating and empow-
ering 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 Psy-
chologists passed a resolution declaring that climate 
change negatively impacts the mental health of youth and 
asserting that climate education is a key factor in sup-
porting student agency, self-efficacy, and resilience; 
Whereas climate change disproportionately affects the funda-
mental rights of children to a climate system capable of 
sustaining human life, and which is preservative of fun-
damental rights, including the rights to life, liberty, prop-
erty, and education; 
Whereas failing to provide climate education to all students 
in our Nation worsens an existing education gap and lim-
its career opportunities, exacerbating the impact of envi-
ronmental 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 Commu-
nications survey, teaching about global warming is 1 of 
3 most supported climate policy solutions, with 77 per-
cent of respondents in support; 
Whereas research suggests that implementing climate edu-
cation 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 gen-
eration to quickly engage in the estimated 9,000,000 re-
newable energy, clean infrastructure, and environmental 
restoration jobs by 2032; 
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•HRES 262 IH 
Whereas, according to the Department of Energy 2022 Em-
ployment 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 edu-
cational agency, State, and Federal levels: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the integration, funding, and im-
plementation of interdisciplinary, solution-based cli-
mate education curriculum into K–12 schools in the 
States, the District of Columbia, indigenous commu-
nities, 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 inter-
disciplinary climate education standards, according 
to the best available science; 
(3) calls on the Department of Education to 
support research that measures the impacts of cli-
mate education on student behavior; 
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•HRES 262 IH 
(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 de-
velopmentally appropriate climate education in all 
grade levels and multiple subject areas; 
(6) encourages those who develop climate edu-
cation curricula to address climate-induced trauma, 
acknowledging the growing impact of climate change 
on youths’ mental health; 
(7) commits to taking immediate action to ad-
vance climate education in the United States by pro-
viding 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 Na-
tional Climate Action Plan as a quantifiable means 
of emissions reduction and as an essential leverage 
point for scaling climate solutions and promoting re-
silience in local communities; 
(9) calls for the formation of an Office of Cli-
mate Literacy and Career Development and a Cli-
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•HRES 262 IH 
mate Education Task Force in the Department of 
Education in order to support local educational 
agencies in implementing climate education and cre-
ating 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 advo-
cate for the well-being of their children and the plan-
et; and 
(11) encourages policymakers, States, local edu-
cational 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. 
Æ 
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