Action/Justice and Sinks/Solutions Continuum
We need to unhinge our curriculum so that environmental justice, the right to a livable planet, and earth science coexist on a continuum in how educators, municipalities, and non-profits respond. Recently, a common refrain from scientists studying climate change is that the battle is political and has to be fought on the streets and in the halls of our legislators.
James Hansen, one of the early climate scientists who sounded the global warming alarm, wrote in an OpEd in the Boston Globe in 2018, “Young people and old people must understand the implications of the accompanying graph. The fight to phase down fossil fuel emissions is not yet being won. We all must understand needed energy policies and fight for the future of our young people. We must use all the levers of our democracy to force the fossil fuel industry to become a clean energy industry.”
Being climate literate means being conversant with all facets of the earth’s perilous trajectory as well as all actions and solutions that must be brought to bear to adapt to, mitigate and reverse this trajectory. TEA, including our partners, provides networking and training across this continuum. In our illustration of this continuum we feature a small number of many incredible organizations out their doing research, providing really useful education and taking action. We tend to also encourage institutions we work with to align their actions with local organizations that directly impact their community.
Sources and Sinks
In understanding the carbon cycle, which is now dramatically out of balance, it is important for our students to know the sources of Greenhouse Gases GHGs. This simple graph from Project Drawdown illustrates the sources by sector and how they match up to the sinks. This page on the EPAs website breaks down the GHG sources by economic sector and goes into greater detail of the activities in each sector which produce emissions. This fun lesson for students helps them identify sources and sinks.
Solutions 101
TEA is grateful to so many stellar organizations out there for putting out well curated and usable research. One of these organizations is Project Drawdown, which has identified the top solutions for mitigating climate change--solutions that range from enhancing sinks, mostly natural, to transitioning away from fossil fuel GHG sources to activities and behavior changes that would directly lead to Drawdown.
Action
Climate literacy means being able to identify, lift up and engage climate action. Climate action takes many forms, from implementing the solutions above to cutting school on Friday and going on the streets to raise awareness. Teach Earth Action features and invites a broad range of actions, including how the teaching and learning, the clubs, the institutional initiatives can align with these actions. A few of the areas of action include, but are not limited to:
Divesting in Fossil Fuels as exemplified by organizations like Gofossilfree.org and fossilfreefunds.org. These are two of many organizations, including many institutions of higher education that have divested from fossil fuels.
Movements organized by young people to take action for a livable planet in their futures. TEA feels that it is important to feature and open connections for our students to the many young climate activists around the world, such as Sunrise Movement and Fridays for Future.
Policy and Legal action are powerful avenues for change in our society. Many of our students are not privy to these opportunities, they have yet to be exposed or empowered in these arenas.
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) uses their scientific platform to pressure lawmakers and make public the reality of climate change, as illustrated in their open letter to the Biden administration. Earth Justice represents communities and organizations pro bono, fighting for the environment through the courts.
Justice
Climate justice is the integration of environmental justice and climate change. We cannot effectively or morally address this crisis without involving all communities and particularly those communities who are most impacted by and most vulnerable to environmental hazards. Climate Justice Alliance works on many fronts including how to approach a Just Transition to Net Zero. California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) is a coalition of grassroots environmental justice organizations; they are a good model for focusing climate justice action in the community, on the frontlines and fencelines. The NAACP takes action on environmental justice, and provides resources for citizens and teachers alike, such as in this resource guide.
Indigenous perspectives on climate and environment have long been practiced across the United States. Now that we are in a deep crisis, more non-native people are seeking out indigenous ways of interacting with the earth. Climate literacy must include and be guided by indigenous perspectives and practices on the earth. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) provides a deep resource for interacting with the earth in sustainable ways. The term itself is debated, particularly the notion that it is “knowledge” that can be transmuted into Western approaches. Many native communities, like the Hawai’i Conservation Alliance provide resources and practices, including educational materials.
http://www.nativeamericanscience.org/home
https://www.ienearth.org/about/