Many teachers fear climate change ‘too controversial’ to tackle amid calls for more climate education

ABC NEWS (Australia)

There are calls for climate change education to be embedded into traditional school subjects to help students deal with anxiety around global warming. Researchers say many teachers aren't tackling the topic, fearing community backlash.

Transcript

00:00So, what's the fire ratings, Penelope?

00:05Harkaway Primary School's Bushfire Committee is busy preparing evacuation kits for summer.

00:10A firebox is something that we'd use if the fire danger ratings are either high or there

00:17is a fire near you.

00:18This small school in Melbourne's outer suburban fringe has a strong focus on the local environment.

00:25Senior students teach younger children about marine ecology.

00:28It is a sponge, it's called a sea sponge.

00:33They also learn about native wildlife and monitor the health of nearby creeks.

00:39Principal Lee Johnson wants his students to become experts in sustainability.

00:43We want our kids to have amazing ideas about things they can do to help their environment,

00:48to help the future of the planet, to gain that understanding, but then to do stuff with

00:53that that actually makes them excited and hopeful about their future.

00:58But not every school has the same approach.

01:00Updates to the National Curriculum in 2022 put a greater emphasis on teaching climate

01:06change in Australian schools, but researchers say many teachers are afraid to incorporate

01:11it into their classes, deeming it too controversial.

01:14We've had principals in our research say, for example, our climate change is too hard,

01:19our community is not ready for that.

01:22Some teachers just refuse to do it.

01:24There are opportunities in our curriculum to explore climate change, but those opportunities

01:29are not necessarily mandated and they're not necessarily well resourced.

01:33Do you reckon you can work with the others to save the planet?

01:36Lee Johnson believes climate change education is vital in combating eco-anxiety.

01:42There's a lot of competing ideas about what schools are for, but if we can consolidate

01:46that into the idea that schools give children agency, then I think the future's in good

01:50hands.

01:51I just think that kids have a right to learn about this stuff.

01:55Empowering children to navigate a changing world.

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