Introduction
NAHT are deeply concerned at climate crisis and the impact that it is having on pupils, education workers and communities across the world. Governments must use COP28 to prioritise their actions before it is too late, the future of our children and young people is at stake. It is vital that decisive and substantial collective international actions are taken as a matter of urgency.
The implementation of the goal of COP28 President Designate is vital; countries must collectively accelerate “a transition that puts our economies on the path toward a new low-carbon, high-growth, sustainable economic model in a way that is both transformational and just.”
Below we have a list of concerns and corresponding recommended actions that we will work with the TUC COP28 delegation to urge governments to collectively implement.
Concerns:
Extreme climate events are disrupting the education of nearly 40 million children a year worldwide. Climate change exacerbates long-standing inequities, students in disadvantaged communities disproportionately suffer the impacts of emissions, extraction and environmental degradation in limiting their access to education. With an ever deepening climate crisis affecting the world and its future, children and young people are increasingly experiencing climate related anxiety. Pupils in the UK can’t vote and the crisis is not of their making and this lack of agency can lead to a sense of desperation and helplessness.
In March 2021, the UK Government said “tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is its number one” international priority in 2021 and beyond, yet the lack of investment and sustained joined up policy on this area would lead us to believe that this is not the case.
Small increases to capital allocations given to schools to enable spending on projects to reduce energy costs appear to be a one-off, short-term increase with no current longer-term strategy in place to improve environmental sustainability.
The UK’s strategy on sustainability and climate education as committed to at COP26 has been ineffective to date. In June 2023 the National Audit Office in England published a damning report which stated that the measures undertaken by DFE will ‘not make a contribution to achieving government’s overall goals that is in proportion to the scale of emissions from the school estate unless they are rolled out on a much larger scale’.
Climate change is already having detrimental effect to education working conditions in the UK;
- Decades of state neglect of school buildings mean that education systems are now unable to develop climate resilience; classrooms not fit for purpose in extreme weather events including heatwaves, snow and flooding therefore leading to increased unscheduled school closures, schools built with RAAC are unsafe and the strain of extreme weather events increases the dangers of such buildings.
- Damage to buildings from flooding and other climate related events exposes dangers such as asbestos which put staff and pupils at increased risk.
- Diminished teaching capacity among educators due to climate change, especially in the aftermath of climate catastrophes, impacts upon workload and planning.
- Displacement of communities both within and external to the UK due to climate change is a greater risk than ever before. We are already seeing an increase in ‘climate refugees’. This rising trend is having an impact on school communities and jobs.
Action to tackle the climate crisis must be collectively prioritised by all governments at COP28
Governments must realise the integral role that pupils, school leaders and education providers play in tackling climate change and transforming of global economies and the workforce. Governments must work with schools to develop targeted strategies compliant with international obligations including commitments to deliver a ‘just transition’ for the workforce including initiatives that foster collaboration, solidarity, and collective action in the wake of climate change both nationally and internationally.
- It is vital that the pupil voice is heard, pupils must be supported to develop resilience, agency and leadership so that they can pioneer the necessary solutions to the climate crisis. Pupils must be able to access climate education that endeavours to affect change.
- Governments must undertake fully supported strategies to increase education sector building efficiencies including a shift to renewable energy sources. Resource intensive practices must be reviewed and government initiatives established to develop alternative practices. This work must not contribute to the already overwhelming workloads faced by school leaders and it requires a coordinated cross-departmental approach.
- Schools must be supported by governments to begin the process of disentangling their finances from fossil fuel companies’. Additional administration and/or funding required to ensure compliance with environmental due diligence must be provided by government. With the current funding and workload crisis, additional financial and bureaucratic responsibility cannot be placed on school leaders.
- The UK government must ensure effective strategies informed by international best practice are implemented to improve the environmental impact of school buildings and estates
- The UK government must ensure that there is a sustained increase in capital funding devolved to all schools over multiple years to be used to reduce the environmental impact of school buildings and estates and to improve energy efficiency in new and existing schools.
- The English government must ensure that all five areas of the April 2022 Department for Education sustainability and climate change strategy paper are developed, funded and supported across all schools.
- The UK government must ensure that effective sustainability and climate change strategies are developed and implemented in partnership with school leaders across Wales, Northern Ireland and the Crown Dependencies.
- Education workers must be considered in discussions on just transition, education unions must be at the table to negotiate contract and policy reforms as the sector and educators’ working lives are increasingly impacted by the climate crisis.