I believe that climate and environmental teaching is a vital part of a child’s education. But our education system is not giving students a real understanding of the climate emergency or environmental issues.  Learning about the climate and biodiversity crises is restricted to the optional geography GCSE or is, briefly, touched on science classes.  It’s not surprising that most students leave school with a limited knowledge of the climate emergency but wanting to know more.

Two thirds of them say they want to learn more about the environment, but most teachers feel they don’t have sufficient training to teach them about it.

Which is why a campaign like Teach the Future could not come soon enough.

Teach the Future is a youth-led campaign to repurpose the entire education system around the climate emergency and ecological crisis.

As one of the students involved says: “We need education reform to teach young people about the urgency, the severity and the scientific basis of the climate crisis”.

The campaign is asking for a government-led review into how education about the climate emergency should develop, from early years schooling to adult education.  It wants the issue to be taught across the curriculum, not just in geography and science lessons.

It is also calling for climate education to be part of teacher training as 75% of teachers say they haven’t received the right training to teach environmental issues, and for all state-funded educational buildings be net zero by 2030.

The Teach the Future students brought their campaign to Parliament this week with an event for MPs, explaining why this is so important.  They have my full support.