69传媒

School & District Management

U.N. Warns Irreversible Climate Change Is More Likely Than Ever. What Districts Can Do Now

By Mark Lieberman 鈥 November 07, 2022 4 min read
Icons on theme of climate change.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

A new report from the United Nations doesn鈥檛 mince words: If Earth continues on its current path, policies in place to stop the worst effects of climate change will fail.

School districts in the United States, large and small, should pay attention. On top of preparing K-12 students for a world where climate change effects will be omnipresent, districts annually emit tens of millions of metric tons of carbon, waste hundreds of thousands of tons of food, and operate hundreds of thousands of diesel-emitting school buses.

Scientific consensus says 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels is the maximum increase the planet can endure before catastrophic events like extreme heat and floods that displace millions from their homes become inevitable and routine. Increasingly severe storms, wildfires, and heat waves have already hit many schools, causing devastating physical damage and disrupting student learning.

If the world continues with policies as they currently stand, the temperature will increase 2.8 degrees above pre-industrial levels Celsius by 2030, says the from the United Nations Environment Programme, released Oct. 27. If policies that have been pledged but not enacted come to fruition, the increase above pre-industrial levels will be between 2.4 and 2.6 degrees Celsius.

Only a 鈥渞apid transformation of societies"鈥攕panning massive efforts to eliminate reliance on fossil fuels and strengthen electrical grids down to individual choices like purchasing renewable energy and turning off unused appliances鈥攚ill turn the tide, the report says. The globe collectively needs to eliminate 45 percent of carbon emissions in the next eight years.

鈥淲e had our chance to make incremental changes, but that time is over,鈥 Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, . The report was released to preview COP27, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which kicked off Sunday in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The United States has taken limited action on this issue. This year, President Joe Biden signed into law a $369 billion spending package designed to reduce 50 percent of the nation鈥檚 carbon emissions by 2030. New York voters will vote Tuesday on whether to approve $4.2 billion in bonds for fighting climate change, and Californians may approve raising income taxes for wealthy residents to fund electric vehicles and wildfire reduction.

But policies that have emerged in the United States and elsewhere to fight the crisis fall well short of what scientists say are the bare minimum for mitigating climate change鈥檚 most deadly effects. A , for instance, to spend $1.4 trillion over 10 years on making schools greener and more efficient appears unlikely to pass anytime soon.

No school leader can independently effect change on that scale. But experts say it鈥檚 important for them to take immediate and concrete action to raise awareness and find solutions. The climate crisis is already having consequences for student learning and well-being鈥research shows students do worse on tests when they鈥檙e hot, and that the number of annual hot days in thousands of districts has increased substantially in recent decades.

See Also

Composite image of school building and climate change protestors.
Illustration by F. Sheehan/Education Week (Images: iStock/Getty and E+)

鈥淎ll school districts should be required to have an action plan,鈥 said Greg Libecci, the energy and resource manager for the Salt Lake City district.

But most don鈥檛: Only 22 percent of school district leaders and principals who answered an EdWeek Research Center survey earlier this year said they have an emergency plan that takes climate change into account. Only 30 percent said they have a facilities plan that factors in climate change.

Libecci鈥檚 40-plus schools are in the process of a $30 million effort to retrofit fluorescent lights with LED equivalents in 37 schools; install 2,500 solar panels on six roofs; and implement controls to use dramatically less water. The district engineered through a tax-exempt lease purchase agreement, which means it will pay for these initiatives with the savings they will generate over time.

What might an action plan look like for a district that isn鈥檛 as far along? Phoebe Beierle, the senior program manager for school district sustainability at the U.S. Center for Green 69传媒, has a few ideas:

Conduct a greenhouse gas assessment. Tally up all the energy your district uses, from HVAC systems to cafeteria appliances. If you don鈥檛 know how much your school buildings emit, you won鈥檛 know the most fruitful ways to slash those emissions.

Develop a climate action plan with concrete goals. Some districts have pledged to reach 鈥渘et zero鈥 emissions by 2040 or 2050. Setting benchmarks along the way helps with accountability.

Turn hopes and commitments into school district and board policy. Make sure school leaders are on the same page about where the district wants to be in five, 10, and 20 years.

There鈥檚 a lot more districts can do right now to confront the climate crisis. Here are a few ideas.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management Reports Strategic Resourcing for K-12 Education: A Work in Progress
This report highlights key findings from surveys of K-12 administrators and product/service providers to shed light on the alignment of purchasing with instructional goals.
School & District Management Download Shhhh!!! It's Underground Spirit Week, Don't Tell the 69传媒
Try this fun twist on the Spirit Week tradition.
Illustration of shushing emoji.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How My Experience With Linda McMahon Can Help You Navigate the Trump Ed. Agenda
I have a lesson for district leaders from my (limited) interactions with Trump鈥檚 pick for ed. secretary, writes a former superintendent.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
Vector illustration of people walking on upward arrows, symbolizing growth, progress, and teamwork towards success.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion How Social-Emotional Learning Can Unify Your School Community: 7 Timely Tips
It鈥檚 a stressful political season. These SEL best practices can help school leaders weather the unpredictable transitions.
Maurice J. Elias
4 min read
Modern digital collage of caring leader surrounded by positivity. Social Emotional learning leadership.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva