As part of the work of the Education International (EI) Climate Network, education unionists from all over the world were consulted and gave inputs about the Greening Education Partnership, a new tool developed to support ministries of education to build climate-responsive education systems that centre teacher experience and aim to support teachers and education support personnel.
Addressing around 80 participants at the network’s eleventh meeting held on September 30th, EI’s Director of Campaigns and Communications, Rebeca Logan, reminded participants of the continued urgency of their work, “we have seen the intensification of climate disasters and vulnerable communities are still bearing the brunt.”
She also emphasized that education unions globally have reaffirmed their commitment to tackling climate change: Two new resolutions were adopted unanimously at EI’s 10th World Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, calling on member organizations to step up their advocacy in response to human-induced climate change and environmental injustice.
Delegates, she said, also had the opportunity to discuss further and strategize during a breakout session, which emphasized why climate change must be understood to be a union issue. It was made clear at EI's Congress that climate change remains firmly on the agenda for the global education movement.
She added: “Many of you also participated in the ceremony led by delegates and representatives of in Buenos Aires. We took a moment to recognize our mother earth and how education is a fundamental force to defend and protect our common planet.”
She also shared with webinar participants that EI developed a free course – hosted on EI’s ALMA platform – with four modules for action at the national and local level.
The Greening Education Partnership
Introducing the consultation, EI’s Policy Research and Advocacy Coordinator Jennifer Ulrick underlined that the Greening Education Partnership is a tool developed to tackle relevant issues reflecting challenges teachers meet on the ground in terms of climate change.
Before asking education unionists for their feedback, Lauren Simmons, consultant for the Global Partnership for Education, gave an overview of the aims and suggested key areas included in the tool.
“This policy dialogue framework empowers Ministries of Education to engage in strategic, teacher-centered discussions on the impacts of climate change. It focuses on the teacher’s role as frontline defenders of the environment. This tool is meant to be capacity-sensitive to adapt to any kind of climate planning. It is meant to lead to action. Governments are prompted to collect data and support teachers, and translate these data into meaningful actions,” she highlighted.
Simmons added that the tool has “a clear structure with three components”:
- Framing: Offers an overview to set the context for each dimension, helping policymakers understand the key considerations for discussions.
- Reflection prompts: Stimulates strategic thinking and analysis, encouraging policymakers to assess existing policies and how they support teachers in climate adaptation.
- Checklist for action: Presents a series of practical steps Ministries can take to translate each reflection prompt into actionable, climate-responsive policies that prioritize teacher needs.
Seven key dimensions help ministries address complex challenges with coordinated/holistic action and provide an integrated framework for building teacher-responsive, climate-smart education systems, she went on to explain:
- Data and Evidence - What climate-related data can be gathered to understand the impact on teachers? How can available data help identify and prioritize support for vulnerable teachers (e.g., by location, gender, or disability)?
- Policy and Planning - How can the Ministry include teachers' perspectives in developing and implementing climate-responsive education policies?
- Coordination - How can the Ministry of Education ensure that inter-sectoral collaboration integrates the perspectives and expertise of teachers in climate resilience planning?
- Finance - How can the Ministry budget and allocate funds to ensure that the education system remains resilient during and after climate-related disruptions?
- Infrastructure - What cost-effective strategies can be used to retrofit schools, ensuring both immediate teacher safety and long-term resilience, especially in climate-vulnerable regions?
- Teaching and Learning - How can teaching and learning continue effectively during and after climate-related disruptions?
- Schools and Community
Climate change is affecting educators worldwide
The meeting was also an opportunity for member organizations to share their initiatives and work around climate issues.
Reminding that her country is part of the “Ring of fire” deeply impacted by climate change, Unifah Rosyidi, President of the Teachers' Association of the Republic of Indonesia (PGRI) and member of EI Executive Board, said that it is important for the ministries of Education and Environment to take their responsibilities and offer guidance to her union on climate change education.
PGRI’s Fransiska Susilawati also reported that her union will organize in December 2024 a seminar on climate change. Action against climate change is mostly school-based action, she noted. She called on her government to set up a coordinated program on climate change education for all teachers. Currently, she said, some schools have inserted climate change education in their curriculum, but not all of them throughout the country.
Dominique Bernier of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec in Canada explained that faced with the ever-strongly felt impact of climate change, her union is supporting the adaptation of educational settings. However, she explained that the Quebecois government doesn’t take these efforts seriously. There is a clear need for political will and financial resources, she said, calling for massive public mobilization to push public authorities to act.
In the UK, National Education Union (NEU) Jenny Cooper noted that school buildings must be set up for the extreme temperatures they already face which disrupts learning and teaching conditions. She added that they hoped the new government would take their demands around climate more seriously.
David Hughes of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) said that while it is important for teachers to be consulted around adaptation planning, that what is key is to challenge the fossil fuel industry which is one of the greatest threats to the environment in the first place.
Union campaigns to address climate change around students and schools, is another example brought up by José Gayoso of the Spanish Confederación de Sindicatos de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores de la Enseñanza – Intersindical (STEs-Intersindical), stressing: “We must all be part of the solution.”
He added that big companies should not be allowed to do “greenwashing” or target school curricula with misinformation.
According to Gaby Bañon, for several years now, the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (SNTE) in Mexico has been undertaking programs and campaigns to care for the environment and address the climate crisis, coordinating efforts with the country's education ministry, and considering the community as the center of attention for this important issue. Under the slogan “Water is life, water runs out!” ( ¡El agua es vida, el agua se agota!), the union has joined the global effort in favor of the care, use, and reuse of water.
Gabriela Mandolini of the Confederación de Trabajadores de la Educación de la República Argentina (CTERA) underlined that, while her union is convinced that teachers need proper training on climate change education, the current Argentinian national government is turning a blind eye on climate issues. She went on to remind that schools have always been the place people go to in times of crises of any kind, and unions must always fight to defend what is essential for teachers.
In Costa Rica, Francia Briceño Vargas of the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Educación Costarricense (SEC) said schools are used as shelters by communities impacted by climate change. However, they can also be damaged in natural disasters leaving students with no school to go to for prolonged periods of time.
We need schools to be safe spaces for education, and to address all causes of climate change., she insisted. She added that her union has been acting as a coordinator, working with the Ministry of Education on the curriculum, and with national institutions on actions to fight pollution or clean up contaminated areas.
Roberto Trochez, President of the Colegio Profesional Superación Magisterial Hondureño (COLPROSUMAH), explained that, in Honduras, a union leader was recently assassinated due to his work on climate justice, as he was defending an area of land which was targeted by a multinational energy company.
''We need to defend the environment, women, life, children,'' he went on to say. "Educating for the planet is educating for life."
“Thanks to all of you for your hard to ensure sustainable, inclusive and peaceful future for our students and communities,” Logan concluded.
Learn more about the EI “Teach for the Planet” campaign, aiming to ensure that climate education, based on science and with a civic action focus, becomes as fundamental as teaching reading and writing.