Why education must contribute to combatting climate crisis

Author: Anastasia Pinkse 

Editors: Elisah Sauerbier, Kintan van Leeuwen

Every child should be allowed to dream of a future without having to face the possibility that the planet we have raised them on, might be destroyed right under their feet. Global warming has not been an issue of the past couple years, however, the situation has turned from climate change into a climate crisis. From the 31st of October until the 12th of November the COP26 summit took place in Glasgow. This event was a second attempt to slow down global warming after the world had failed to reach the goals set at the Paris Agreement in 2015. The COP26 is a climate conference where world leaders, people of civil society, and youth movements discuss how nations can work together to minimize their impact on global warming. Even though children might dream of a certain job or future life, the question soon arises; will the planet survive?

Amongst many other islands based in Asia, Sri Lanka is very susceptible to the effects of climate change. According to research by the World Bank Group, the rise of minimum heat temperatures can have a significant impact on the country. The extreme heat that is predicted in the near future, will have an influence on human health and living standards. Especially for Northern communities in Sri Lanka. This issue may also impact tourism in Sri Lanka, which is one of their primary economic sectors. Another complication that arises from the extreme heat is the issue of food security. Rice fields and other agricultural products might fail, as a result of the heat. The possibility of landslides, river floods and flash floods may also put lives, livelihood and infrastructure in danger. (World Bank Group, 2020)

A woman and child wade through a flooded area in Kochchikade, Sri Lanka on November 10, 2021. (Source: CNN 2021)

All of the above mentioned effects of climate change, spillover to other seemingly significant areas, such as education. According to a study conducted by Kagawa for UNICEF, climate change has a direct and indirect impact on the education system of Sri Lanka. One of the direct consequences of climate change is that girls from lower income families drop out of school. They have to fulfill the family duty of searching for water, because water in the neighbourhood is periodically scarce. (Kagawa, 2021)

M. Pirathisa (grade 12) is one of the girls that goes to school irregularly, living in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. The following account is written by her: “In search of water we have to go far away. I have to be absent from school when there is no water even in the far distance. When I collect water – only for drinking, there is not enough water to fulfill basic needs such as washing and bathing. I save a very small amount of water to wash my face before going to school. At school we face the same water scarcity problem. We lack safe drinking water. Children faint and suffer from headaches due to high heat and dehydration. This situation affects our regular school attendance especially from May to July when we suffer from water shortages …” (Kagawa, 2021)

In contrast to the water shortages, Sri Lanka also knows monsoon seasons that bring heavy and unpredictable rainfalls. This affects the country's agricultural harvest and main crops such as rice. It can be a huge threat not only for farmers but the whole population, because food security is in danger. The indirect impact on education became clear with the landslides and floods of 2016 and 2017. This made it impossible for schools to stay open, as they were used as shelters or had to close because the facilities were destroyed. Such concerns are reflected in the story and drawing of H.M Chamodi Kaveesha Nethmini from the Eastern province. 

“The dark colours in my drawing symbolize all the difficulties faced by children and their families – most of them are farmers – in my area. When it rains it rains so much. Flooding occurs and harvests are lost. When there is no rain at all, harvests are dried out and lost.

The girl in the drawing has four arms: two hands holding a book representing the importance of education, a third hand with water symbolizes the importance of basic needs, a fourth hand holding an umbrella symbolizes the importance of protecting children from too much heat and rain. The depiction of the girl tied with a chain symbolizes all the difficulties which children face in moving forward and getting education in a changing climate and environment.

I used unorganized colours to depict the unorganized lives of the children due to climate change and other issues.” (Kagawa, 2021)

The heart-breaking accounts of these children reflect the awareness they have on climate change and how it impacts their lives. This is also shown in a recent survey done by Ackers and Lopez Rello for UNICEF in 2021, where they questioned students about climate change. According to the survey, when asked if they are worried about climate change and what it would mean for the future, it was alarming that 62% of the respondents believed that climate change has already affected their studies. (Ackers & Lopez Rello, 2021)

Instead of letting the climate crisis have a negative impact on education, education could also be a way to combat the climate crisis. Through education, children learn about climate change and can participate in spreading awareness and taking action in this matter from a young age. In this manner, the next generation encompasses knowledge about minimizing their carbon footprint and healing their environments. It has consistently been part of all organism's existence, to pass on information to the following generation to ensure the survival of its species. 

The success of the human race lies in the capacity to create and shape our worlds with information that is not genetically pre-programmed. It is ideologies and abstract storytelling that makes our world go round. For example, the idea of environmentalism is one of such concepts that has not been pre-programmed in our DNA. Therefore it must be studied, taught and learned by the people for the people. It is only through education in which we can secure the survival of our children and the following generations.

By focussing on the solution instead of the problem, one can ensure that history won’t repeat itself. At Little Leaders Foundation we believe that providing education to our Little Leaders is highly necessary. Not only for their future in regards to getting a job and breaking free from a generational cycle of poverty, but also for the future of their community by being able to contribute to a healthier and more sustainable way of living. These children can inspire others and be the leaders to take the necessary measures to tackle the adverse effect of climate change within their communities and around the world.