How the Climate Crisis is Impacting Education in Brazil: Key Findings from a Revealing Survey

In Brazil, climate change is affecting education in many ways. Floods, extreme heat, and wildfires lead to school closures and increase student absences. These challenges make it harder for students to learn.

Sofia Lerche, a professor at the State University of Ceará, highlights these issues in her work, “The Impact of Climate Change on Education: Initiating a Debate.” She discusses how the environmental crisis poses challenges to schools and offers suggestions on how they can respond effectively.

Ms. Lerche notes that schools can’t solve climate change alone. They can, however, become places where students learn about climate issues and find protection from extreme weather. She believes that education can raise awareness and foster resilience among students.

The report, developed with help from organizations like D3e and Todos Pela Educação, emphasizes the importance of updating school curricula. It calls for teaching about climate and the environment in both initial and ongoing teacher training. This curriculum change should include research on environmental policies and climate education.

Ms. Lerche advocates for a multidisciplinary approach. She suggests combining subjects like biology and Portuguese to address environmental themes. A single subject isn’t enough to grasp the complexities of climate change.

She also points to the value of project-based learning. This method encourages collaborative work among teachers across different subjects. For example, a project could explore climate issues throughout the academic year, bringing together students and teachers in meaningful ways.

Emotional support is another critical aspect she mentions. Many young people feel “climate anxiety,” and the curriculum should help them build resilience in coping with these feelings. Schools have a role in addressing emotional well-being in relation to climate discussions.

In case of climate emergencies when in-person classes are not possible, Ms. Lerche suggests using lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many innovative remote learning solutions emerged during that time, and it’s essential not to forget these advancements.

The report encourages entire school communities to engage in environmental initiatives. Schools could serve as models for sustainable practices, showing the surrounding communities how to respond to climate challenges.

Public authorities also have a role in this transformation. Ms. Lerche stresses the need for coordinated efforts across the country to address regional climate concerns, such as droughts in the northeast and heavy rains in the south.

Recent studies from organizations like UNESCO and the World Bank underscore the link between climate change and education. While the effects on student attendance are not fully assessed yet, it is clear that the climate crisis significantly influences teaching and learning processes.

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