AIBS has joined a coalition of science, environmental, and educational stakeholders in urging newly confirmed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to identify climate and environmental justice as a priority area for the Department of Education and create a new position reporting directly to the Secretary with a mandate to lead and coordinate the Department’s climate work.
“If America is going to tackle the climate crisis and make the transition to clean energy, we need climate-resilient schools and future-ready students,” the groups argued. “Climate change is a generational issue, and our youth know it. Despite the groundswell of youth action on climate, the education sector — in other words: students, teachers, administrators, school board members, and the physical spaces in which they learn — is often overlooked in government planning on climate. The Biden-Harris Administration must leave as its legacy a Department of Education that is leading on climate and environmental justice and guided by youth voices. A first and critical step is to name a climate leader in the Department of Education reporting directly to the Secretary.”