Climate education around the world: an interview with Harvard SSP Students

While climate change is a global crisis applicable to anywhere in the world, what different places teach and take action about climate change can be different. To gain a better insight about such differences, we interviewed students around the world: Vidya Nagar from Massachussets, USA; Angela Philip from Dubai, UAE; Nia Bolton from Illinois, USA; and Anna Schubert from St. Pölten, Austria.

When was the last time you remember learning about the climate crisis at school, and if so what did you learn about?

Vidya: I learned about it this year about the carbon cycle, decomposition, and how the food chain impacts carbon emissions.

Angela: In May, we learned about the chemistry behind climate change and how greenhouse gas emissions contribute to it and ways we can combat.

Nia: I also learned it in spring, but in English class, where we read a bunch of articles about helping the environment, stoppoing carbon emission, and deforestation. There was also a unit in AP French about the environment. 

Anna: At school, we learned about how animals react to warmer weather conditions in Biology, and in Physics and Chemistry, we learned about the greenhouse gas effect, and in English, we learned about how people live through the climate crisis.

Is there an environmental club at your school, and work do they do?

Vidya: Yes, we have one that collects recycled materials and makes them into something, like custom candles. I think they spend the money they earn from this to other activities to raise awareness. 

Angela: We have a sustainability club at our school, and they talk about different problems in the world, like marine life, climate change, and what we can do to stop it. 

Nia: I think we have an eco-club at my school, and they do mostly hands-on activities like picking up trash and doing fundraisers to help the environment.

How does climate change impact your country or local community, and do you think your community cares?

Vidya: I don't really think my local community cares about climate change.

Angela: I live in a very hot temperature like where it reaches 50 degrees celsius, so climate change affects us a lot and I think there are governmental policies that try to reverse it. But I don't think my close community really cares about climate change. 

Nia: I don't think my country cares at all about climate change, for example as you can tell by our refusal to join climate agreements.

Anna: In Austria, we experience more heatwaves, dry periods, and extreme weather as a result of climate change, but I don't think my local community cares about these issues.

What role do you think young people should play in solving climate issues?

Vidya: I'm not sure about young people specifically, but I think substituting activities that emit carbon the most, like driving a car with electric cars or bikes can be the most helpful.

Angela: I think young people should try more daily activities like using less plastic and spreading the word. Young people don't really care because we think it's not going to impact us, but I think we should start recognizing the actual consequences.

Nia: I think younger people have the ability to use social media to spread the word about climate change and also volunteer to help clean up the ecosystem.

What are some of the biggest impacts of climate change that you've seen or heard about?

Vidya: I think what made me the most surprised or care more about climate change is photos of ice caps melting, and especially comparisons across many years ago and today.

Angela: I remember many animals losing their habitat, like polar bears, and many non-habitable conditions created in the world like extreme heat that makes many people hard to live.

Nia: I think what matters the most is that climate change is contributing to many natural disasters going on, and they are becoming more frequent, so many countries that haven't experienced these natural disasters are getting hit. And these countries don't have the adequate measures to deal with it, so many people are losing their homes and lives, but we could've prevented these if we acted more on climate change.