November 5, 2024

A new report from the United Nations does not mince words: If the Earth continues on its current path, the policies in place to stop the worst effects of climate change will fail.

School districts in the United States, large and small, need to pay attention. In addition to preparing K-12 students for a world where the effects of climate change are omnipresent, districts annually emit tens of millions of metric tons of carbon, waste hundreds of thousands of tons of food, and operate hundreds of thousands of schools that emit diesel. buses.

The scientific consensus says that 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is the maximum increase the planet can tolerate before catastrophic events such as extreme heat and floods displace millions. -millions from their homes will be inevitable and routine. Worsening hurricanes, wildfires, and heat waves have already hit many schools, causing devastating physical damage and disrupting student learning.

If the world continues with policies as they stand now, the temperature will rise to 2.8 degrees above the pre-industrial level Celsius by 2030, says the latest annual report. from the United Nations Environment Programme, released October 27. If the policies promised but not implemented are realized, the increase in pre-industrial levels will be between 2.4 and 2.6 degrees Celsius.

Only a “rapid transformation of societies”—which includes large-scale efforts to eliminate dependence on fossil fuels and strengthen electrical grids to individual choices such as purchasing renewable energy and turning off unused appliances—changes the pace, the report says. eliminate 45 percent of carbon emissions in the next eight years.

“We have the opportunity to make further changes, but that time is over,” Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, told The Guardian. The report was released to preview COP27, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which kicked off on Sunday in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The United States has done very little on this issue. This year, President Joe Biden signed a $369 billion spending package designed to reduce 50 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions by 2030. New York voters will vote Tuesday on whether to approve $4.2 billion in bonds to fight climate change, and Californians may approve raising income taxes for wealthy residents to fund electric cars and reducing fires.

But the policies that have emerged in the United States and elsewhere to combat the crisis fall far short of what scientists say is the minimum to mitigate the most deadly effects of climate change. A proposal to Congressfor example, spending $1.4 trillion over 10 years to make schools greener and more efficient doesn’t seem like it will end any time soon.

No school leader can independently affect change on that scale. But experts say it is important for them to take immediate and concrete action to raise awareness and find solutions. The climate crisis already has consequences for student learning and well-being—research shows students do worse on tests when they are hot, and that the number of annual hot days in thousands of districts has increased dramatically in recent decades.

“All school districts should have an action plan,” said Greg Libecci, the director of energy and resources for the Salt Lake City district.

But most don’t: Only 22 percent of school district leaders and principals who responded to an EdWeek Research Center survey earlier this year said they have an emergency plan that takes into account climate change. Only 30 percent said they had a facility plan to address climate change.

Libecci’s 40-plus schools are in the process of a $30 million effort to retrofit fluorescent lights with LED equivalents in 37 schools; install 2,500 solar panels on six roofs; and implement controls to use less water. The district engineered this plan through a tax-exempt lease purchase agreement, which means it will pay for these initiatives with the savings they generate over time.

What would an action plan look like for a district that is not so far away? Phoebe Beierle, the senior program manager for school district sustainability at the US Center for Green Schools, has some ideas:

Conduct a greenhouse gas assessment. List all the energy used in your district, from the HVAC system to the cafeteria appliances. If you don’t know how much your school buildings weigh, you won’t know the most effective ways to reduce emissions.

Create a climate action plan with concrete goals. Some districts have pledged to achieve “net zero” emissions by 2040 or 2050. Setting benchmarks along the way helps with accountability.

Relate expectations and commitments to school district and board policy. Make sure school leaders are on the same page about where the district wants to be in five, 10, and 20 years.

Many more districts can be created right now to deal with the climate crisis. Here are some ideas.

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