Pillars of conservation

A few days ago, I was discussing biodiversity and ecological crisis with my students, referencing the extinction of over 160 species and more than 38,500 species on the verge of extinction. I explained anthropogenic activities such as pollution, overexploitation of natural resources, and habitat destruction leading to the disruption of biodiversity. While the discussion was ongoing, one of my students requested to curtail it because they only needed selected notes to cover environmental science. I then inquired whether they were interested in learning about the adverse impact of climate change on human beings. They promptly answered "no" as it was not covered in their syllabus. I realised that these destructive practices are facilitated by a lack of knowledge and respect for the environment, ultimately caused by inadequate environmental education.

Surprisingly, the students frequently state that greenhouse gas emissions are the most effective factor in global climate change. They are well aware of the main causes of global climate change, such as deterioration in the ecosystem, environmental pollution, human consumption, water consumption, depletion of natural resources, forest fires, and air pollution.

Despite knowing the causes of climate change, the students lack an understanding of its increasing impact on a global scale, especially in the last few decades. There has been worldwide suffering from the effects of sudden floods, storms, tornadoes, drought, and food crises. In this challenging situation, raising students’ awareness and making changes in education policies regarding this issue have become important agenda items in the field of public policy. Environmental education is increasingly finding a common focus in addressing climate change issues.

At present, the problems we face due to climate change require new solutions. Effectively exploring the problem area is crucial for creative problem-solving. Therefore, individuals who are knowledgeable about global issues, understand them, and are sensitive to world problems must be trained. Those who will take the lead on future environmental issues will need adequate experience in improving the environment. There is an emergent need to train students so that they can think critically, question, and criticise. Working with students may be a good choice at this point, as these children are likely to have roles with significant responsibilities in making our world a more liveable place in the future. Developing students’ creative and critical thinking skills is key to their general cognitive and intellectual development. Therefore, one way to improve students’ skills is to establish a learning environment based on critical thinking skills.

Many advocate for schools and colleges to include climate change in their curriculum. The Indian Prime Minister recently stated the need to include "climate change adaptation policies" in the school syllabus. Unfortunately, India currently lacks a curriculum specifically focused on climate change, but some aspects, such as sustainability, are taught under environmental studies, which is compulsory in schools and colleges. However, existing teaching methods do not adequately address the scale of the problem. Secondary school science standards have minimal references to climate change, and teachers, on average, spend just a few hours a year teaching it. Therefore, instead of relegating the topic to a separate textbook, there is a need to integrate it with existing subjects so that it runs through the entire curriculum. The environmental curriculum focuses more on nature and outdoor education but does not address how human actions contribute to climate change or how students can combat it. Moreover, including climate topics in the school curriculum is critical for training the next generation of innovative thinkers who can become champions of climate action at local and international stages.

With increasing urbanisation and advances in technology, students' exposure to the natural world has decreased. While scientific developments provide a more comfortable life for future generations, global problems will also challenge them in many ways. Once students are familiar with global problems, they can bring creative solutions by approaching them critically. Hence, school-age children need to face and think about global-scale problems as much as possible. Teaching about climate change is of utmost importance for India as the country is expected to experience rapid population growth and urbanisation in the coming decades.

If students are aware of the consequences of unsustainable growth, they are likely to adopt a more climate-friendly lifestyle. Simultaneously, they will learn to plant trees and create projects from recycled products as they discuss changing weather patterns and the social and economic aspects of their relationship with the environment. Automatically, they will learn the fundamentals of climate science, including the role of humans, the consequences of a changing climate, as well as potential solutions. Understanding this critical issue will make them realise that individual actions can help protect the planet.

For this purpose, a valuable teaching strategy to be used in the education of students is problem-solving. To solve problems, students need to improve their thinking and creative skills so that they can tackle real-life examples, and future problems can help develop integrated and creative thinking. The purpose of education is not only to understand the subjects in the curriculum but also to develop thinking skills and analyse problems through meaningful learning. Our age requires students to ask questions, think critically, use technology correctly and effectively, be good problem solvers, and creative individuals. Taking courses to develop critical thinking in children increases their creativity and indirectly leads to an improvement in their academic performance.

For this reason, education without prioritising the development of thinking skills is like a 'pillarless palace'.

The writer is former senior scientist, Central Pollution Control Board. Views expressed are personal