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Sustainability and Climate Change (National Curriculum)
27 October 2021
Lead MP
Nadia Whittome
Nottingham East
Lab
Responding Minister
Robin Walker
Tags
ClimateChildren & Families
Word Count: 13998
Other Contributors: 12
At a Glance
Nadia Whittome raised concerns about sustainability and climate change (national curriculum) in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The lead MP asks the Minister if they agree that teaching students about climate change is essential for transitioning to a low-carbon society. She requests a meeting with the Minister to discuss how to progress this campaign through government measures.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The lead MP is concerned that the current education system does not adequately prepare students for the challenges posed by climate change. She notes that even if global temperature rise is limited to 1.5°C, there will still be significant environmental, social and economic repercussions. The national curriculum barely covers climate change, with it being confined to small parts of science GCSE or optional subjects like horticulture and environmental science.
Barry Gardiner
Lab
Brent West
Mr. Gardiner highlighted the cross-party nature of the debate and stressed the importance of integrating climate education into all levels of teaching rather than treating it as a tick-box exercise. He discussed the Dasgupta review, which emphasized the need for educational reform to address environmental issues. Mr. Gardiner also raised concerns about local authorities lacking ecological expertise necessary to deliver government targets and called for training and retraining programs to bridge this gap.
Caroline Lucas
Green
Brighton Pavilion
Ms Lucas emphasised the importance of incorporating climate and natural history into the national curriculum, citing a significant decline in UK species. She highlighted that half of all species are in decline and mentioned specific examples such as hedgehogs losing 30% and swifts losing a quarter of their population over a decade. Ms Lucas stressed the need to raise awareness about nature among children through a natural history GCSE, noting that nearly 10% of UK children had not visited a park, forest or beach for over a year.
Clive Lewis
Lab
Norwich South
I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way and congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate, noting a Freudian slip regarding location identification. The speaker emphasises the need to teach children about climate change in schools that are not contributing significantly to carbon emissions, advocating for the decarbonisation of educational facilities by 2030.
Derek Thomas
Con
St Ives
Schoolchildren in Cornwall are raising awareness of climate change through eco-clubs and environmental initiatives. Derek Thomas has personally responded to thousands of letters from children concerned about the environment, highlighting schools' efforts such as tree-planting, monitoring ice caps, and reducing plastic waste. He emphasized the importance of formal education on climate change, including ways to mitigate it and deliver climate justice.
Jeremy Corbyn
Ind
Islington North
Mr Corbyn highlighted the importance of environmental education in densely populated urban areas and praised local schools for their gardening projects. He stressed that merely adding climate education to the curriculum is insufficient; it must change how all subjects are taught, linking them with environmental considerations. Mr Corbyn also called for practical steps such as encouraging schools to have growing and gardening projects despite limited space.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Jim Shannon expressed concern about the balance between teaching core subjects like maths and English and incorporating climate change education in schools. He noted that while there is environmental teaching in the curriculum, the focus needs to be on ensuring pupils achieve qualifications in essential subjects before adding more intense climate change learning. He highlighted the importance of preparing children for a world affected by climate change through workshops and urged the Minister to work with devolved institutions to introduce climate change education further.
Kerry McCarthy
Lab
Bristol East
The hon. Gentleman is making a very good speech and questions whether there should be a GCSE in environmental science or studies, instead of the current fragmented approach where climate education appears sporadically across various subjects.
Munira Wilson
Lib Dem
Twickenham
Ms Wilson highlighted the pressing demand for climate education among schoolchildren and teachers, noting that over 75% of teachers feel unprepared to teach on this topic. She emphasised the importance of addressing eco-anxiety through positive educational measures and discussed the potential benefits of a stand-alone GCSE in climate change. Furthermore, she pointed out the disparity in access to nature across different socioeconomic groups, advocating for a comprehensive approach that includes experiential learning.
Olivia Blake
Lab
Sheffield Hallam
Ms Blake highlighted the Sheffield Hallam climate manifesto, emphasizing the importance of addressing the climate emergency and youth engagement. She noted that while young people are passionate about environmental issues, they often lack knowledge on how to pursue green careers due to a disconnect between their desire for action and practical understanding.
Philip Dunne
Con
Ludlow
The MP congratulates the Chair of the debate on securing it and highlights recommendation 102 in the Environmental Audit Committee report, which calls for embedding environmental sustainability across all subjects in primary and secondary schools.
Salford
Calls for a comprehensive review of the entire curriculum to prepare and mobilise for a sustainable future, support for Lord Knight's private Member's Bill on sustainability in education, decarbonisation of school estates by 2030, and a green travel policy.
Tulip Siddiq
Lab
Hampstead and Highgate
Thanked Nadia Whittome for securing the debate, highlighted the importance of embedding climate change in education, praised teachers and councils for their work on sustainability, called for support for educators through CPD funding, expressed concern about cuts to school capital spending since 2010, urged consideration of green job plans and embedding skills in further/higher education.
Government Response
Robin Walker
Government Response
Thank you, Ms Ghani; it is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. As a Robin, it is a great pleasure to speak in a debate that has involved so much discussion of wild birds. I congratulate the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) on securing this very important debate. It is also a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Tulip Siddiq), and I join her in welcoming Scarlett, Yasmin, Charlie, Tess and Stella to the Chamber. Ensuring that children and young people develop knowledge about the causes and impacts of climate change and gain a broad understanding of the importance of sustainability is absolutely crucial... (Full minister's response continues as provided above)
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.