In 2020-21, Aspen’s K12 Climate Action Commission, comprising 22 national leaders including former state governors and federal department secretaries, convened to explore opportunities for the education sector to exert leadership toward creating a more resilient and sustainable society. On a year-long listening tour, Commission members engaged with educators and K12 system leaders, researchers, policymakers, parents and caregivers, students and youth across the country. Their report posits a policy framework for responding to extreme weather and other climate impacts, detailing actions at the local, state, and federal levels to:
- mitigate school-based emissions;
- adapt school facilities and operations to safeguard students;
- educate students about causes, effects, and emerging solutions; and
- engage frontline communities.
The report is premised on an understanding that extreme weather and environmental hazards related to climate will increasingly impact all aspects of society, from healthcare and education to agriculture and business. Heat, air pollution, and extreme weather are already impacting students’ health and learning and will only be exacerbated in the future. However, the commission contends, the education sector has yet to establish its potential role, and current policy solutions often overlook the role education could play.
In response, the report puts forward more than 60 recommendations for policymakers at every level to catalyze and scale solutions across the country. It provides a “menu” of solutions across each of the four parts of the proposed policy framework, with descriptions and links to additional information about local examples. The report also notes opportunities for business, philanthropy, media, and community advocates to inform further development and implementation of the recommendations.