Learning about climate change in Portland is about to change in a big way. The city's Board of Education has voted in favor of eliminating textbooks and other learning materials that either deny the existence of climate change or suggest that it has no links with human activities.
Resolution 5272, which was made public via the Portland Public Schools site, received unanimous votes from the board. It cites that schools should be committed to climate literacy among students to let them "probe the causes and consequences of the climate crisis," including guiding them to find potential solutions.
This resolution was the result of months of deliberation among teachers, students, parents and experts, as well as activists. It received over 30 endorsements from different organizations after it was recognized that the current teaching materials slanted towards the fossil fuel industry.
"A lot of the text materials are kind of thick with the language of doubt, and obviously the science says otherwise," said former teacher Bill Bigelow who testified to the board, per Think Progress. Bigelow wants the misinformation about climate change to stop and it begins with teaching the young students on the actual facts.
Progress! Portland has banned school materials that cast doubt on #climatechange: https://t.co/efKQsU86Nx pic.twitter.com/UJqbQYhS7p
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) May 25, 2016
However, a spokesperson for the district denied reports that some books will have to be banned. "We're updating scientific materials for our students," said Christine Miles, per Los Angeles Times. Even Bigelow and his partner in rolling the resolution, Mike Rosen, an environmental scientist, agree that the source materials for students need to have updated texts. "I'm not saying that we're going to burn the textbooks," said Rosen.
In February, a survey revealed that at least a third of educators in the United States are themselves misinformed about climate change. Many teachers are apparently in the belief that "global warming is likely due to natural causes," which is emphasized in the text books, per Take Part.
The survey also highlighted that state tests don't include climate science and there are still no standards that teacher must adhere to regarding the subject. But the bright side to this is that most schools in the United States at least spend an hour in class to discuss climate change regulrly, so there is interest and awareness. The challenge now is to ensure that the kids are learning the right ideas.
