Interview: Scorching Temperatures Disrupt Schools, Threatening the Health of Millions of Youths
In recent years, the impact of climate change on education has become increasingly apparent. A heatwave in South Sudan in March of this year led to the closure of schools nationwide, affecting 2.2 million students [1]. This is just one example of how extreme weather events can disrupt learning for millions of children, particularly in regions with the highest vulnerability, such as Sub-Saharan Africa [2].
Climate change poses significant risks to education, especially in low-income or fragile settings, where students often lack access to safe schools, the internet, or learning materials at home. In fact, girls face heightened risks of dropout, early marriage, and gender-based violence due to climate change [1]. Additionally, children with disabilities and those in remote areas face greater barriers to returning to school due to climate change [1].
However, there is hope. Governments can implement climate-resilient infrastructure and practices in schools to minimize disruptions from extreme weather events. By combining digitized asset management, structural modifications, ecosystem-based interventions, and policy/planning measures, schools can be made more resilient to climate change [3].
Key strategies include digitising school estates to identify heat-vulnerable areas and applying passive cooling designs such as increasing native tree canopy shade, installing shade structures, and improving ventilation [3]. Building physically resilient infrastructure tailored to climate risks like flooding or heatwaves is also crucial [4][5]. Strengthening rural or isolated communities' access by climate-proofing roads and critical infrastructure can prevent weather-related isolation that disrupts school attendance [2].
Non-structural measures like revising building codes, land use planning around schools, developing insurance mechanisms, education programs on climate risks, and coordinated multi-stakeholder governance can also support resilience [4]. Securing funding from grants, environmental resilience programs, and partnerships is essential to implement these infrastructure and practice improvements sustainably [3].
A one-time investment of less than US$20 per child could significantly reduce the learning impacts of climate change [6]. Protecting education systems is a crucial investment for addressing both the learning crisis and the climate crisis. For instance, in Mali, heavy rains and flooding along the Niger river caused a month-long school shutdown, disrupting education for 4.4 million children [1]. The worst flooding in 20 years damaged 5,500 classrooms or turned them into shelters, delaying the school year for these children [7].
Governments can immediately implement low-cost, impactful measures, such as painting school roofs white to reduce heat [3]. Together, these measures help ensure schools remain functional and safe during extreme weather, reducing disruption to students’ education and supporting long-term community resilience [1][2][3][4][5]. Protecting education is not just about providing a safe learning environment, but also about investing in a sustainable future for our children.
- The impact of climate change on education, particularly in regions wie Sub-Saharan Africa, has become increasingly evident, with extreme weather events like the heatwave in South Sudan resulting in school closures and affecting millions of students.
- Climate change poses significant risks to education, especially in low-income or fragile settings, where students face increased risks of dropout, early marriage, and gender-based violence due to climate change.
- To minimize disruptions from extreme weather events, governments can implement climate-resilient infrastructure and practices in schools, including digitizing school estates, building physically resilient infrastructure, and introducing non-structural measures like revising building codes and developing education programs on climate risks.
- Securing funding from grants, environmental resilience programs, and partnerships is essential to implement these infrastructure and practice improvements sustainably, with a one-time investment of less than US$20 per child potentially significantly reducing the learning impacts of climate change.
- Protecting education systems is a crucial investment for addressing both the learning and the climate crisis, helping ensure schools remain functional and safe during extreme weather, and ultimately supporting long-term community resilience and a sustainable future for our children.
