Title: California Considers Imposing Climate Change Education
By Kenneth Artz
A bill under consideration in the California legislature would require schoolchildren to learn humans are causing dangerous climate change, in order to graduate.
A.B. 1922 would require a climate change curriculum for students in grades 1 through 6, and knowledge of climate change would become a graduation requirement for students in grades 7 through 12, beginning in 2025.
If the legislation passes, California teachers will have to begin teaching climate change coursework no later than the 2021-22 school year.
‘Unbalanced Political Indoctrination’
California’s proposed climate change education requirement is likely to be limited to making a case for climate alarm, says Lance Izumi, a senior director for the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute.
“Recent California curriculum changes have been shown to be unbalanced political indoctrination rather than real attempts to improve student knowledge and learning,” Izumi said.
“I worry this will be true for this climate-change curriculum mandate, as well.
“Will all sides of the climate-change debate be presented in a fair and balanced way with students feeling safe and free to challenge aspects of the curriculum?” Izumi asked. “Given the biased nature of California’s ethnic studies curriculum and other curriculum decisions, one has to question seriously whether California intends to teach climate change in a fair, objective, and open manner.” . . .
