Climate education necessary for state future

Children born in the 21st century couldn't avoid climate change if they wanted to. It will color every aspect of their lives, and be the defining challenge the world faces as they age into adulthood. There isn't a choice in the matter. It's important they know why it's happening. A law passed in Connecticut this year will mandate that climate change be included in their science curriculum, which makes sense. Only through education will understanding be possible, and from that could come action.

Most Connecticut schools already include instruction on climate change. It would be a hard subject to avoid, given everything we've learned in recent decades about the effect of burning fossil fuels on the environment. Whatever controversy might once have accompanied this topic has gone by the wayside — humancaused climate change is real, and it is happening.

Scientists have long warned about the dangers of a lack of concerted action against climate change, with rising temperatures inevitably leading to melting ice and rising sea levels, along with more powerful storms, severe droughts and negative outcomes across the board. All that is already happening, and only going to get worse. But it's important to teach people what it means and what can still be done.

For instance, when scientists talk about global temperature increases of 1 or 2 degrees, it can sound like it's not that big a deal. Who can tell the difference between, say, 68 degrees and 71? But a rise in global average temperatures of a seemingly small amount can mean the difference between cities on the shoreline continuing as usual or falling into the ocean.

The world has already seen the effects of mass migration from climate-ravaged nations, and it's something that will only grow more common in coming years. If immigration is a charged issue now, wait until drought and floods makes entire countries unlivable.

It's worth asking what this all means for Connecticut, and what can possibly be done about it. We're not immune, of course — our coastal communities, from Greenwich to Stonington, are as vulnerable as any others around the world to rising sea levels. But neither are we powerless. It won't solve the problem, but recent advances at the state level in clean energy and battery-powered transportation are the kind of solutions we need to see on a wider scale. Connecticut can help lead the way forward.

There are other positive steps. The state recently saw its last coal-fired power plant close down. It's true that natural gas presents its own problems, but the state has made real strides in moving toward a better energy future. We need to build on those steps.

That's why education is key. The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and by ensuring that climate change is included in our statewide curriculum standards, we can help build towards a more sustainable future for everyone. Only by understanding the problem can we find a solution.

It's far too late to pretend this isn't happening. It's here, as a cursory look at global temperature averages will show. The only way forward is to face the problem head-on.

Whatever controversy might once have accompanied this topic has gone by the wayside — human-caused climate change is real, and it is happening.