Xia Zhu
University of Toronto, Canada
Title: Molding the next generation of climate leaders: The intersection of education, values, and climate action
Biography
Biography: Xia Zhu
Abstract
Climate change is a major issue of our generation that requires searching beyond the individual actions of composting, recycling and reducing water use to exploring unconventional social and political solutions. One course of action of interest understands the relationship between the educational systems of countries in developed nations and the values and ideas that youth from those educational systems adopt. Climate-friendly ideas, political ideologies and values are dictated by the quality of the education that youth receive at the dawn of their childhood and this becomes an important factor to consider since youth of today will be the leaders of tomorrow and will be the ones to face some of the more serious consequences of climate change. This paper explores the impact of the educational systems around the world on youth empowerment, points out the flaws in the education of climate and environmental sciences in case studies such as the Toronto District School Board and suggests ways of working within the educational framework to instill greater interest of youth in the climate dilemma. The conclusion is that the group of actors in the educational systems, instructors of young students are the actors that will be the most effective messengers of climate-friendly ideologies. Through empowering instructors in schools who already have the right values and belief systems to protect the environment, youth at a young age can be influenced to adopt similar thoughts and to be empowered to continue to tackle this major issue.
