Each year, we in Texas cast a nervous eye at satellite images of the waters in the Atlantic. We see the latest storm from thousands of miles away and wonder whether it will be more potent than the last one. With no choice, we prepare for the worst that will potentially come our way in a matter of days.
Other times, the harm comes quicker and is unexpected.
In February 2021, millions of Texans knew ahead of time that a winter storm would blanket most of the state. They did not realize how powerful and crippling the storm would be, or that it would cause an almost-statewide blackout that brought the freezing temperatures from the outside into our homes.
Texans are already living with the reality of climate change. From flooding to droughts to extreme freezing events and excessive heat, Texas is experiencing the climate crisis firsthand.
Our leaders must act — now — to tackle this problem. Something they can do immediately is prepare young people and future generations to address a climate change problem that they did not create but will be forced to face.
That’s where education should step in. Recent research by meteorologists at San José State University found that even a “modest investment in climate change education” by middle- and high-income countries would decrease carbon emissions.
A small investment for the sake of the planet is something that I hope we can all agree is worth it.
The world, including Texas, needs to step up to prepare our young people to tackle climate change, the most pressing and urgent problem that humanity will face in the decades to come.
That’s why last year, young people from across the state went before the Texas State Board of Education with a simple message: we must do better on climate change science. A report by the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund and the National Center for Science Education examined whether the state science standards of the 50 states and the District of Columbia were doing enough to teach students about the science behind our changing climate. Twenty states, including many of the most populous states, received grades no better than a C+. Texas, for its part, received an F.
The result after months of advocacy on our part was the board taking a positive, though limited, step in updating its science standards: The board approved new high school science standards that offer more robust coverage of climate science. But for other grade levels, the board refused to prioritize teaching about climate change.
For sure, the board should and could have done more. But what the board did shows that even in a state like Texas, whose economy remains closely tied to fossil fuels, there is at least some recognition that climate change education is vital for current and future generations in our state and around the world.
The world, including Texas, needs to step up to prepare our young people to tackle climate change, the most pressing and urgent problem that humanity will face in the decades to come.
We can start that preparation early in life with complete and truthful science education. And we need to do it now.
Read other essays from our #ClimateEdNow series.
Ric Galvan is a senior at the University of Texas, Austin, and advocates with the Texas Freedom Network’s program for young Texans, Texas Rising. TFN has fought for sound science education in Texas since 1995.