More climate change education legislation in Massachusetts

A pair of identical bills in the Massachusetts legislature, House Bill 3887 and Senate Bill 260, would require environmental science and environmental protection standards to "promote an understanding of climate change including, but not limited to: (i) the human impact on the carbon cycle; (ii) the effect of climate change on life that exists on Earth; (iii) the effects of the environment on health, economics, and agricultural systems; (iv) the impact of climate change on the water cycle; and (v) the impact of the environment on natural disasters and weather." School districts would be permitted but not required to incorporate these standards; the state department of elementary and secondary education would be permitted to help school districts select material and curriculum on climate change and to apply for funding to support these efforts.

House Bill 3887 was introduced by James K. Hawkins (D-District 2) and Tram T. Nguyen (D-District 18); Senate Bill 260 was introduced by Julian Cyr (D-Cape and Islands). Both bills were referred to the Joint Committee on Education. They join the identical House Bill 576 as well as House Bill 470, which would establish a Climate Science Education Trust Fund to "support the development, purchase and implementation of curriculum and educational resources related to professional development for educators and costs associated with curriculum implementation," and House Bill 496, which would require the state standards for science, technology, and engineering to be revised "to include relevant and interdisciplinary climate change standards that will provide students with a deeper understanding of anthropogenic climate change."