Belém, the capital of Pará, has become the focus of global attention as it hosts the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP30. The event brings together heads of state, experts, and representatives of civil society to discuss the measures needed to limit the rise in the planet’s average temperature to 1.5 °C by the end of the century.

This is the most urgent goal of the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, and is considered crucial to preventing the environmental and social impacts of climate change from worsening.

A warning that the planet is getting closer and closer to exceeding its limits came with the release of the “Global Tipping Points 2025” report in October of this year. Prepared by 160 scientists from various countries, the document indicates that Earth may have already reached its first climate tipping point: coral bleaching caused by rising ocean temperatures.

According to the study, “with global warming already at 1.4 °C, warm-water coral reefs are surpassing their thermal tipping point and suffering unprecedented losses, jeopardizing the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people who depend on them.”

The researchers also draw attention to other systems at risk, such as the melting of the polar ice caps and the combination of prolonged droughts and deforestation in the Amazon.

Environmental Education in Schools

With the country at the center of global discussions, COP30 represents more than just a diplomatic event: it is an opportunity for the country to highlight the importance of environmental education as both public policy and a daily practice in schools. After all, school is the first environment where children and young people learn to observe the world, understand the relationships between society and nature, and think of solutions to the problems around them.

In Brazil, the consequences of climate change have disrupted the school calendar and affected the learning of millions of students. Floods, wildfires, and extreme heat waves have forced students and teachers to temporarily leave schools, often with no guarantee that instruction will continue. And when classes are moved online, the digital divide and a lack of infrastructure exacerbate the problem.

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A recent survey by the Todos Pela Educação movement, published in the document “Resilient Education,” shows that more than 34% of Brazilian schools had to suspend classes in 2023 due to extreme weather events. The report offers an alarming assessment of the vulnerability of school systems in the face of the environmental crisis.

A tragic example was the impact of the recent tornado that devastated communities in Paraná, causing fatalities and countless damages, and forcing the suspension of the ENEM exam in the region.

According to the study, 77% of schools do not have emergency plans, and 90% have never conducted disaster drills, which means that millions of students and education professionals are unprepared to deal with risky situations.

To address this situation, the report presents 25 concrete recommendations to strengthen the Brazilian education system in the face of the environmental crisis. Among the key measures are the creation of national protocols for safety and the continuity of classes, the integration of climate education into school curricula, the training of teachers and administrators to respond to emergencies, and a review of public funding criteria so that construction projects and equipment aimed at climate adaptation are included among the priorities of school systems.

The proposals, developed based on national and international evidence, consultations with educational networks, and an assessment of existing practices, aim to incorporate the concept of climate resilience into Brazilian education policy. The fact that COP30 is being held in Brazil underscores the urgency of this debate.

Source: CNN and Todos pela Educação.

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