Mass Audubon’s Youth Climate Leaders Drive Climate Education Bill in Massachusetts

Every week, Mass Audubon receives calls from educators asking for help teaching climate change. 

While Massachusetts students generally enjoy top-tier state education, climate change has slipped through the cracks. The climate crisis is unleashing devastating effects across the world, and today’s youth remain ill-equipped to tackle these challenges.  

Why Climate Change is Absent from Massachusetts Classrooms 

Across the country, 84% of parents and 86% of teachers think that climate change should be taught in school, but more than half of the nation’s teachers don't cover the subject it in their classrooms. 

 Although many educators want to include climate change, there is a severe lack of resources to do so, with only 24% of teachers across the country receiving any form of professional training or education on the subject.  

Some teachers are hesitant to teach climate change given the political divisiveness of the issue. The North American Association for Environmental Education found that teachers want explicit permission and training from their district before incorporating climate education in the classroom. 

Providing teachers with professional development, funding, resources and an implementation plan for climate-focused education would better prepare Massachusetts students to face the climate crisis—and Mass Audubon’s Youth Climate Leadership Program (YCLP), a youth-led program that empowers youth activists to create climate action in their own communities, are working to do just that.  

A Bill to Improve Climate Literacy  

H.560/S.391: An Act Implementing Elementary and Secondary Interdisciplinary Climate Literacy Education aims to address the climate literacy gap by providing funding, resources and guidance for educators. 

The goal of the bill would be to provide both students and educators with a comprehensive understanding of human-caused climate change and where it intersects with science, technology, arts, history, social science, and government. The bill also aims to support schools, students and teachers in imagining and enacting equitable climate solutions in their communities.  

More specifically, H.560/S.391 would: 

• Create a statewide interdisciplinary Climate Literacy Advisory Council at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to make sure teachers get research-based, equitable guidance on climate education.
• Create an Interdisciplinary Climate Literacy Trust Fund to provide funding for curriculum development, professional development training and technical support for districts.  

Overall, the bill would empower districts to develop and implement climate literacy plans that work for them and the unique challenges they face at a district level.  

Join the Youth-Led Movement 

Last February, members of the Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition (MYCC), including Mass Audubon’s Youth Climate Leadership Program (YCLP), organized over 60 meetings with lawmakers advocating for climate-forward legislation. Currently, these leaders are preparing testimony for an upcoming hearing on H. 560/ S.391.  

Their efforts show how young people are shaping their own future while pushing to make sure that climate education gets the attention it needs in Massachusetts schools. And you can help too! If you’re a student interested in advancing climate smart initiatives in Massachusetts, join the YCLP today. 

Join the Youth Climate Leadership Program