Washington,
D.C., July 22, 2024 – A new report from the World Bank
reveals the profound impact of climate change on education systems globally. As
the climate crisis intensifies, extreme weather conditions are significantly
disrupting educational environments and learning outcomes, especially in
vulnerable regions (click here to download the World Bank report).
For instance, A 10-year-old in 2024 will
experience 3 times more river floods, 5 times more droughts, and 36 times more
heat waves compared to 1970. Moreover, extreme heat can reduce students'
ability to learn by up to 10%, underscoring the urgent need for adaptive
measures in schools.
Recent school closures due to extreme
heat in countries like the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Mexico, Pakistan,
and South Sudan highlight the immediate risks of climate change to education.
Despite this, there is a lack of official data tracking the frequency of heat-related
school closures.
Key
Findings:
- Heatwaves and School
Closures: Extreme heat is causing frequent school
closures worldwide, leading to significant learning losses. In the hottest
10 percent of Brazilian municipalities, students lose about 1 percent of
learning per year due to heat exposure, potentially resulting in a loss of
0.66-1.5 years of learning over time.
- Vulnerability of Low-Income Regions: These areas often lack the necessary infrastructure to cope with
extreme weather, exacerbating educational inequalities. Poorer regions,
typically hotter, face increased learning disparities due to rising
temperatures.
- Health Implications: High
temperatures and poor air quality are linked to respiratory problems and
heat-related illnesses among students, further impeding their ability to
attend and perform well in school.
- Economic Impact: Reduced educational attainment leads to lower lifetime earnings
and diminished economic productivity, perpetuating cycles of poverty and
inequality. Each additional year of schooling generates a 10 percent
increase in annual earnings on average.
Urgent
Call to Action:
The report calls for immediate and
coordinated action, recommending:
●
Investing in Climate-Resilient Infrastructure:
Measures such as air conditioning, solar-reflective white paint, increased tree
coverage, and modified school schedules can help control temperatures. In Costa
Rica, reducing classroom temperatures increased cognitive test speeds by up to
7.5 percent.
●
Enhancing Curriculum and Awareness:
Integrating climate education into school curricula is essential to raise
awareness about the impacts of climate change and the importance of sustainable
practices.
●
Supporting Vulnerable Populations: Special
attention should be given to supporting the most vulnerable populations,
including girls, children with disabilities, and those living in poverty.
●
Ensuring Learning Continuity: Strengthening
remote learning mechanisms, conducting re-enrollment campaigns, and
implementing remedial learning programs are crucial to maintaining educational
continuity.
●
Enhanced Financing Mechanisms: less than 1.3
percent of climate-related official development assistance in 2020 went to
education. Innovative financing mechanisms, such as parametric insurance, and
loss and damage funds, are crucial to ensuring resilience and coping with
climate shocks.
●
Improved Government Data: to better manage
climate-related risks, governments should maintain a comprehensive database of
weather-related school closures and assess which schools are at heightened risk
of events like extreme heat.
Download
the Full Report:
To read the full World Bank report and
explore new data, interesting findings, and recommendations, visit The Impact of Climate Change on Education and What to Do
about It.