The School Climate Strikes are undoubtedly a challenge for teachers and school leaders. Many are concerned about climate change and support their students’ initiative, but they are also under pressure to keep students at school, learning and passing exams. As Greta Thunberg becomes a teenage hero, teachers across all subjects are finding themselves seeking climate information, and school leaders are finding creative ways to harness climate awareness in support of school learning!

The IB education programmes have something special to bring to our climate futures: the focus on critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative working develops exactly the set of skills that we need in the future workforce to solve the climate problem. Could the IB community be co-opted as climate champions? Today we had the opportunity to talk to a group of 16 teachers and leaders from IB schools, who were at Warwick University for some IB training, about their professional responses and needs in relation to climate change.

The discussion was wide ranging. It confirmed what we had learned from other teacher training organisations - that it is difficult for teachers to quickly find impartial and up-to-date sources of climate change information that are suitable in a school setting. All agreed that for an international community of teachers the biggest sustainability concern is flying, and there was a desire to understand the relative significance of school initiatives on plastic, meat and waste.

There was some concern that students are being hypocritical in blaming adults for climate change but doing nothing in their own lives to reduce consumption. In unpacking that view we all recognised our own reluctance to have our own behaviours challenged. Isn’t that the nub of the entire climate problem?

There was an acknowledgement that far from being “skivers” the students who are most eco-conscious tend to be the ones who are most diligent at school, and in the light of the statistic from the International Labour Organisation that climate management will create 24 million new jobs, we discussed whether in fact student engagement with their studies may increase as they become more aware of the climate crisis facing them. Could this be a win-win for schools and planet?

The IB was created as a force for good in the world in the 1950s and it may be needed now more than ever before. The take home message after a really thoughtful discussion was a comment from one of the attendees: “Every IB teacher should be a climate teacher”.

Our sincere thanks to IBSCA, the UK IB Schools and College Association, for making this discussion possible. We look forward to the opportunity to engage with more IB teachers, on climate, and on the circular economy on 29th November.

“I loved exchanging ideas and sharing experiences with teachers from other schools”

— Samah

Kim Polgreen