TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) has released guidelines encouraging teachers to incorporate climate education into their classrooms. The move aims to prepare students for the mounting environmental challenges posed by climate change.
Drawing on information from the 2020 NJ Scientific Report on Climate Change and the 2022 Health Addendum, the guidelines provide educators with resources to teach about the climate crisis. These resources focus on various aspects including greenhouse gas emissions, the role of transportation, carbon sinks, and localized impacts on New Jersey.
The document highlights key points for classroom discussion:
- Greenhouse gas emissions are causing a steady rise in global temperatures
- Transportation accounts for 42% of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey
- Carbon sinks help mitigate climate change by storing greenhouse gases
- Some climate change effects in New Jersey are more severe than the national or global average
The guidelines also emphasize the multi-faceted impact of climate change, ranging from physiological and mental health to water supply and quality, extreme weather events, animals and ecosystems, food sources, and environmental justice communities.
By integrating climate change topics into the New Jersey Student Learning Standards, the NJ DEP aims to equip the next generation with the critical thinking skills needed to develop solutions to the climate crisis.