Derek Thomas hosted a meeting of West Cornwall’s Climate Focus group to hear about the role of education in preparing children for the challenges of climate change.
Derek is passionate about the importance of climate education, and was the only Conservative MP to make a speech in a Parliamentary debate on the subject, in which he said:
“Teachers in Cornwall are already embracing with enthusiasm teaching about the impact of climate change, but I recognise that climate education needs to be extended, to include knowledge about how we abate the climate emergency and ecological crisis, how to deliver climate justice, and how to support students dealing with eco and climate anxiety.
“That is important, because I saw the worry on the faces of children I met when the school strikes were taking place. Climate education will reduce anxiety, as students will be empowered with information to tackle the problem.”
The event’s speakers included one of the teachers in Cornwall mentioned by Derek – Lewis Groom, from Marazion School, who has years of experience teaching children about climate issues and is passionate about the need for quality climate education nationwide.
The other speaker was Sarah Robinson from Hope for the Future, a climate charity that equips people to communicate the urgency of climate change with their local politicians and work with them to take action on climate change.
Derek says:
“I am delighted to have two excellent speakers on such an important subject – education is vital, especially when it is our children who will see the worst effects of climate change.
“Schools in Cornwall are brilliant at raising awareness of climate change and the harm we do to our planet. But what more can we do to make climate issues a central part of the curriculum?”
