New Jersey becomes first state to incorporate climate change in K-12 curriculum

New Jersey will become the first state to incorporate climate change into the curriculum of kindergartners through high school seniors, state officials announced Wednesday.

The new standards, which take effect in September 2021 and 2022, offer a broad outline that will allow school districts to craft instruction based on why the planet is warming and what can be done to mitigate it.

First lady Tammy Murphy spearheaded the curriculum addition with the help of 130 educators. Teaching all New Jersey public school students about climate change is especially important in a state that has already felt the effects from sea level rise on the Jersey Shore and in river communities, as well as extreme heat in cities, she said.

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"This generation of students will feel the effects of climate change more than any other, and it is critical that every student is provided an opportunity to study and understand the climate crisis through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary lens,” Murphy said in a statement.

Gov. Phil Murphy first mentioned the curriculum change during his State of the State address in January and has said it is a cornerstone of his clean energy push.

Murphy unveiled in January his much-anticipated outline on reaching 100% clean energy by 2050. But how to achieve those goals will be planned over two years by the Department of Environmental Protection.

The governor has gotten mixed reviews from environmentalists on his clean energy goals, ranging from praise for blocking a proposed natural gas pipeline under Raritan Bay to criticism for allowing NJ Transit to move forward with building a gas-fired power plant in the Meadowlands.

The overwhelming majority of research by scientists and government agencies has shown that the planet is warming in large part due to human activity. Burning such fossil fuels as coal, natural gas and gasoline has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, preventing heat from escaping into space.

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New Jersey is fast becoming ground zero for climate change. Sea level rise is happening so fast in the state that it's double the global average, thanks in part to melting glaciers and the expansion of warmer water along with a gradually sinking coastal landmass.

In schools, climate change will be incorporated among seven subjects: 

• 21st-century life and careers
• Comprehensive health and physical education
• Science
• Social studies
• Technology
• Visual and performing arts
• World languages.

Details such as how to teach climate change to 5-year-olds appear to be still in the works. The recommendations contained in the New Jersey Student Learning Standards approved on Wednesday offer only broad recommendations.

For instance, it says students in earlier grades could build a schoolyard habitat to see what improvements need to be made to guard plants, animals and humans from the effects of a warming planet.

Middle school students could use resources from federal science agencies such as NASA to design projects that mitigate the impact of climate change on their communities. High school students can study heat islands or construct models showing the negative health effects of unusually high summer temperatures.

Scott Fallon covers the environment for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news about how New Jersey’s environment affects your health and well-being,  please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: fallon@northjersey.com Twitter: @newsfallon