Climate Uneducation in the US, Part 3:
Colleges, Universities Need Academic Advisors

It would make sense for something that has become universally pertinent to already be incorporated into most disciplines. Right?

By Roberto Guerra | Published 1 week ago | About a 6 minute read

Image: Yan Krukau

In parts one and two of this four-part series, we examined how climate change is being taught, or not, in US primary and high schools. Here, we dig into our country’s post-secondary education system.

Sadly, but unsurprisingly, too many US colleges and universities also score in the lower percentiles when it comes to holistic instruction on the topic of human-induced climate change — not only examining its effects and what students can do to help fight them, but also industry’s role in the crisis.

It would be easy to assume that something that has become so globally and socially pertinent would be discussed in just about every degree program, beyond Earth sciences — including finance and even psychology. It would make sense for climate change education — or, more critically, climate change mitigation or even adaptation education — to already be incorporated into all disciplines. Right?

Is higher education teaching climate change?

But many higher-education and even graduate programs are also still lagging in this area.

“I see progress, but it’s insufficient to the need,” Marsha Willard, Faculty Chair at Presidio Graduate School — which offers an MBA program in Sustainable Solutions and an MPA in Sustainability and Social Justice — told Sustainable Brands® (SB). “Most schools offer degrees in ecology or environmental sciences, and those programs surely include the principles of sustainability and climate science in their curricula.

“But these are programs that students opt into, which means that most students may graduate without exposure to the topics,” she added. “This matters, because climate literacy is becoming increasingly important to many disciplines — not to mention to the everyday lives of students and their families.”

She added that the biggest impediments likely include “the lack of expertise among faculty outside of the earth sciences, and their reluctance to incorporate another topic into an already full curriculum. Sometimes, faculty do not recognize the potential impact to their fields; sometimes, they are uncomfortable teaching something out of their area of expertise; and sometimes, in their defense, it is yet another timely issue they must consider. For example, we are all struggling to keep pace with AI and its impact on our respective fields, as well as our pedagogy.

“Still, we are remiss if we are not preparing students to address climate change from the perspective of their chosen field of study and career direction.”

Proper training of educators is indeed an issue — not only in US universities, but globally — as highlighted in a 2024 study published in the National Library of Medicine, which reveals the lack of “more opportunities for exchange of experiences among institutions” at a global level.

Across the US, improvements in higher education are happening; but some experts agree with Willard that they’re not meeting the need.

“Although there has been a significant expansion of climate change education in US universities over the past decade, there remains a need for the issue to be addressed in more detail,” Brad Sparks, executive director for Accounting for Sustainability, told SB. “Climate change is already impacting all aspects of society, and this impact will only accelerate in the decades to come.”

Sebastián Fernandes, founder and CEO of Fixterra — a sustainability consultancy that helps the education sector lead by example on environmental awareness and sustainable practices — added: “Not only is there a lack of climate change education but also a lack of action against climate change in the higher education sector as a whole.

“Many universities have specific programs on climate change, and there are specific majors focused on sustainability. But climate change is a global problem, and that needs to be addressed in every single sector,” he asserted. “If you study engineering, climate change should be a part of your curriculum. If you study medicine, climate change should be a part of your curriculum. If you study business, climate change needs to be a part of your curriculum.”

Conflicts of interest

In addition to the fact that climate change has become unnecessarily politicized — and its integration into US education depends largely on the personal and political beliefs of those in office across the country — another elephant in the room is the fossil fuel industry’s influence on higher education. To the dismay of those hoping universities will help educate and equip the next generation of climate warriors, fossil fuel industry personnel serve in university posts and governing boards in top-level universities across the US and abroad.

For example, the former Senior Vice President of ExxonMobil serves as Vice Chair of Northeastern University’s Board of Trustees; since 2021, the director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at Harvard University has sat on ExxonMobil's Sustainability Advisory Council; Shell donated $2 million to Colorado State University for an endowed chair in Restoration Ecology; and BP has sponsored Princeton University's Climate Mitigation Initiative since its inception in 2000.

Fortunately, awareness of this dilemma has increased significantly in recent years — and concerned citizens and prominent figures are fighting back: In 2022, the Fossil Free Research Open Letter was launched with the goal of raising awareness of the industry’s influence on academia, and to assert that fossil fuel money has no place in climate and energy research. That same year, Princeton’s Board of Trustees voted to dissociate from 90 fossil fuel companies.

Climate-related opportunities in academia

While a light has been shone on the fossil fuel industry’s hand in US higher education, there is still much work to be done. As the effects of climate change continue to become more harrowing, the higher education system may find itself forced to incorporate it into most every career field.

Willard highlighted just a few of the topics and disciplines for which climate change is increasingly relevant, and “opportunities for schools to ensure students are exposed to it multiple times and from multiple perspectives”:

Psychology: “We’re living in a world where people — young adults, especially — are experiencing existential angst over the impacts of climate change.”
Political science and international studies: “how climate change will create new sources of social conflict, migration patterns, international relations, and government and intergovernmental policies.”
Sociology: “the challenge of climate-related social unrest and of managing multi-stakeholder relationships and agreements.”
Biology: “the impacts of biodiversity loss and the migration of flora and fauna … to name just a few.”

In the fourth and final part of this series, we’ll look at reasons to hope — as some prominent figures work to help the US education system meet the climate-changing moment.

Climate Uneducation in the US:

Roberto Guerra

Roberto Guerra is a bilingual writer, editor, entrepreneur, corporate engagement and communications specialist, and US Air Force veteran with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Universidad de la Sabana (Bogota, Colombia) and an International Master in Sustainable Development and Corporate Responsibility from EOI Business School (Madrid, Spain). Born in New York and raised in Florida, Roberto is former managing director for the Spanish-language version of vegan business magazine "vegconomist" and is also author of three novels. He has lived, worked and studied on four different continents.

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