Between January 2022 and June 2024, approximately 404 million students worldwide experienced school closures as a result of climate-related events, as reported by the World Bank in a document named “Choosing Our Future: Education for Climate Action”.
The closure of educational institutions in at least 81 countries was linked to adverse weather conditions like floods, storms, and extreme heatwaves.
The consequences of climate change, such as flood occurrences, are identified as leading causes of significant disruptions in school schedules, but these impacts often go unaccounted for as they are not systematically monitored by the relevant governing bodies.
The issue of devastating flooding has been a recurring challenge in recent times, as demonstrated by the recent displacement of nearly two million individuals in Maiduguri, Nigeria, and surrounding regions following flooding from the Alau Dam overflow.
The National Bureau of Statistics’ data revealed that students in certain Nigerian regions missed 53 school days as a result of the floods.
The “Nigeria Flood Impact Recovery Mitigation Assessment Report 2022-2023” indicated that around 1.3 million Nigerians were affected by flooding during the period from July to October 2022, with states like Bayelsa, Delta, Anambra, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Jigawa bearing the brunt of the severe impact.
The report stated, “Education can propel climate action but at the same time, climate change is impeding education.
“Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as cyclones, floods, droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires, as well as the probability of co-occurring events. These extreme weather events are increasingly disrupting schooling and precipitating learning losses and dropouts.
“Climate change is causing massive school closures. These disruptions remain invisible because they are not being tracked. There is no official data on the frequency and severity of school closures due to extreme climate events. Consequently, this crisis is going largely unnoticed.
“Novel analysis for this report shows that over the past 20 years, schools were closed in at least 75 percent of the climate-related extreme weather events impacting five million people or more.
“Most worryingly, the frequency and severity of school closures continue to grow due to climate change.
“Between January 2022 and June 2024, an estimated 404 million students faced school closures due to extreme weather events.
“This was the result of at least 81 countries shutting down schools temporarily due to floods, storms, and heatwaves.”
The report also noted that for less than $20 per student, schools can adapt and minimize learning losses.
“Climate-related school closures mean students are losing days of learning. Even when schools are open, students are losing learning due to rising temperatures.
“Governments can take steps to harness education and learning for climate action by, for example, improving foundational and STEM skills, mainstreaming climate education, and building teacher capacity. Governments can also prioritize green skills and innovation in tertiary education to help accelerate the shift to more sustainable practices.
“Despite their prevalence, climate-related school closures remain invisible because no one is tracking them.
“Education systems can empower, equip, and skill young people for climate mitigation and adaptation. At the same time, climate change-induced heat and extreme weather events are significantly disrupting learning, with low-income countries being disproportionately affected. Governments must act now to adapt education systems for climate change.
“Education is a key asset for climate action. Education reshapes behaviors, develops skills, and spurs innovation—everything needed to combat the greatest crisis facing humanity.
“Better educated people are more resilient and adaptable, better equipped to create and work in green jobs, and critical to driving solutions.
“Yet, education is massively overlooked in the climate agenda. Almost no climate finance goes to education. Channeling more climate funding to education could significantly boost climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“At the same time, climate change is a huge threat to education. Millions of young people face lost days of learning because of climate-related events. In low-income countries, the situation is worse. Unless made up, this lost learning will negatively impact future earnings and productivity. It will also lead to greater inequality both within and across countries.
“The economic losses and human cost of climate change are enormous. Despite this, climate action remains slow due to information gaps, skills gaps, and knowledge gaps. Education is the key to addressing these gaps and driving climate action around the world. Indeed, education is the greatest predictor of climate-friendly behavior. Better educated people are more resilient and critical to spurring innovation and climate solutions,” the report said.
The report also highlighted the importance of education for climate awareness, noting that an additional year of education increases climate awareness by 8.6 percent.
“Education can empower young people with green skills for new jobs, but also augment skills for existing jobs. Education is massively overlooked in climate financing, and climate change is threatening education outcomes.
The document also mentioned that policymakers and students must possess a diverse range of green skills, encompassing technical, STEM, and industry-specific expertise, along with non-technical abilities like socio-emotional and cross-sector skills.
It emphasized that with the appropriate skill set, any job in any sector can transition towards a more environmentally friendly approach. These skills are not limited to newly emerging roles but are also crucial for enhancing existing positions.
The report pointed out that the demand for such skills can vary unpredictably and may not be equally distributed among different groups.
