How Students and Teachers Are Talking About Climate

Climate One

News, Social Sciences, News Commentary, Science, Earth Sciences

4.7 • 583 Ratings

🗓️ 5 September 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Students are heading back to school, and in addition to all of the usual challenges of the school year, some children are carrying an extra weight: climate anxiety. Teachers are also swimming in tricky waters as conversations around the climate crisis — and renewable energy — become more polarized. Yet there are educators who have worked to create resources for students and teachers, to help bring climate education into the classroom. The question is: How can schools, parents and teachers better help young people navigate the ideas and feelings around a warming planet? Guests: Margaret Wang-Aghania, Executive Director and Co-Founder, SubjectToClimate Robin Cooper, Co-Founder and President, Climate Psychiatry Alliance Melissa Lau, High School Environmental Science Teacher, Piedmont, Oklahoma Leah Christenson, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; Vice President, Piedmont High School Green Team Alyson Dennie, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; President Piedmont High School Green Team This episode features a field piece by Mary Catherine O'Connor, who originally reported the ⁠story⁠ for KALW Public Media. Highlights: 00:00 - Intro 3:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on her aha moment 5:42 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on how lessons get developed 12:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on teacher development 15:00 - Alyson Dennie and Leah Christenson on their climate related feelings 17:10 - Robin Cooper on how the emotions young people face because of climate 24:17 - Robin Cooper on how the moment the guides her thinking 26:52 - Robin Cooper on how to know if a young person is dealing with climate anxiety 33:34 - Mary Catherine O'Connor’s Piece on Electric Buses in Oakland 40:05 - Melissa Lau on the arctic trip that changed her life 44:33 - Melissa Lau on not being shy about teaching climate 48:35 - Melissa Lau on the importance of relationship building For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org. *** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today. Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I am on our school's Palm team.
0:03.0	We have like a summer camp and we were on a break and we were talking about chat GPT.
0:08.4	And they had no clue how much energy it used up and how bad it was for the environment.
0:15.1	And I was telling them that and they're like, okay, but like I still don't get it.
0:19.3	Like how is this thing in my hand bad for the environment?
0:23.3	And I was like, oh, guys. And I went on and on. And then we went back to class. And then they were
0:29.5	telling our teachers and our coaches about it. And then I had to tell them to. And it was this big
0:33.5	thing. They're like, wow, you're so wise. But it did make me feel better because now they know.
0:39.0	That was Allison Denny, a high school student from Piedmont, Oklahoma. Really, it's remarkable to
0:43.9	hear young people talking about these things. They know so much, and I think we forget that sometimes.
0:48.7	We think that, you know, high schoolers are so focused on their own social lives. They're already citizens engaged in a lot of things, you know?
0:56.5	I got to talk to Allie, and I had such an enjoyable time, and you're right, Ariana.
1:00.9	Like, hearing her talk about her thoughts on chat GPT and the role that our daily lives play in the wider climate context was really interesting and invigorating.
1:13.5	And I feel really lucky to do it. So shout out to Allie, who I'll flex for her for a second.
1:19.5	She's on the green team, which does park cleanups and other kinds of projects. Plus, she is the
1:23.9	drum major, and she is on the Palm team. She's very busy. Really appreciate her taking the time to chat with us.
1:29.5	And that's what we're talking about today is going back to school and what that means in the climate context.
1:33.7	I'm Kushan Abadar.
1:35.0	I'm Ariana Brocious and this is Climate One.
1:39.4	Labor Day is over.
1:40.9	Summer is ending.
1:42.2	And all over the country, kids are headed back to school.
	...

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