Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to (a) respond to the concerns on climate change raised by protesting school children and (b) incorporate those concerns into school activities and the curriculum.

It is important that young people are taught about climate change. Topics related to this are included in the science and geography curriculum and qualifications.

For example, in primary school science pupils are taught about how weather changes across the seasons, and look at how environments can change as a result of human actions. In secondary science pupils are taught about the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the effect this has on the climate. This is expanded on in GCSE science where pupils will consider the evidence for additional anthropogenic causes of climate change. As part of GCSE geography pupils will look at the causes, consequences of and responses to extreme weather conditions and natural weather hazards.

In 2017 the Department introduced a new environmental science A level. This will enable students to study topics that will support their understanding of climate change and how it can be tackled.