The University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems partner with Ten Strands and key entities to advance PK–12 climate change literacy and environmental justice by focusing on the preparation of current and future teachers. ECCLPs is grounded in the idea that climate change is an urgent issue that must be addressed and education must be part of the solution.
Background: Strategies and recommendations to achieve this mission were published in a report, Achieving Climate Stability and Environmental Sustainability: PK–12 Education as Part of the Solution for Bending the Curve, by the UC and CSU university systems, Ten Strands, and a steering committee. The report was showcased at the December 2019 Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Project and Summit (ECCLPS) held at UCLA that brought together more than 220 higher education leaders, PK–12 educators, researchers, policymakers, and others to further strategize the implementation and scaling up of the recommendations in the report.
Progress: From March 2020 to date, members of the ECCLPS steering committee met to prioritize and advance recommendations in the report, which resulted in work on a concept paper proposing a joint UC–CSU initiative focused on climate change literacy and environmental justice. After a brief pause to attend to the urgent needs of students, faculty, staff, and families during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the ECCLPs Executive Committee continues to build on this work.
ECCLPs news can be found here.
Photo credit: Todd Cheney, UCLA
