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.
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