Climate education responds to and operates in a challenging educational and political landscape. The federal administration has shifted toward minimizing or even denying the reality of human-caused climate change, while organizations such as the Prager Institute, funded by the Heritage Foundation, actively promote climate dis- and misinformation targeting schools.

Among states that recognize the need for climate solutions, only one—New Jersey—currently mandates K–12 climate education, while others experiment with creative ideas like “Climate Literacy Badges” or elective programs as work-arounds. 

Meanwhile, schools and educators nationwide continue to navigate challenges, issues like AI, overheated class rooms, and stressors related to immigration enforcement and funding uncertainty.

Since the release of the 2021 report Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Inequities, Responses, awareness of the emotional and psychological toll of climate change has deepened. Scientists, educators, and policymakers now recognize that children and youth are especially vulnerable to anxiety and stress connected to environmental disruption. Research in this field has expanded rapidly, offering new guidance on how to support young people’s mental health and preparedness for a future shaped by climate change. 

All of Cooler Communities programs meet the recommendations for age-appropriate climate education: they are place-based, solution centered, and teach students about ways in which they can help.