May 2026
Vancouver team publishes op-ed, "B.C. is failing its students on climate education"
Vancouver team publishes op-ed, "B.C. is failing its students on climate education"
The For Our Kids Vancouver team has been working tirelessly to make climate education mandatory in B.C. classrooms. Alongside community members, parents, educators, physicians, and other activists, the Vancouver team has been calling on provincial Minister of Education Lisa Beare to implement a curriculum requirement for students to learn about climate change’s causes and solutions. Despite the impressive advocacy work, the province has yet to take action.
That's why, recently, Vancouver team member Jennie Milligan co-authored an op-ed on the issue with Dr. Susan Burgess, a family and palliative care physician and a volunteer with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE). The piece was published in the Vancouver Sun on May 5.
Here's an excerpt:
Recent polling found that only 53 per cent of British Columbians know that burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of climate change, and 35 per cent understand that so-called “natural gas” is mostly methane, a greenhouse gas over 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 20 years. Every student should leave high school knowing these foundational facts. Without accurate information, they cannot make informed decisions about their future, or hold leaders accountable for the policies shaping it.
