the educator mag May 24 (1) - Flipbook - Page 42
The Intersectionality Between
Food and Climate and the Role
Education Plays in the Solution
By: Karyn Knox, Chief Development and Partnerships Officer at the Educated Choices Program
The Anthropocene
We live in the Anthropocene Era – the
geological epoch shaped by humans
and the way in which we live.
Climate change, the defining challenge
of this era, casts a shadow over the very
foundation of our planet, urging
academia to delve deeper into its
multifaceted impacts and seek innovative
solutions to safeguard our future.
This responsibility does not just lie with
the scientists and researchers working to
implement significant systemic changes
but also with the educators in classrooms
who are preparing young people to live in
our ever-changing world.
Not a day goes by that we don’t witness
the impacts of our global environmental
struggles. As a global society, we experience devastating floods, forest fires,
and destructive storms. We hear of
unprecedented extinction rates
among wildlife populations due to
deforestation and loss of habitat.
We experience droughts and record-high
temperatures that have widespread effects
resulting in the loss of crops, as well as the
decline of human health, both physical
and mental. These examples only scratch
the surface of the serious issues we face.
Contributors to environmental
degradation are as widespread as their
effects. While discussions surrounding
solutions often focus on sectors like
energy and waste management, one area
deserving more attention is our food
system. As consumers, our food choices
wield significant power in driving systemic
change. As educators, this is an
opportunity to help youth understand
how to be part of the climate solution.
The Role of Food
Our food system touches nearly every
aspect of our lives and the natural world.
Understanding the scientific links between
food and planetary health is key to
navigating the present and future as an
informed consumer. The Western Diet’s
heavy reliance on animal products
exacerbates environmental strain, given
the inefficiencies and resource intensiveness of livestock farming. With projections
of a 70-90% growth in food demand by
2050, we must change how we feed the
world.
Agriculture’s reliance on finite resources
like land and water poses a significant
challenge. Livestock farming accounts for
a substantial portion of agricultural land
use, contributing to deforestation and
biodiversity loss. Moreover, agriculture is
the largest consumer of freshwater
globally, with livestock production
consuming a disproportionate share.
How can we continue to feed the world in
this manner when so many finite resources are used for animal agriculture when it
only provides 17% of the world’s calorie
supply? The answer is simple: we can’t.
Providing Hope Through
Education
Young people are growing up in a world of
uncertainty. They are constantly informed
of our environmental struggles and, in
too many cases, are void of hope for the
future. They often find themselves feeling
that they have no control over their own
lives and suffer from mild to severe climate
anxiety. What most young people don’t
know is that they have the opportunity
and ability to be part of the solution to
our environmental crisis by taking small
actions every day.
These actions can come in the form of
personal food choices. Educating students
about the scientific facts surrounding the
intersectionality of our food system and
climate change, along with many other
environmental, health and societal issues
we face today, can help them make daily
choices that support the type of world
they want to live in. Empowering them
to take small and approachable personal
actions that can lead to systemic change
through collective consumer demand can
give them hope for their future and help
alleviate the suffering of climate anxiety.
By implementing free, innovative, and
accessible food system education tools,
such as those provided by the Educated
Choices Program (ECP), into your
curriculum and encouraging selfexpression in your students through accompanying activities and projects,
you can give youth the knowledge they
need to take action. ECP offers easyto-implement tools and ideas to bring
these education initiatives into many areas
of study. These innovative on-demand
academic resources are created by
teachers for teachers and meet academic
standards in all 50 US states, all Canadian
provinces and many other regions of the
world. The educational videos and
accompanying lesson plans, quizzes,
homework, and activities are designed
for students ages 12+ and address the
topics of deforestation, water degradation,
climate change, ocean acidification, food
waste, and more. All topics are covered in
an easily accessible and non-judgmental
manner, allowing for critical thinking
among the student body and for easy
integration into curricula crossdepartmentally.
Education serves as the cornerstone of
building a healthier and more sustainable
food system. By integrating food system
education into curricula, educators can
empower students to become agents of
change, fostering a generation equipped
to navigate the complexities of the
Anthropocene with resilience and
optimism. This education can occur in
your classroom.
