Climate Solutionary Framework

It became clear early on in CELI that many teachers are as confounded and debilitated by the scale and complexity of the climate problem as their students.  Many teachers, in particular the non-science teachers, did not see how climate-related lessons fit with their subject areas and existing curriculum requirements. Others who did see the connection would get hung up on one particular concept or content area – one that might or might not be central to the larger issue.  Almost all of the teachers were fixated on the causes and consequences of the climate crisis, and found it difficult to shift toward a solutions-centered focus. Indeed, many, while understanding the grave threat, had no confidence that the crisis could be ended or a vision of what would entail.  

Very little progress could be made in co-creating a curriculum without addressing these issues head on. To do so, we created a Climate Solutionary Framework to guide climate curriculum creation. The six solutionary approaches identified in the Framework, all of which are needed, are adapted from Paul Hawken’s book Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation.  Page 1 of the framework provides the context. Page 2 presents a hierarchy of  key concepts, showing which are overarching and which apply more narrowly to specific solutionary approaches. The last page provides questions that teachers can ask themselves when developing lesson plans related to the indicated approaches.