Houston high school students say they want to learn about extreme weather to ease their anxiety

Thursday, December 19, 2024 1:00AM
Houston high schoolers say they want to learn about climate change
More than half of young adults surveyed said they are extremely worried about climate change, and Houston students say they want to learn more.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A report published in the journal The Lancet found that over half of students and young adults surveyed are "very to extremely" worried about climate change.

This could lead to feelings of stress and anxiety during severe weather or when thinking about what the planet might look like in the future.

A group of high school students in the Houston area say they can relate to these feelings around climate change and are doing something about it.

ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith spoke to students Leo, Jamie, Caitlin, and Nick.

The four high school students in the Houston area are part of Students for Environmental Education, an extracurricular group that raises awareness about climate change and the environment.

This includes volunteering in elementary schools to teach younger students about climate change. The goal is to raise awareness of the changing world around them so they're not as afraid.

"We really try to help them understand, 'Hey, here's why your house flooded three years ago,'" Jamie said.

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For many of these students, Hurricane Harvey was a turning point in how they perceived Houston's weather and changing conditions.

Another reason this group is passionate about what they do is that climate change is rarely taught in Texas schools.

"We kind of came together because we were pretty dissatisfied with the way that environmental education is taught," Jamie said.

Texas is one of only six states that does not use the Next Generation Science Standards to guide its K-12 science curriculum.

That means the state does not have to include climate change in its teachings.

More so, the Texas Board of Education influences how climate change is taught, if at all. That alone is one thing these students want to see change in their schools.

"Education in schools, teaching kids climate change. Being able to say 'climate change' in schools," Caitlin said. "My personal philosophy is that education leads to action."

It's not all doom and gloom. These students believe that their generation is the most optimistic about the challenges society faces with climate change, noting that their parents don't feel the same way.

"I have been directly told by adults that climate change is something that you need to fix," Nick said. "Okay. I guess I have to, but it's also something that isn't being done, and I have to step up."

For more on this story, follow Elyse Smith on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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