Educating children about climate change is important, but teaching about the degradation of our planet without completely overwhelming kids with fear for the future is no easy task. As we at The Optimist Daily know, addressing crises with tangible solutions is an empowering way to approach some of our world’s biggest problems. This is exactly what the non-profit Climate Action Project aims to do by encouraging young minds to come up with innovative solutions to climate-driven issues. 

The curriculum designed by the non-profit not only informs students about climate change and its implications but also encourages them to find solutions to navigate the climate crisis. The Climate Action Project will once again bring their six-week climate change program to up to 10 million students in at least 107 countries this October and sources expertise from scientists, policymakers, and activists from organizations like NASA, the World Wildlife Fund, and the United Nations. 

Koen Timmers founded the Climate Action Project in 2017 and has expanded curriculums for students ages 4 to 21. The lesson plans look different based on grade, but all students learn about the causes and effects of climate change as well as potential solutions and how to take action.

Despite being only a few years old, the project is seeing promising results. In Romania, high school students developed their own bioplastics, and students in Malawi helped spearhead a project to plant 60 million trees along four main rivers leading into Lake Chilwa.

As we have seen with school climate strikes, young citizens all around the world are passionately determined to achieve tangible climate action. As the generation most vulnerable to the fate of our warming planet, giving students the information and resources they need to come up with real-world solutions could just be the key to saving our earth.