Educators now have access to the Climate Emotions Toolkit, a resource designed to help address and manage emotions related to climate change in educational settings.
The Climate Emotions Toolkit for Educators, a groundbreaking resource developed by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and the Climate Mental Health Network, is making waves in the educational community. This free toolkit, designed specifically for middle school teachers, aims to help students and educators address the emotional impacts of climate change in the classroom.
The toolkit, which is the first evidence-based, teacher-tested resource of its kind, includes a variety of practical tools and resources. It features exercises for students, such as creating an environmental timeline to document personal interactions with nature and reflect on feelings about climate change. This exercise encourages rich conversations and helps students process complex emotions while promoting a sense of agency and action.
The toolkit also offers activities and lesson ideas that integrate eco-psychology and eco-therapy principles, emphasising the relationship between mental health and nature to support emotional healing and resilience. Additional resources include animated music videos that can be used alongside the toolkit to help young people reflect on, share, and respond to their climate emotions, making the experience engaging and actionable.
One of the key features of the toolkit is the Climate Emotions Wheel, a useful tool that helps teachers identify and respond to a wide range of emotions students may experience in response to climate-related extreme weather. The toolkit also provides effective teaching strategies, support materials, success stories, and guidance on channeling anxiety into action.
According to Sara Espinoza, President and CEO of NEEF, every teacher participating in the 2024 nationwide pilot recommended the tools to a colleague. The pilot study, conducted by the Climate Mental Health Network and NEEF, found that 83% of teachers said their school communities had been directly impacted by climate change. Before receiving the resources, only 10% of teachers said they felt well-equipped to effectively respond to the emotions this might evoke.
The toolkit has proven to be highly effective. At the conclusion of the pilot, 77% of teachers felt prepared to respond to student climate emotions, compared to 10% before the pilot. Moreover, 99% of teachers indicated student engagement with the activities in the toolkit.
The toolkit is not just about supporting students; it also offers support for teachers' own mental well-being. A 2024 study published in The Lancet found that 85% of youth in all 50 states are worried about climate change, and nearly all teachers (98%) encountered an emotional response from students while teaching about climate change. The toolkit provides a much-needed resource for educators to cope with these emotions and create a classroom environment where students can openly acknowledge their feelings about climate change, cope with eco-anxiety, and transform emotional responses into motivation for climate action.
In summary, the Climate Emotions Toolkit for Educators equips middle school educators with the means to address the psychological dimensions of climate change in their classrooms, enhancing social and emotional learning alongside scientific understanding of climate issues. This innovative resource is set to make a significant impact in the educational community, fostering a new generation of climate-aware, emotionally resilient students.
- The Climate Emotions Toolkit for Educators, an innovative resource from the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and the Climate Mental Health Network, integrates environmental education, education, and self-development to address the emotional impacts of climate change in the classroom.
- The toolkit offers practical tools and resources, such as the Climate Emotions Wheel, designed to help teachers identify and respond to a range of emotions students may experience in response to climate-related extreme weather.
- The toolkit encourages personal growth and learning by featuring exercises like creating an environmental timeline that promotes a sense of agency and action, as well as eco-psychology and eco-therapy principles that emphasize the relationship between mental health and nature.
- Research indicates that the toolkit is highly effective, showing a significant increase in teachers' preparedness to respond to student climate emotions, from 10% pre-pilot to 77% post-pilot, and a high level of student engagement with the activities in the toolkit at 99%.
- The toolkit also offers support for teachers' own mental well-being, addressing the concerns of the vast majority (85%) of youth and nearly all (98%) teachers who encounter emotional responses from students while teaching about climate change.
- By fostering climate awareness, emotional resilience, and a classroom environment where students can openly acknowledge their feelings about climate change, cope with eco-anxiety, and transform emotional responses into motivation for climate action, the toolkit is poised to make a significant impact in the educational community, contributing to the development of a new generation of climate-aware, emotionally resilient students.
