Children struggle to learn as rising global temperatures threaten schooling and educational progress.
A comprehensive global report highlights the urgent intersection between climate change and education, revealing that children exposed to extreme heat and other climate-related stressors may forfeit up to 1.5 years of schooling. The analysis, led by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring team in collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan and the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) project and University of Saskatchewan in Canada has pointed out over that the past 20 years, schools were closed in at least 75 per cent of the extreme weather events, impacting five million people or more underscores that learning disruptions are no longer hypothetical they are widespread, ongoing and intensifying.
Drawing from longitudinal data across 29 countries between 1969 and 2012, the report establishes that exposure to abnormally high temperatures during prenatal and early childhood phases significantly correlates with lower educational attainment, particularly in Southeast Asia. Children experiencing temperatures two standard deviations above average are predicted to achieve 1.5 fewer years of schooling than peers exposed to average temperatures.
"A child experiencing temperatures that are two standard deviations above average is predicted to attain 1.5 fewer years of schooling than children experiencing average temperatures. High temperatures reduced high-stakes test performance in China and led to reductions in both high school graduation and college entrance rates," the report said.
In China, extreme heat has been linked to decreased performance in high-stakes exams, leading to reduced graduation and college entry rates. Similarly, U.S. schools without air conditioning showed a 1°C increase in temperature correlating with a 1% drop in test scores, disproportionately affecting African American and Hispanic students due to inadequate infrastructure contributing to 5% of the racial achievement gap. According to the survey, over 50% of public-school districts require the replacement or updating of many HVAC systems.
The report identifies that nearly 50% of U.S. public school districts require major updates or complete overhauls of their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. In Brazil’s most disadvantaged municipalities often those facing the highest heat risk students lost approximately 1% of learning annually due to temperature increases.
The educational implications of climate inaction extend beyond the classroom. In the United States, individuals without secondary education or from low-income backgrounds are 15% more likely to reside in regions with rising air pollution and associated asthma risks in children.
Nearly 1 billion people live in 33 nations with extremely high climate risks for children, 29 of which are also regarded as fragile states. In the US, those with poor incomes or no secondary education are 15% more likely to reside in regions where childhood asthma diagnoses are expected to rise the most as a result of climate-driven increases in particle air pollution.
"School districts in the United States that received federal disaster recovery funds had higher proportions of students from socially vulnerable groups," the report said.
The analysis found that over the past two decades, school closures occurred in 75% of extreme weather events affecting over five million people. Floods, cyclones, wildfires and droughts have disrupted learning, forced schools to become emergency shelters, and in many cases, led to permanent closures. Following the 2013 floods in Jakarta, for instance, school access was obstructed, and classrooms were repurposed for crisis response, hindering education continuity.
Countries most affected by these recurring disasters are predominantly low- or lower-middle-income nations, with 29 of 33 countries bearing the highest climate risk for children also classified as fragile states. This confluence of vulnerabilities exacerbates education inequities and erodes hard-won developmental gains.
While the report acknowledges positive developments such as disaster response planning in Jakarta schools it calls for systemic and global reforms. These include:
· Investment in climate-resilient infrastructure
· Early warning systems and standard operating procedures for school closures
· Integrating climate education to build resilience and awareness among students
· Expanding emergency education funding in post-disaster scenarios, particularly for socially vulnerable communities
As the climate emergency intensifies, education systems worldwide must evolve to shield learners from its impact. Without urgent adaptation and mitigation strategies, global progress toward equitable, quality education for all remains at grave risk.
