A recent policy brief issued by the World Bank offers a comprehensive examination of the latest research shedding light on the detrimental impact of climate change on educational performance. It records the growing prevalence of school closures due to extreme weather events and proposes proactive strategies to mitigate these effects.
According to the World Bank's findings, over the past two decades, schools have been shuttered during at least 75 percent of extreme weather incidents affecting five million or more individuals. These closures, precipitated by heatwaves, flooding, and pollution, have become distressingly common on a global scale. Compounding the issue, school infrastructure vulnerabilities and the utilization of educational facilities as emergency shelters exacerbate the frequency and duration of closures.
The deleterious effects of climate change extend beyond mere disruptions in schooling; they directly impact students, contributing to a myriad of health issues, heightened stress levels, and an uptick in violent incidents. Notably, even minor fluctuations in temperature and precipitation have been correlated with a notable surge in both intergroup conflicts and interpersonal violence.
The ramifications of educational disruptions are profound, casting shadows over children's academic performance and prospects for the future. Research indicates that each additional year of schooling typically translates to a 10 percent increase in earnings. Yet, setbacks wrought by climate-related disruptions threaten to perpetuate cycles of poverty and impede social mobility for generations to come.
Despite mounting evidence of these challenges, policymakers appear to downplay the urgency of climate adaptation within the education sector. A survey encompassing education policymakers across 28 low- and middle-income nations revealed that approximately 61 percent consider protecting education from climate change a low-priority agenda item.
To fortify education systems against climate-related adversities, the World Bank advocates for targeted interventions in four key areas: bolstering education administration, fortifying school infrastructure, empowering students and educators to act as catalysts for change, and ensuring the uninterrupted continuity of learning.
The financial toll exacted by tropical storms on the education sector is staggering, amounting to an annual loss of $4 billion worldwide. In the Philippines alone, typhoons and floods ravage over 10,000 classrooms annually, underscoring the pressing need for immediate action.
The World Bank asserts that waiting for the fruits of climate mitigation efforts to manifest over the next half-century will prove too tardy for the millions of children in dire need of education today. Urgent government intervention is imperative to enhance the resilience and adaptability of educational institutions in the face of increasingly frequent and severe weather events.