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January 2022 - Chemicals

Eight in 10 young people see climate change and sustainability as a priority for the chemistry curriculum: A survey of young people conducted by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has found that 79% see climate change and environmental sustainability as a priority for the chemistry curriculum.

The survey polled 549 young people aged 11 to 18 years across the UK, finding that 81% feel it is important to be taught about issues around climate change in school or college. 

Asking respondents about their concerns, 78% said they feel that climate change is an 'urgent priority' and a 'shared responsibility' to solve, with three-quarters saying they felt anxious about the future of the planet. Furthermore, 74% said they are always looking for ways they can personally help with climate change and sustainability. 

When asked about whose responsibility it is to educate people around green issues, the top answers given were schools, colleges and universities (59%) followed by the Government (50%), and scientific organisations and societies such as the RSC (49%). 

The study also polled educators teaching sciences and chemistry, with two-thirds who teach 11 to 19 year-olds saying they believe the curriculum should include more content around climate change and sustainability. The figure was even higher for primary school educators with nine in 10 in support of a curriculum change (91%).

Sixty-five percent of educators said there is too little content around climate change and sustainability for 14 to 16 year-olds, rising to 69% for 16 to 19 year-olds and 70% for 11 to 14 year-olds. 

When asked about how confident they currently feel about teaching about climate change and sustainability, 88% of educators teaching 11 to 19 year-olds said they feel a least 'somewhat confident', while three-quarters of those teaching ages 5 to 11 years said the same (76%).

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