Opinion: Fight Against Climate Change Should Start in Elementary School
UN envoy Mary Robinson has called for schoolchildren to be taught more about how their lives directly impact climate change.
At the end of a trip to Ethiopia, which has suffered its most severe drought in half a century, the former president of Ireland said youngsters born today will live through a potentially existential crisis.
The east African nation is among the countries worst affected by climate change - a devastating reality aggravated by the recurring misery of the El Nino weather system that disrupts and stops vital rains in the tropics.
The survival of tens of millions is threatened further by the ensuing La Nina cooling system which is expected to spark flash floods at the end of the year, washing away thin, arid soils.
"We have to be able to climate proof everything we do," Ms Robinson said.
"Everyone now, and I mean everyone, has to think about climate in the context of who they are and where they are.
"And we need to have a strong input into education, starting in primary schools."
UN Photo