Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is the lived reality of billions of people everywhere. One of the sectors most affected by climate change yet often overlooked is education.

In fact, when climate disasters such as droughts, floods, cyclones, heat waves or forest fires hit, education is one of the most disrupted areas.

Climate impacts on schools in Kenya and Mexico

Take Kenya, for example, a country that is no stranger to climate change. In 2020, Kenya was hit by one of the worst droughts the country has seen in recent decades.

This drought affected Kenya’s rain-fed agriculture, leading to low agricultural produce that in turn led to food insecurity and high food prices.

As a result, over 4.2 million Kenyans faced acute food poverty and over 3.5 million children missed out on school.

The people that felt this impact the most are those living below the poverty line. It became impossible for families living in underserved communities to afford 3 meals a day, let alone ensure regular school attendance for their children.

As a Teach for Kenya fellow, I saw this reality reflected in my class at Kwa Njenga Primary School. Students came to school hungry and others missed school entirely to try and fend for themselves.

This impacted their academic performance. From dust that invaded our classrooms to water scarcity, we all felt the impacts of this drought.

In 2024, Kenya also experienced floods and education was among the sectors impacted with over 350,000 learners in underserved communities missing out on school.

In 2022 to 2023, Monterrey, Mexico faced severe water shortages caused by severe and prolonged drought, overexploitation of water resources and ineffective infrastructure.

Alexander Guel Tonche, an Enseña por México student leader, watched his community being impacted by this crisis:

“Indeed, water scarcity has become a common subject of discussion at the table of every family in Nuevo León, with the problem spreading to other states at an alarming rate, generating not only economic but also social problems. As water becomes scarcer, the desire for solutions increases.” 

Increased cases of illnesses caused by poor sanitation, reduced attendance, and early school closures are some of the ways education was impacted by this crisis.

Locally rooted green solutions through learning communities

Even though these are challenging situations, a glimmer of hope shines through in the actions of students, youths and teachers from both communities.

At Kwa Njenga Primary in Kenya, Sibel Taaka, a grade 3 student leader (now grade 4) led her class in  addressing food poverty. Collaborating with teachers, the students developed an innovative gardening solution where students planted vegetables in reused plastic and in vertical gardens.

The school also engaged the community to install 2 greenhouses where learners continue to plant vegetables. Students are now greening the school to make the environment more conducive for learning and saving rainwater for use during dry spells.

In Monterrey, Alexander didn’t watch his community suffer in silence. With teachers and peers at CONALEP Technical College, he founded Drops of Hope.

The project aimed to find a solution for the water crisis in underserved communities. They created a device that could measure, regulate and manage water flow in a household. If each household could measure and regulate their water, they could use the little water they accessed effectively.

In his work, Alexander observed climate impacts don't affect everyone equally—low-income communities bear the brunt of the impacts. He evolved Drops of Hope into a new organization called INECO, which aims to address social inequities.

Alexander is now building INECO with his peers at Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) where he is studying economics. INECO is engaging policy makers, encouraging them to invest in infrastructure that can help conserve the little water available, and building capacity within the community by mentoring and coaching youths in high schools and fostering entrepreneurial skills.

Alexander aims to empower the community as a whole as a way to have access to more resources and tools to deal with climate impacts.

A crop of young leaders and the hope they represent

Sibel and Alexander exemplify young leaders who are unafraid to take up the challenge to address climate change impacts and develop green skills and solutions.

GPE youth leaders are doing the same on a global scale, focused on reaching all community members. In rural Kenya, Valentine is working to empower young girls and women with green skills, engaging teenage mothers who have dropped out of school due to climate change to come up with solutions to climate impacts such as drought.

Her organization, the Barrier Breakers, has empowered young teenage mothers to practice climate-smart farming to grow nutritious food for their families and generate an income for themselves. Valentine’s ‘Trees for Girls’ campaign has also built climate awareness of impacts on women and girls.

Observing these leaders, one thing becomes evidently clear: young people within impacted communities are our ‘silver bullet’ to mitigate the climate crisis.

To continue building the leadership of young people, we must reimagine the purpose of education to not just seek academic outcomes, but also to nurture the leadership and creativity of young people.

We must continue elevating the voices of these young leaders to inspire more and more young people to take up the baton.