PORTLAND, Maine — When it comes to climate education, we often look to our youngest peers to ensure the next generation is climate literate and aware of their impact on the world around them. As the climate continues to warm, these children will become the future of climate science.
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland is taking a hands-on approach to empower the next generation of climate scientists. In connecting Maine children with the climate in their own corner of the world, they hope to educate middle school-aged children about the effects of climate change.
Former seventh-grade ecology teacher Meggie Harvey knows just how important climate education is to this age group.
"We see middle school as a time where youth are really developing their identity as I'm a scientist or not a scientist, and so we see this as a really high impact time," Harvey said.
Organizers of this program work directly and indirectly with teachers across the state. They provide local schools with materials and a curriculum to help teach climate science on a local scale. They also use climate information collected by children across the state to enhance their ongoing studies.
One area where the children's observations come into play is monitoring coastal flooding. GMRI uses sensors stationed around the state that record the height of tides along the costal plain. The kids taking part in this program will submit photos of what these sites look like at high tide, giving context to the numbers the sensors provide. They can then analyze the effect the high water levels have on their local environment.
Supporters of the program are happy that kids can be engaged in their local environments. It's a great way to introduce climate and climate change to them in the hopes they will be aware of their own impact on the climate in the future.