Writing in the Guardian (September 28, 2016), two members of Congress — Mike Honda (D-California, District 17) and Edward J. Markey (D-Massachusetts) — incisively presented the case for their Climate Change Education Act, currently under consideration in both houses of Congress.
"The legislation would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ... to create a Climate Change Education Program geared towards teaching students and others about climate change," Honda and Markey explain. "In much the same way we teach our children the ABCs as a foundation for a lifetime of learning, we must encourage a national discussion, especially with our youth, about how we can reduce our carbon footprint and serve as stewards of our environment."
Alluding to the recent NCSE/Penn State survey (PDF) about the teaching of climate change, NCSE's executive director Ann Reid previously commented, "We know for a fact that too many teachers are unprepared to present climate change, especially when they encounter ideological resistance. The proposed bills [Markey's Senate Bill 3074 and Honda's House Bill 1961] will allow the federal government to help teachers to present climate change accurately, honestly, and confidently."
Honda and Markey concluded, "There is a trove of science behind climate change but there is still much more to learn, especially about the consequences of climate change. It is time we began to learn together, as families, as communities and as a country. If only because we are truly in this together."