Regents’ Approval of Statewide Climate Education Requirement is Welcome News

Albany, N.Y. - Statewide climate education, approved by the New York Board of Regents, will ensure that kindergarten through 12th grade students are given the opportunity to learn about the causes, impacts, and solutions to the climate crisis. The amendment, presented in November 2025, is part of the state's Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendations on new graduation measures, part of NY Inspires: A Plan to Transform Education in New York State. The requirement will go into effect in the 2027-2028 school year beginning with grades 5-12 and grades K-4 in the 2028-29 school year. New York joins New Jersey in becoming the second state in the nation to require cross curricular K-12 climate education.

"The Climate and Resilience Education Task Force and its Youth Steering Committee have collaborated with educators, state policymakers and partners, in New York and beyond, for several years to ensure that students are equipped to understand and address the climate crisis. We thank the Board of Regents and NYSED for their leadership in passing this new instructional requirement for climate education, and are committed to supporting them, as well as teachers and students, as implementation begins." -Emily Fano, Director of Climate Education at the National Wildlife Federation and co-founder, Climate and Resilience Education Task Force

"In New York State, we are reimagining what it means to earn a high school diploma by expanding the scope of college, career, and civic readiness. The passage of comprehensive climate education requirements for grades K-12 marks a significant milestone in that work. By embedding climate literacy across grade levels, we are ensuring that students graduate not only academically prepared, but equipped to understand complex global challenges, think critically about solutions, and contribute meaningfully to their communities and our planet. This is another important step toward realizing our Portrait of a Graduate, one who is a global citizen, future-focused, and ready to lead in a rapidly changing world." -New York State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa

"Comprehensive climate education will equip our students not only with real world knowledge and skills, but with the confidence and agency they need to navigate, and shape, a complex, ever changing world." -Lester W. Young, Jr., Chancellor, Board of Regents

"I joined the CRETF Youth Steering Committee in 2021. My peers and I spent several years lobbying for climate education bills, meeting with lawmakers and speaking at conferences. We shouldn't have had to fight so hard to secure an education that is foundational to our very survival. However, an unfunded mandate will stall any progress we have made. I hope lawmakers follow through with the resources needed to implement this requirement. As a college student who did not receive comprehensive climate education in secondary school, I'm grateful younger students will finally have the foundation to build a livable future." -Ellery Spikes, UPenn freshman

"Comprehensive climate education prepares today's students for success in tomorrow's economy, which we believe will rely on renewable energy infrastructure and circular economy solutions." -Ron Gonen, Founder and CEO, Closed Loop Partners

"Climate education is not about adding one more credit to an already crowded system - it is about redesigning the system itself. Climate change is a design challenge of our time, touching energy, justice, community, and civic life. If we want young people to collaborate, think critically, and lead with ethical responsibility - the very skills named in New York's Portrait of a Graduate - then we must create the time and structures that allow teachers and students to do that work deeply. This amendment represents more than a regulatory shift; it signals a commitment to coherence, creativity, and coalition-building across our state. Our educators are not the problem - they are the most underutilized design thinkers we have. When we free them to lead interdisciplinary, student-driven learning, we prepare not just informed students, but capable changemakers." -Dr. Jonah Schenker, District Superintendent and CEO, Ulster BOCES

"I am pleased that the Board of Regents has approved mandatory statewide climate education for New York's students. Communities across our state are experiencing devastating and increasingly frequent severe storms, and many families in my district have lost homes, businesses, and a sense of stability as a result. While New Yorkers are resilient, we must ensure that we meet this challenge with education and prepare the next generation of leaders, legislators, and engaged citizens to address one of the greatest challenges of our time. I thank my colleagues in the Senate who have been leaders in environmental protection, including Senator Pete Harckham, Chair of the Senate Committee on Environmental Conservation, as well as advocates such as the Climate & Resilience Education Task Force, for their continued advocacy in advancing climate education for all New York students." -New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, Chair of the Senate Education Committee

"This is about preparing our students for all the challenges and opportunities of the world they'll inherit. This statewide learning requirement will give young people the knowledge and skills they need to adapt to a rapidly changing climate, and better prepare them for the green jobs that power a growing share of our economy. Thank you to all the students, educators, advocates - especially the Climate and Resilience Education Task Force - who worked so hard to get us to this point." -State Senator Andrew Gounardes.

"Climate solutions start with schools. As New York works to become more sustainable and resilient, integrating comprehensive climate education into every student's learning is essential. We celebrate NYSED and the Board of Regents' efforts to bolster the amazing climate leadership cultivating in districts across the State- this will ensure that young people gain not only the scientific understanding of climate change, but also the critical thinking skills and sense of agency needed to navigate a rapidly changing world. With the right support, teachers empower students to become informed problem solvers and climate leaders, and we are proud to build even more momentum and structures around school climate action." -Meredith McDermott, Chief Sustainability and Decarbonization Officer, NYC Public Schools

"As a teacher who has taught climate change for years, I've seen how deeply students want to understand the world they're inheriting. Teaching this crucial content before it was mandated was not always easy. There were times when scientific consensus was questioned, when students and parents pushed back, and when educators felt pressure to tread carefully. I am grateful that New York State is finally taking this necessary step forward by making climate literacy essential in K-12 education. For this mandate to be meaningful, educators will need significant time, clear guidance, and sustained professional support to thoughtfully and equitably integrate climate learning across the curriculum." -Kelli Grabowski, high school science teacher, Salamanca City Central School District

"As an elected school board member tasked with implementing New York State education policy, I look forward to additional guidance and support from the State as it implements this ambitious new goal as part of its new graduation requirements. Our students are demanding this kind of education and it is a key part of broader climate change efforts here in New York State." -Dr. Joseph Henderson, Saranac Lake Central School District School Board Member

"As a parent I am thrilled that New York is taking the lead on ensuring that our kids will have robust climate education built into their curriculum. They are both the ones who will inherit the problems our planet is facing as well as the leaders who will be central to addressing them. Developing their understanding and analysis of climate related challenges from a young age will help them cultivate the curiosity, creativity and commitment to center environmental responsibility in all that they do." -Anita Grabowski, Buffalo, N.Y. (parent to a 6th and a 10th grader)

The Climate and Resilience Education Task Force (CRETF) was founded in 2018 by the National Wildlife Federation and a cohort of students, educators, and nonprofit partners who collaborate to expand access to climate education throughout New York state. CRETF is a welcoming, collaborative, intergenerational coalition working at the intersections of education, justice, and policy. For more information: www.cretf.org