When it comes to addressing the pressing challenges of climate change, my years of experience working on methane mitigation and clean air initiatives across Africa have taught me a critical lesson. This is that real progress requires work at both ends of the spectrum. Policy and technical solutions are essential at the highest levels of governance, but so, too, is nurturing a generation that understands the urgency of our climate crisis and has the tools to act. The importance of educating young people on climate change cannot be overstated. Schools are not merely centers of academic learning. They are spaces where values, habits and lifelong perspectives are formed. If we can equip Nigeria’s youth with climate knowledge and practical skills today, we will secure a brighter, more sustainable tomorrow. As I reflect on the climate mitigation journey Nigeria has embarked upon, I see many positive strides at the policy level. The approval of methane regulations for the oil and gas sector is one such landmark, emphasizing that Nigeria recognizes the importance of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. But we cannot stop at boardrooms, regulatory agencies or technical fields. We must carry this same energy into our schools and communities, to ensure that climate education becomes a fundamental part of Nigeria’s social and cultural fabric. Given that the climate emergency is global, our approach to solving it must be local, embedded deeply in the values we pass down to future generations.
In many parts of the world, forward-thinking educational systems are already prioritizing climate literacy. School children in countries like Sweden, Germany and New Zealand are not just learning about climate change in textbooks. They are being empowered to experience and solve environmental challenges firsthand. For example, in Sweden, schools incorporate environmental science into subjects as early as primary school, to link theoretical lessons with practical projects such as tree planting, recycling programs and energy efficiency audits. In New Zealand, students in rural areas are often taken on field visits to learn about biodiversity conservation and land management from a young age, to give them tangible examples of how their environment shapes their lives. Closer to home, African countries like Kenya and South Africa have begun to take bold steps to integrate climate awareness into schools. In Kenya, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry partnered with local schools to introduce tree-planting programs where students are actively involved in greening their surroundings. This hands-on approach instills environmental consciousness and offers young people a sense of ownership and action in tackling climate challenges. South Africa, too, has incorporated sustainability and renewable energy discussions into its science curricula, to prepare students to think innovatively about energy solutions for the future.
In Nigeria, we are yet to tap into the full potential of our youth in this regard. Climate change is often discussed as an abstract issue, something far removed from the daily realities of most Nigerian students. Even though floods, droughts and extreme weather are becoming more frequent and severe in our country, few Nigerian children are taught to connect these events with broader climate systems. As a result, young people grow up without the foundational knowledge or curiosity to explore climate action as individuals or future professionals. To bridge this gap, Nigerian schools must begin to integrate climate literacy into their curricula. This is not to say that schools should merely add climate change as another subject to be memorized for examinations. But climate education should be dynamic, engaging and practical. Students should learn to monitor their immediate environments and understand the impacts of their everyday actions. Imagine schoolchildren conducting local studies on air quality, participating in waste recycling programs or learning how to convert organic waste into compost for school gardens. Picture a nationwide competition where students design simple renewable energy projects for their communities or develop local solutions for water conservation. These practical experiences can ignite curiosity and instill an early sense of responsibility that grows with them into adulthood.
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And governments at all levels must lead this effort. Ministries of Education, in partnership with Ministries of Environment, should work to integrate climate concepts across subjects like science, geography and civic education. Environmental clubs should be encouraged and supported within schools, to provide students with platforms to discuss, innovate and act on climate solutions. To complement classroom learning, schools can collaborate with community organizations, scientists and NGOs to bring real-world climate issues into learning spaces. For instance, experts can give talks on the dangers of methane emissions or the benefits of renewable energy so as to help young people see the relevance of climate science in their everyday lives. As we look to the future, we must also empower teachers with the knowledge and resources they need to deliver quality climate education. A teacher who understands climate change can inspire an entire classroom to care about it. Training programs and workshops should therefore be developed to equip educators with updated climate knowledge and practical teaching methods. The Nigerian child who learns to plant trees today could be the environmental leader or climate scientist of tomorrow. The student who participates in a waste recycling program might grow up to pioneer sustainable technologies that transform entire industries.
In my own work on methane mitigation across Africa, I have seen how a lack of awareness can hinder progress, even where policies exist. The work of reducing methane emissions in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is not just a technical or regulatory challenge but it is also a societal one. Without widespread understanding of the issue, from local communities to decision-makers, progress will be slow and unsustainable. This is why I believe we must begin our climate education efforts with the youngest among us. If we catch them early, we can raise a generation that does not need to be convinced about the importance of climate action because they will already see it as second nature. We are at a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s climate journey and our government has shown promising commitments to climate action at the national level, but now is the time to turn these commitments into grassroots movements that begin in classrooms and extend into communities. Let us give our children the education, tools, and hope they need to face the future confidently. If we act now, we will be equipping them to survive the impacts of climate change and also to lead Nigeria toward a more sustainable and prosperous future. If we agree that the solutions to our climate challenges are not beyond our reach, then we need to also agree that such solutions are in the hands of our youth, and it is our responsibility to guide them toward a future where they are both stewards of the environment and champions of innovation. We can achieve these by ensuring that Nigerian schools become the breeding grounds for climate resilience, innovation and leadership. After all, the young people of today are the architects of tomorrow’s sustainable world.
Mohammed Dahiru Aminu ([email protected]) wrote from Abuja, Nigeria.
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