Earth Today | Preparing for back to school in a changing climate

ANOTHER SCHOOL year is beginning, and many Jamaican parents are focused on the familiar back-to-school checklist: Do the children have everything they need? How will they get to and from school? But there is one question we cannot afford to overlook: What kind of environment are we sending them into every day?

Our children are growing up at a time when extreme heat, prolonged dry spells and pressure on water supplies are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore because of climate change. These conditions affect not only our comfort but also influence the food we grow, the prices we pay, the health of our communities, and the conditions in which children are expected to learn.

When drought and intense heat affect our farmers, families feel the impact at the market and around the dinner table. Fresh produce can become more expensive and less accessible, particularly for households already managing limited budgets. At the same time, we are concerned about another challenge facing our children: poor nutrition and childhood obesity.

It is easy to treat food insecurity and obesity as unrelated problems. However, when healthier foods are less accessible or affordable, families may increasingly rely on cheaper, highly processed options. Combined with children spending less time being physically active and more time indoors or on screens, we begin to see why creating healthy environments for children matters so much.

Imagine a child helping to grow callaloo, tomatoes or herbs in a school garden. That child is not only learning about plants. They are also learning where food comes from, what it takes to produce it, and why healthy soil, water and climate matter. Imagine schools with more trees providing shade on increasingly hot days, or children having safe green spaces where they can run, explore and simply spend time away from a screen. These things help to create important connections between environmental protection, learning and healthy living for our children.

Parents and caregivers can encourage these connections. Let’s involve children in gardening, conserving water, planting trees, reducing waste and exploring the natural spaces around them. Importantly, let’s explain why these actions matter. We should help children understand that the water flowing from the pipe depends on healthy natural systems. The food on their plates begins with soil, water and farmers. Trees are not simply part of the scenery; they are crucial parts of an ecosystem, providing shade, food and contributing to public health.

At the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, we believe that environmental protection is about people. Protecting our forests, watersheds, rivers, soil and other natural resources means strengthening Jamaica’s ability to provide food, water and healthy communities for future generations.

So, as we send our children back to school, let us prepare them not only to pass examinations, but to understand the world they are inheriting and how they can contribute to protecting the environment. If we want healthier children and a more resilient Jamaica, we must teach them to value nature and show them, through our own actions, that it is worth protecting.

Contributed by Nicole Adamson, CEO, Environmental Foundation of Jamaica