Environmental Education Ontario

Groundbreaking Report: Fossil Fuel Influence on Children’s Education in Canada

Anne Keary, of For Our Kids and Environmental Education Ontario, in partnership with Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), released a groundbreaking report about the extensive influence of the fossil fuel industry on K-12 climate education in Canada.

"Polluting Education: The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Children’s Education in Canada,” written by For Our Kids and EEON member Anne Keary, and Ontario teacher Jennifer Chesnut, with support from the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring, finds that oil and gas companies have been funding and supplying misleading climate education to children across the country.
At least 39 oil and gas companies and 12 industry-tied organizations, including Shell, TC Energy and Pathways Alliance, are involved in climate education, either by supplying education materials directly to schools, through government partnerships, or funding third-party nonprofits. These industry-supported education materials often downplay the fossil fuel industry’s role in climate change, and obscure the urgent need to transition off of fossil fuels for a safe climate.
See For Our Kids’s webpage for actions to take, additional teaching resources, data, and recommendations.

Report Summary

Full Report

See the webinar: panel discussion on Climate Change Education held in October 2024

Our goal at EEON is to see public education that appropriately prepares students and educators to address the crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social injustice. The need for educating our students on these critical issues, while nurturing their agency, and fostering their resilience is essential - and we are grateful to all those in the EEON community who are engaged in this important work.

On October 28, from 7:30-9:00 pm, we had a discussion on the current state and future of Ontario’s climate change education, policies and practices, including presentations from our panelists - Dr. Ellen Field (Lakehead University), Michelle Angkasa (Re-Generation Canada), and Nigel Barriffe (Elementary Teachers of Ontario). Following the panel presentation, we concluded with the annual EEON AGM. Watch the recording here.

Let’s make April Earth and Climate Education Month

EEON is launching a multi-year campaign: to make April ‘Earth and Climate Education’ Month.

Starting April 2024, we’re encouraging students and teachers everywhere in Ontario to integrate ecological and climate learning into all of their programs in the month of April. We invite schools, school boards, colleges, non-profits, faith groups and community organizations to get involved and endorse this campaign.