The GEM report highlighted that children exposed to temperatures two standard deviations above average are predicted to attain 1.5 fewer years of schooling compared to those experiencing average temperatures.
Discussing the impact of climate change on education in India, the report noted a study which found that rainfall shocks during the first 15 years of life negatively affected vocabulary development by age five.
Climate-related stressors such as heat, wildfires, floods, droughts, diseases, and rising sea levels impact education outcomes and threaten to reverse the educational gains of recent decades, according to the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report.
The global report, compiled by UNESCO, the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) project, and the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, pointed out that most low and middle-income countries experience climate-related school closures annually, increasing the chances of learning loss and dropout.
“Climate change-related impacts are already disrupting education systems and outcomes. Direct effects include the destruction of education infrastructure as well as injuries and loss of life among students, parents, and school staff. Climate change negatively impacts education indirectly through displacement of people and effects on livelihoods and health,” the report stated.
Over the past 20 years, schools were closed in at least 75 percent of extreme weather events, affecting five million people or more. Increasingly frequent natural disasters, including floods and cyclones, have led to the deaths of students and teachers and have damaged and destroyed schools.
“Exposure to heat has significant detrimental effects on children’s educational outcomes. An analysis linking census and climate data in 29 countries between 1969 and 2012 showed that exposure to higher-than-average temperatures during the prenatal and early life period is associated with fewer years of schooling, especially in Southeast Asia,” the report added.
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