We are in the middle of another aggressive summer with temperatures raring to cross 45 degrees and above in the coming days.
While this seems to be inevitable during this time of the year, what is an individual contribution to stop global warming, or are we doing enough to teach our children the seriousness of climate change?
The United Nations has been calling for climate education to become compulsory in schools from 2025 to better equip children to cope with global warming in the future.
Speaking to Observer, an EVS teacher at an Indian school in Muscat, said, “It is important to teach climate change and global warming in detail in schools. We are still stuck with the effects of plastic on the environment, and pollution caused by vehicles, but things have changed for the worse, and those issues are only a fraction of the actual problems that we face today.”
“It is not just plastics, even the food we eat and clothes we wear are affecting the climate now,” she added.
“Students of today are smart enough to know on their own the seriousness of these issues but what is important is to know to formally educate them,” said another teacher.
UN claims that only a few countries currently mandate climate change studies in their education systems, despite many being signatories to this objective in the Paris Agreement.
The effects of climate change continue to be seen and felt around the world.
Just like earlier this week, while we were hoping that Cyclone Biparjoy would bring relief from the heat with rains, we were also fearing extensive destruction due to severe flooding and storms that usually accompany such tropical systems.
Memories of Cyclone Gonu which caused heavy destruction in the Sultanate in 2007 were back in the minds of everyone as we followed the path of this cyclone.
Experts suggest that climate change-related subjects in schools will help students to understand the reality of global warming.
Already, we are hearing of cases of malaria and dengue in Oman, which were once limited to tropical climates.
Dengue is a viral infection that causes a severe flu-like illness and can be lethal. The incidence of dengue has increased 30-fold over the last 50 years, according to the World Health Organization. Now, up to 100 million infections are now estimated to occur annually in more than 100 endemic countries, putting almost half of the world's population at risk.
Dengue fever normally happens between four and ten days after the person is bitten by an infected mosquito. A high fever is normally accompanied by headaches, nausea, vomiting, and joint and bone ache.
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